Dale I agree with the others that thickness makes a big difference in the flex. Other thoughts, has it been 3-4 days since you did the layup? Have you baked or post cured the resin? The carbon itself is very flexible, it is the resin in combination that will create the stiffness. Maybe a few days time will solve everything if this is a fresh layup.
Best,
Reg

: I thought I would post this here, even though I'm referencing a
: canoe paddle I built. There seems to be such a rich and varied
: set of experiences here on this board and my chances are good
: for answers to my question.

: I built a canoe bent-shaft paddle (an experiment because I liked
: the looks and feel of the Mitchel Leader paddle); wooden shaft
: (wrc & ash) with a walnut grip. The blade is carbon fiber -
: 4 layers of 3K twill. I used MAS epoxy - low viscosity and slow
: hardener to wet out the layers. I reinforced the blade area in
: the center with a 1/4" thick piece of cedar, about 2
: 1/2" wide.

: My problem is that outside of the reinforced area, the paddle is
: quite flexible. I'm not implying that the blade is rubbery - but
: griping the thin blade, one can flex the blade maybe 1/4".
: I was expecting a very rigid blade. Is carbon fiber by itself
: not that rigid (even with 4 layers)? I don't like the shape of
: the non-powerface blade. If additional reinforcement is needed,
: would a thin foam sheet work? I want to build another with a
: stiffer blade without have the thickness and weight of of wooden
: blade covered with carbon fiber. Any advice is appreciated.

: A video showing the blade as I spin around the paddle shows the
: blade shape:
: http://www.bluestempaddler.com/newcf-update/

: A more detailed description of the build is here:
: http://www.bluestempaddler.com/newbentshaft/