: 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.

Have you done much paddling with the paddle as it actually is now? Some people like to have blades which flex a bit, absorb the shock, and give a little kick at the end of the stroke. You might be happy with it the way it is.

if you want to increase the stiffness you wouldn't need to put a full piece of foam over the back. A few strips of foam, say, 1/4 inch wide and as long as you want would make a great base. Cover them with glass or carbon and they will stiffen things nicely. Like thin ribs, and a fraction the weight of covering the full width of the blade. If you didn't want to use foam strips you could use plastic soda straws as forms and lay your stiffening glass over these. Almost no weight at all to those armatures. use a drop of fast setting crazy glue (cyanoacrylate) to hold the straws in place before you glass over them.

If you want something as stiff as wood, use wood. You can laminate layers of veneer in a simple mold and make your own molded plywood blade blanks. Paint them with epoxy to seal them completely, or paint them black if you wish, or glass them with a thin piece of glass. Lots of options on how you want to finish the blades.

PGJ