Paddle Making

So, the guy who bought my canoe bought "custom" wooden paddles from some dude on the internet. A guy who makes at least a good part of his living making canoe paddles. My buddy paid $160 ea. for two paddles. I was looking at one the other day and was somewhat less than impressed.

I told my friend that I really couldn't talk since I had not made a canoe paddle but the quality and craftsmanship were somewhat lacking. My buddy agreed that he wasn't happy with the craftsmanship considering what he paid. This was exactly the motivation I needed to get busy making a paddle though and the fruits of my labor are in the pics below. This is my first paddle, and I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

I used left over strips from the canoe for the blade and a strip of scrap white oak for the spine. Then I laminated some mahogany that I have for the remainder of the shaft. Finally, having decided on a "T" style grip instead of a palm grip, I used some more white oak to mortise and tenon (with a through tenon) to attach that. I also wedged the through tenon. The grip looks a little clunky for a "T" grip, but it feels like a palm grip.

I glassed the blade with some extra glass cloth that I had lying around. It is 6 oz. but I think if I started to make paddles, I would get my hands on some 4 oz instead.

I finished it today and I will be taking it on a canoe trip next weekend with the boyscouts. I will pass it around to all the adults to get their feedback on what they like and, more importantly, what they don't like, and I will incorporate the changes into #2.

Gluing the mahogany spine/shaft.

Epoxy is messy!

Just signed with a sharpie before glassing. This paddle will be worth a fortune some day!

The finished product!

Finished and delivered!

I finished the canoe! I really need to catch up and post the final series of pics, but I'll get to that later.

I put the finishing touches on the canoe last week and was ready to get it out to the water for a test drive before I turned it over to the client. The first thing I noticed was just how much bigger than my Bob's Special that this Prospector 16 is. It is immense! Even though it's only a foot longer and a couple of inches deeper, it really seems huge.

I took it out to Northeast Creek to launch at Camp Brewster aboard Camp Lejeune. When I set the unloaded canoe into the water, the first thing that stuck out to me was the fact that less than 1/3 of the hull was in contact with the water. I performed a wet launch, and when I climed in, the stability of the craft was impressive. Even with me climbing over the gunnels, the canoe was incredibly stable and, at no time did it seem like it was going to capsize.

I then knelt in the center of the canoe and heeled it over and the responsiveness was pleasing. I paddled it sideways, forward, and performed turns with the greatest of ease. This is one amazing craft! It will go any direction you tell it to go, and go with ease. I look forward to building one (or two) for my own use soon. But before I can build my own Prospector, I have a couple of other projects to attack.

I will be building a pair of loft beds with desks and dressers next, as well as a set of book shelves. Those projects will show up here as they progress. I also have to get my workshop in order now that I have cleared out some space. I am also currently engaged in building a small cabinet in cherry for a half-bath in my house to hang above the toilet, and will also get pics of that up here as well. Hopefully, I will be able to begin my canoe around October and be ready for launch in the spring.

Fairing complete. Let's lay some glass!

Fiberglassing the hull is one of the most nerve-wracking (to me, anyway) things to do in the building process. Mainly this is because once started, you have to finish; can't stop until the last coat of epoxy is laid. My concern is that I will get started and find something that I didn't do. I really need to learn to trust my abilities and instincts and. That said, the process is relatively straightforward.

Once the hull is faired and filled, the hull gets sanded with 80 and then 120 grit sandpaper. The 80 grit sanding provides an initial fairing and then the hull gets wetted down with water. The water raises the fibers of the wood that have been mashed down by the scraping and initial 80 grit sanding. Then the final sanding with 120 knocks off the fuzz and provides a good, smooth surface for the glass to adhere to.

Next up, the fiberglass cloth (60z cloth, 60" width and about a foot longer than the canoe) gets laid over the hull. It looks like a sheet draped over it. The glass must overhang all edges at the sheer and the stems.

With the cloth in place, the epoxy gets mixed and brushed on. In brushing the epoxy, enough of the epoxy needs to be applied to soak into the wood and completely saturate the cloth in order to create a good bond. It's important to not leave areas starved of epoxy, as this will either show up as a blemish on the completed hull, and will create weak spots. I don't worry about using too much epoxy at this stage. Runs don't bother me here because they will be taken care of with the squeegee coming later.

Application of the epoxy requires two people (in my shop). I apply the epoxy and my assistant (oldest son) mixes and watches the time for me. Starting at the keel line near one end, I apply epoxy from keel to sheer all the way to the stem on one side; about two feet of the hull. Then I do the same bit on the other side. This anchors the cloth to the hull for the remainder of the epoxying.

Continuing down the hull about two feet at a time, keel to sheer, wet edge first, and side to side, I continue to apply epoxy. I skip back and forth to always overlap the wet edge to ensure the best possible bond.

After about 20-25 minutes, my son tells me to go back and start squeegeeing. At this point, the first section that I applied has begun to set and get a little firm. I use a plastic squeegee (the type used in auto body repair to apply and smooth body filler) and scrape off excess epoxy (and those runs I allowed) and smooth the whole bit. Care has to be exercised to not take too much of the epoxy off which would starve those areas and cause blemishes, but I have to take enough that the glass/epoxy is smooth.

I will continue to work in this way- side to side, spread and squeegee- along the entire hull until the whole thing is epoxied and smoothed from stem to stem, and then it's time to wait. Once the first coat is applied, it will be about 3 hours (depending on temperature and humidity) until the next coat can be applied. I apply three coats of epoxy to the outside of the hull. The first coat adheres the glass cloth to the wood, the second coat fills the weave of the cloth (mostly) and the third completely covers the cloth so that it can be sanded smooth for a final finish of varnish. All three coats are necessary so that when you do that final sanding you don't sand into the cloth. If you sand into the cloth, it will show as a white blemish and potentially weaken the hull in that area.

After the third coat is applied, I like to give it a day or two to cure and then I can turn the hull upright for the first time. This is really exciting for me because it's the first time that it actually looks like a canoe. Once it's turned upright, fairing can begin for the inside in preparation for the 'glass on the inside.

You can see a more detailed series of pictures of fiberglassing a canoe (where I am glassing another canoe) here.

This is the epoxy area. I really would like to make it a bit neater, but I'm getting impatient.

The hull with the glass cloth draped over it.

Nearing the end of the first coat. Notice how the cloth goes clear and the wood shows through.

After the first coat has had a little time to rest, I can trim the cloth to the sheer and stems.

One more view after the first coat.