: Power planes make for happy people. I use a power plane for the
: tapers as well, then follow up with a #4 1/2 smoother that's
: wide enough to do the entire width in one pass. The spokeshave
: only does the taper down then on half of each face.

: I want to work with a stiffer paddle. how stiff is your hollow
: shaft paddle? Does it load at the beginning of the stroke? How
: does it compare to a WRC paddle? I like Sitka and AYC, but I
: like a light paddle.

: m

The hollow shaft is still pretty stiff as I've left a "truss-like" structure in the middle lamination. It does have a bit of a "flick" at the end of the stroke as it undloads. I use my hollow loom for longer paddles because it's lighter and it has a narrower blade. It's very nice for cruising.

The solid WRC with the plastic edge, on the other hand, is a better paddle for playing - it has a bigger bite on the water and is a bit stiffer than the hollow loom. The increase in bouyancy with the larger paddle is VERY noticeable. This paddle weighs in at 30oz even with the plastic edging.

I haven't made/used a spruce in so long that I can't really make a comparison.

Cheers,

Sean