The loom isn't what bothered me much... I used a pocket knife to gradually whittle the corners of the loom down. That knife is *sure* not a plane, and the loom acquired that whittled wood look. After sanding, it was still uneven, but not horribly so. Kinda gave it character, I thought.

The shoulders... they're uneven. I'm not happy with them. Granted, they'll probably be fine, and I bet I could use the paddle as is... but I know the shoulders are uneven. It's the principle of the thing.

I stopped by Lowe's today and found a gorgeous 2x4 in their whitewood stud section. It's a bit darker than pine, so I pray it's not hemlock. Weight seems just as, if not less, heavy as a pine 2x4, so I'm guessing it's not hemlock. The grain was the best I could find... not perfectly straight, but not horrible either. A couple *small* knots that don't look like much trouble. For $2.86, I figured I'd try it.

The Sea Tour 15 EXP's got a 24" beam, so I might want a longer paddle. Maybe I won't. Either way, carving a second paddle will give me more experience for carving the storm paddle I'm going to want, too.

I figure the worst case scenario is: I don't like one of them, and like the other. The wife's already claimed dibbs on whichever one I don't use, so she can use it for decoration in the living room. Claims it'll add to her nautical theme, or something like that. Might've mentioned something about "Fen Schwey", too *helpless shrug*.

: Most don't hold the loom so the loom can be round, you hold on
: either the paddle face or the shoulder that way the cant can be
: properly established. Normally the GP's loom is too narrow in
: width to hold onto. One of the advanges of the GP is you can use
: the entire blade as a handle. My GP is I think 84" and I'm
: 6' tall and my boats range from about 19" to 21"
: width, that length works for me.

: Bill H.