make your own wood paddle

For the moment I use an old windsurf as a paddle board, the days that the sea is flat.

Few days ago I went to a sport shop to check the prices of the paddles and I found that are so damn expensive between 60€-200€, not worth to pay that just for 2-3 days a month.

Then I decided to make my own paddle from some pieces of wood I have.

For the moment the hardest thing was to make the handle round without any special tools. I don’t have pictures for the process but, it was just using all the planes I have and cut all the edges.

When it was round enough, I took the sander and using 40 and 80 grit made it smoother.

After thate came the paddle time, so I took same wood and glue it to the handle.

If this days are no waves I’ll go on with the process and update the post with pics.

 

When it’ll be finish my plans are to glass the paddle with 6oz and varnish the handle.

I might reshape the handle coz I think it’s kinda thick. I’ll also make some pics the thickness.

 

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/sw1_0.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/sw3_0.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/sw4_0.jpg

This is a laddle

it is not even 50% done 

I’ll post more pics of the process.

Ur right, a paddle is just a bigger laddle

This is how I make em.  Hollow shaft cedar.  very light.  very strong.


wwaaaaaaawwww nice one mate, I wish i had all those tools u have there.

tomorrow i’ll start with the shaping …we’ll see how it’ll end

I’ll defo make the handle thinner, I think is too thick. Maybe 1 1/2" it’ll be enough, what u guys think?

About the paddle I have no idea how to make it and what template to use.

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/shov.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/shov%203.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/show2.jpg

check out this that I made a few years back: http://www.swaylocks.com/groups/sup-paddle-building-101.

Thanks,

D

thx uncled. One question: why the angle of the paddle?

Today I did the shaft a lil bit thinner aprox 1.5".

Also glued the grip and made the blade a lil bit wider.

And now the pics

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/1.5.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/1.6.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/1.7.jpg

Did a template in boardcad

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/spec_0.jpg

new pictures from the process

 

tomorrow i’ll have blisters on my fringers from the handplanes 

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/001a.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/001b.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/001c.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/001d.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/001e.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/001f.jpg

~~After paddling / racing outrigger canoes, the angle would allow the paddle to perpendicular with the board in the power peak of the stroke.  If you look at most SUP paddles they have angles ranging from about 6 to 12 degrees.

I still have some pieces of wood for another one a lil bigger, this one it might be used by my girlfriend (the entire paddle is about 1.80 meters or lil bit more and I’m 1.78m)

Next one I’ll do it like u say, with a slight angle, I wanna see what’s the difference between them.

I am gonna use it just when the sea is flat and I can’t surf.

 

Here’s a picture from today

. Next is 6oz on both sides of the blade and 11-12" of the shaft. Then i’ll varnish the entire paddle.

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/10735959_10152378769596087_1212963167_n.jpg

One lil drop of blue tint for the lam.

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/10744589_10152380515726087_262244110_n.jpg

And now the second one… 1.97 meters, and angled blade

I never like the carpenter works … but now i kinda feel god doing it. 

It’s because i started by something easier, I made the nose of a single by wood blocks and it came out pretty well.

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/10728640_10152384596316087_239452055_n.jpg

https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/10728612_10152384596246087_409999883_n.jpg