: Thanks Paul.

: I like the simplicity of the cork idea, but I am worried that it won't be
: very strong. The hole is about 6" on the blade side of where the
: blade meets the shaft. This seems like a likely spot for a break (at the
: worst possible time of course). Am I paranoid, or do paddles actually
: break there?

Paddles can break anywhere, and at anytime.

If you are worried about strength, put a patch of two layers of 4 ounce glass cloth over the hole, and extending about 2 inches in all directions from it. That should be more than strong enough to bridge the area, and tansfer any loads to stronger parts of the shaft.

It is possible that you are paranoid, but you would have to pay for me to go through med school before I'd be qualified (and licensed) to give you a definite yes or no on that point

If you can post a picture of the area we might have a better idea of what is going on. Obviously, if you rout out a big enough area and patch it with a wood piece glued in with epoxy it will be as strong as any other wood joint on the paddle.

PGJ