: Thanks for the steel wool advice. After adding my first coat of
: pure tung oil I got second thoughts about having a pure tung oil
: finish. Durability is a concern after seeing how soft RWC is. If
: it ends up not being recommended then I'll just try the oil and
: varnish mixture on my next paddle.

The finish, no matter how hard (other than epoxy) won't have any effect on the durability of the wood. I've though used my favorite GP for several years and it's one piece WRC, though it indeed looks it :)

You'll have to re-oil at least a couple times a season, no real biggy, takes about 10 or 15 minutes.

Bill H.