: Sure do,
: Its about 93" long (top of fingers with arm outstretched), blades are
: about 4" wide. Which is too wide I suppose, and I keep meaning to cut
: it back as it definitely has a lot of bite, but now I have been paddling
: with it all summer and I am getting used to it. I first made the loom
: shoulder width apart, I found it hard to use so I made it shoulder width
: plus a fist. I also find that I hook my little finger onto the shoulder
: where the blade starts and it gives me good control on the angle of the
: blade.
: Material is vertical grain western red cedar. Don't know the exact weight but
: it is crazy light. Everyone I hand it to remarks on it. Because the grain
: is vertical it doesn't seem to flex or bow much under load. It dents easy,
: but I think it just gives it character. I coated it with tung oil, and
: have had to recoat it a couple times till I got it built up nice.

: As for how it paddles, well I don't use my fiberglass blade anymore except
: for rivers. The paddle has a lot of buoyancy so it makes rolls easier.
: Also I find when I am paddling in rough conditions I just angle the blade
: so it is hitting the water at a bit of a climbing angle and put my stroke
: a little more out from the kayak, it slows me down a bit, but each stroke
: is a mini sweep/brace so it adds a lot of confidence. The reason for the
: no rivers thing is that the paddle needs a couple feet of water to bite
: properly.

: Oh, and the picture is of a show I did with it, the pile of stuff on the
: bottom is everything I cut off the 2x6 to make it. I roughed the shape on
: the band saw including the taper on the back, and then just went at it
: with carving gouges, knives and a spoke shave. If I was doing it again I
: might consider laminating because it would save a lot of wood and a lot of
: effort. However on a first paddle I wanted the full experience.

Hey, D:

Thanks for posting! I am inspired. Seems like ripping the cedar 2x4 to 1x4 and then adding a 1x2 to one side would make a good blank for the Aleut paddle. Maybe put a 1/4 x 3 sliver of pine or other light colored wood in between for an accent. The accent strip would provide a guide to symmetry for the spokeshave work--as I am intimidated by your craftsmanship, particularly in the wonderful symmetry of your paddle. I have a beautiful clear cedar 2x4 I've been hoarding, and wasting much of it in shavings and bandsaw cutoffs seems a terrible shame. Plus, if I screw up, I've got another 1x4 for another try. (Gotta do this: the baidarka cries out for a native paddle--much as I love my Lightning ultralight carbon job.)

Nice photos, btw!

--Scott