I always find it interesting to see how others go about making their paddles. You procedure varies markedly from mine.

I've made many laminated paddles but always went with narrow "vertical" strips. I've toyed with the idea of taking two 3/4" boards and laminating them horizontally to make up the needed thickness. But I've never thought of/seen the idea of ripping an existing board into two strips and putting them back together. I'm curious to know how much an increase in strength this will see. Then there's the matter of making sure that you've got a good join between the boards - both for strength and aesthetic reasons.

When I build, the first thing I do is mark and plane the taper of the blades. I use an electric plane to make the cuts for the taper - it's fast and accurate if you're careful. Then I mark/cut the round tip. Followed by marking the loom and blades and planing with block planes.

But in the end, we all end up at the same place - a finished paddle.

I have one question, though. Is your loom really 1 1/2" wide - as per your markings? If so, it will be 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" which, unless your friend is a giant, may be a bit thick. I'm 6'3" with fairly big hands and my looms are always 1 1/4 x 1 1/2. They're built in both solid and hollowed loom and I've had no problems with lack of stiffness. Removing that extra bit on the loom will make a BIG difference in overall weight.

Another thing that many people overlook is the thinness of the blade edges. I taper mine down to about 1/8". This makes for a very quiet entry of the paddle into the water - instead of the tell-tale thunk (splash) - thunk (splash) of a thick bladed paddle.

As it's been said, paddling building can be addictive. I always try to come up with new ideas to make the build process even more interesting. All my laminated paddles have a hollow loom - which reduces weight but, thus far, has not negatively affected strength/flex. I like to try different tips - hardwood, epoxy coated, plastic tipped. My last project saw a paddle with a black tip - I used truck bed liner and it's holding up great.

Reading your post and looking at your pictures makes me want to go build another paddle. But I'll hold off for now as I have a set of plans for the Black Pearl on the way!!!

Cheers,
Sean