Students will make their own custom fitted Spruce beaver tail canoe paddle using mostly hand planes and spoke shaves. The first 3 hour session will be spent figuring the length of your paddle handle so that it matches your body size and then we will glue up the blade and the handle areas and let them dry overnight. The next day will begin with cutting out the rough shape of your paddle and most of the day will be spent thinning and shaping the blade, shaft and handle of the paddle. The result will be a very lightweight paddle that will be your favorite for years to come.
The paddles below are all around 20 years old and have seen some use and could use some new varnish. They are great paddles though and are so light and bouyant that they practically push up against your hand as you paddle. There is nothing like paddling with a paddle that you have made by hand. We will discuss finishing but the students will finsh their paddles on their own.
