Have a little extra time so thought I would build a couple surf paddles. The bottom paddle was just completed. next one up is my broken paddle which will now become a wall hanger ( it has over 200 hours of in the water paddle time ). The three paddles on top are partly completed . ON the left is a pile of thin sliced wood for the paddle blade panals ( koa ,silk oak, phesant wood , and mango.) there are a couple glued up panals in front. Thats what I was doing Christmas eve and will be working on Christmas day. 
Ahui hou- Wood_Ogre
There ought to be a law against such talent! That is some beautiful work.
Just beautiful. OK, not just beautiful, but so functional. Check your PM.
Love the panels you have prepared. Please keep posting you work!
Got the panels glued up and run through the sander and ready to glue the panels to the paddle blades. Ahui hou-Wood_Ogre
Made a few paddles with some of the wiliwili wood I have. Wish I had the tools and workspace to do it right.
What Degree are you setting your paddles?
9 or 10?
So far I have used 9 - 10 -11 and 12 . I like 9 and 10 best. I have put 219 paddle hours on my 22 oz 9 1/2 inch wide 9 degree paddle but find that in a strong head wind the flex is a problem and the paddle tends to get caught by wind gusts when changeing hands. I am now paddleing a 34 oz no flex paddle and like it when I am fighting the wind. My first paddle had a 10 1/4 inch wide blade , too wide, also did a straight blade narrow paddle for a short while. It was very good for stearing the board and had a good bight but I could over power it and it sucked air in the last 1/3 of the stroke. When I first started paddleing a paddle was just a paddle, I am now finding that each paddle has its own personality. And no I don’t paddle canoes . Ahui hou- Wood_Ogre
I’m making some paddles for SUP wave surfing 17 1/2 long blade x 8.5 total length 76" with 10 degrees.
That’s your take on these dims? My friend that rips loves this set up so I was going to start with this set up.
I guess for open ocean I could go wider?
I’m going to use exotics in the blade with a combination of Balsa.
Basswood for the Handle?
Please advice if you think I’m blowing it?
I make surfboards all wood as well as skateboards and furniture.
For the last 6 years I thought about making a paddle.
Since I keep having people ask me to make them one I thought I would make a couple.
Looks like you have a good set-up!
Nice wood work too!
I think your at a good starting point. How tall are you? 76 inch may be short with a 17 1/2 blade. Can you try some one elses paddle for your length. The blade should be completly under water on your stroke. I like oval shaft, and t handle keeps the paddle tracking straight by itself. bass wood may be to weak unless you do laminations and a fiberglass sleeve. Ill bet you you can not make just one paddle !! they take a lot less of your time and shop space than making boards so you can work on them whenever you get a little extra time . Ahui hou- Wood_Ogre
I’m 5’11 so what length do you recommend?
Basswood center with African Bloodwood side laminates.
Balsawood panels trimed in Bloodwood?
Oval Shaft with Tee Handle.
Am I on the right track?
I guess I can make a bunch and see what works?
You having the experience can help in keeping down the waste!
I too am 5’ 11" and my stand up paddle is 77 3/4" and I think it is to short so my next paddle will be 80" and Ill see how that works. My knee paddle is 60" and to short. before I was useing a 62" and that length was perfect. Seems to me It takes about 200 hours of paddle time before I figured out what was working and why. I have no impute from experienced paddlers so just work though it by myself. Strange how when people see the paddles I make they think I am some kind of expert which I am not! Only got into this paddleing to re-hab a rotator cuff that got yanked from a mega tea bagging while kite surfing. your wood selection sounds like a good one. be sure to post some pics. Ahui hou - Wood_Ogre
Thanks for the heads up on the length. I’ll go with 80" on my first one and start from there?
Tomorrow I’m moving all my wood working equipment out of my storage into a professional Cabinet shop.
It’s going to be a dream. I have to make my friend who owns the shop 2 surfboard per year for rent?
The surf factory will be for making Boards and SUP’s the woodshop for Paddles and Wooden Surfboards.
The Wood Shop is less than a 1/2 mile away. It’s funny how it all works out?
Do you have a lead on Curly Koa?
Paddle blades are clamped with some hi-tec gravity clamps. 
I love those inlaid circles and drops. I am looking for a book to show me how to do that on my bamboo boards. Looks so good.
thx for sharing the pics.
Is that a drum sander surface plane? If so I can’t get rid of my stiffy!
If it works! Why not!
Quote:
Is that a drum sander surface plane? If so I can't get rid of my stiffy!
What is the thickness of those veneers? I had read on some of the woodworking forums that good consistency is hard with those cantilevered drum sanders. Are you actually running those thin veneers through the drum sander, and if so do you put them on a sled or something? That sort of looks like the Ryobi sander, is it?
Glenn. The sander is a Performax 16-32 plus. In our shop in the industrial center we had a 37 " wide belt sander 15 hp. It was to big for the small veneer work I was doing so I got the Performax cause it would go thin and short. The veneers or thin wood I resaw at 1/8 " then glue them together do the inlays and then run them through the performax on a sled sand both sides and get them down to 3/32 or 1/16 depending on what wood I used, I want them to still be kind of stiff. I can sand down to 1/32" useing a sled but prefer to stay thicker than that. I have heard the complaints about getting consistent thickness with these open end drum sanders but have never had that problem. I have had this little sander for a lot of years and when I got it I dialed it in according to the book and have never had any trouble with it. There was a learning curve as to what grit paper to use and thickness of each pass and feed speed. But once I got past that I have had no problems. I moved out of the industrial center 7 years ago and because I do not have 3 phase power where I am now I sold my wide belt sander with the intent of getting a smaller 5 hp wide belt but have not yet done so. I dearly miss my wide belt as it was able to eat wood like butter. The little Performax gets the job done but slowly and it just keeps chugging away. I have put thousands of feet of wood through it and have had to replace the bearings once (made in china, replaced with US). When I bought it there were no options. Performax was sold to Jet a few years back and there was some trouble in the transision period but I understand the bugs have been worked out. I would still say the Performax (Now Jet ) is the best of the light duty open end drumsanders but if I were buying now I would go with a closed end. Aftere so many years of woodworking I have found that I don’t need any machine that goes wider than 16 inches. Heres the 3 paddles ready for shaping and sanding. Im going to do the short ones shaft in glass cloth and one long one in red and black carbon and glass cloth. The 3rd maybe 100 % carbon fiber. That way I can get a beter feel for the different strength and flex. 