Found some blue stain poderosa pine at my favorite exotic wood shop, Jackal Enterprises in Watsonvile, CA. It was almost as light as western red cedar, but with a nice light pine color. It's very soft, but not quite as soft as WRC. The best part was the price...only $2.45 a BF! That's half what the WRC costs. It looked clear, no knots or cracks, and a 1.5" x 5.5" x 7' length cost only $12.

Any problems with that material that any of you know of? I'll give it a try anyway at that price. And there should be enough left over to make a core or edges for a laminate paddle next. Man, I just love making paddles. If only boats were that easy!

Mark