I have tried to break one of these paddles, and have so far been unable to manage the thing. Well, to put it perhaps a little more accurately, I have not babied them in the least, and have leaned pretty hard on a couple of them, kind of secretly hoping they'd break, so I could pinpoint stress areas. But so far, not so much as a crackling sound, all remain solid as the day they hit the water. That's part of why I'm so high on this method.

One thing you mention is the solid feel. Yes, even though they're very lightweight, they have quite an unmistakably solid "feel", don't they? My Zaverals never felt solid that way, even though I know beyond a doubt how strong they really are, and see 'em used in serious competition often. That's another big plus I like.

As for glassing, you're on the right track, just gotta get out there and play with 'em and see what happens. I'd like to prognosticate a little for you, but don't know what kind of stuff you need to beat to death or otherwise. I'll say this much, however -- if I were making paddles for sale to the general public, I would make them a little more robust just to cover my behind.

: Listen to Kurt! It really is easy!!

: Kurt,
: I ordered some 3.2oz glass from Thayercraft this morning so I can
: glass some part of the blades. I'm still undecided so maybe you
: can help me here by answering a question... Have you ever broken
: a blade had one split that was not glassed? I plan to glass the
: edges to help a bit with the bumps and bruises but unless you
: think glassing the blades surfaces is necessary, I might skip. I
: have looked a several of the commercial cedar paddles available
: (Mitchell, Whiskey River, etc) and they advertise glass faced
: blades...

: I guess I could experiment and see what works for me. And since
: they are quite inexpensive and easy to make, If I break one,
: I'll just make me a "new and improved" version(s)..

: BTW, I applied a coat of epoxy to the paddles last evening and this
: morning, I lightly sanded and buffed with steel wool. Wow, they
: feel really nice now. Solid and light. Can't wait to put one in
: the water...

: Bob Beaullieu