: Just out of curiosity, why the extra width and why add glass? What
: do you get from the added weight other than longer life?

: One of the things that I like about using straight and naked cedar
: paddles is that they communicate a lot through the wrist. You
: know immediately if your stroke is off and if you are being
: inefficient. Do the glassed paddles provide the same feedback?
: I've also found that Greenland style paddles tend to give a
: slight snap at the end of the stroke which seems to provide an
: extra kick when you are working it. Do you get the same
: flexibility and responsiveness?

: I'm not criticizing, just curious about how they perform.

: Eric M.

Thank you for your questions and commentary, but this paddle thing has me shooting from the hip.

I am new to this game, and know a lot more about woodworking than I do about kayaking. I figured that the maple would get punky pretty quickly if it got wet. I used glass and epoxy because I have always thought in terms of "Stiffer is better". I wanted the curly grain in the maple to "pop" visually. Also, all of the broken paddles I have seen or heard of, broke where the loom meets the blade, hence glass.

Next time I will try it without maple, glass or epoxy.

In your opinion is it better to use a solid 2x4, or a glued up paddle?