: I rarely shop the BORG's. Just happened to be in there for dowel rod. But
: around here you take what you can get, where you can get it. That is why I
: was asking about the Douglas Fir they had. My favorite places are local
: sawmills. But we don't have WRC or Cypress growing around here.

: I think cypress is the probably my best choice for a tradition boat building
: wood. It grows not too far away and that should help keep shipping costs
: down. I need to pick up some and make a paddle and see if I like it.

: Right now I can't justify a truck load. Well I could cypress because I have
: several uses for a load of cypress other than boat related items.

I really need to post the picture of a GP that I made from Sassafras and Spanish cedar. It turned out lighter and stiffer than WRC alone. I took the picture last weekend, I'll try to remember to post it tonight.

By using a 4/4 sassafras board for the core of the paddle and epoxying on a 3/8" spanish cedar face on both sides I was able to cut out a significant area in the center of the shaft to provide a hollow in the shaft, loom, and part of the blades. You could use other woods, those were just the best I had in terms of weight and stiffness.

The hollow shaft is stiffer than solid WRC because the configuration creates a box beam. The longitudinal shear forces resist the bending of the shaft.

Picture promised tonight -