Several weeks ago, I shared that I had build several Bird's Mouth canoe paddles that I planned to use on a long trip in June. So, I used two and here is what I experienced....

My 10 yr old son and I participated in a 106 mile , 7 day paddle down the Oconee River in central Georgia from June 18-24. The river is class 1 but has quite a few rocky shoals in the northern section followed by sandy banks, oxbow lakes and lots of deadfall as you reach the coastal plains of GA. A very pretty paddle and much enjoyed by my son and I. We paddled a Wenonah Solo Plus and used our two home made cedar bent shaft paddles (glassed on the blades) and also my Bending Branches bent shaft.

The youth version (48" shaft / 8 degree bend) I built for my son weighed in at 11.5 oz and worked wonderfully for him all week. The light weight seemed to keep him paddling more than in the and it held up to his smacking rocks and digging it into the sand. It got used like you would use any other paddle and held up just fine. It's got some nicks and bruises but nothing that needs any attention. Overall, it's a keeper...

The adult version (54" shaft / 8 degree bend) I build for myself weighed in at 13.3 and worked terrific for 3 days until I got a small 3" split in the shaft near the blade. I discovered the split when I started the 4th day as I could feel it with the tips of my fingers. Upon inspection, I could see it and determined that it likely split when I lashed the paddle together with other paddles for a trailer ride around a large lake. I remember pulling a strap around the paddles and a thwart to make sure they didn't fall out since the canoe was going to be transported upside down. I found the split the next morning so I think I caused it. However, I paddled with it all day without incident. The next morning, I started day 5 with the Bird's mouth paddle but after about an hour of paddling, the shaft twisted slightly and I could feel the grip twist the paddle shart 10-15 degrees in relation to the blade. When inspected, I found that the split had moved almost the entire length of the shaft. So, I paddled the rest of the trip with my Bending Branches Sun Shadow without incident.

When I got home from the trip, I gave the paddle a complete inspection and think that I might have used a strip with weak grain and the tension from the strap may have caused the failure. I'm not positive that this is the case but am highly suspicious of the wood since I have since discovered some split strips that came from the same board...

So, I opened up the split with some wedges enough to inject some thickened epoxy, let it cure and guess what, it feels just as strong as when first built. But, just to be on the safe side, I wrapped the entire shaft with a layer of 3.2 oz glass and doubt it will break again.

I'm not going to glass the other 3 paddles I made but will continue using them as is and see if the paddle shaft split because of bad wood or maybe being lashed too tight against the thwart. I am predicting that the other paddles will be just fine..

Bob Beaullieu