: 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

As an alternative method, I used a router with a profile guide to rough out a daggerboard for my sailboat. It could have been faster with a more powerful router and larger bit, and I suspect working along the board instead of across it would have provided a smoother blank for sanding -at the cost of a more complicated jig - but it didn't take long.

http://theancientkayaker.weebly.com/uploads/4/1/4/3/4143961/4724524.jpg?250