Building your own Greenland paddles
Why?.......Read on & find out!
 
 

Me with my favorite unshouldered Greenland paddle off Campobello Is, New Brunswick, Canada
You can also see my storm paddle on my aft deck, and my throwing stick in the front bungies.
Photo by Rick Taylor

I've read a number of articles on the subject, and studied  both commercial and homemade paddle designs, as well as made quite a few of my own for myself and several friends. There are quite a few different opinions as to methods, and as many more on design.

Anyway, I'll tell you how I do it.

First off, I cheat. I'm inherently lazy, and want instant gratification. Therefore, I use the simplest and least time consuming methods. Ironically, these shortcuts produce what appears to be a more durable paddle than traditional methods will allow for. I'm all for more durable, especially when I'm about 2 miles offshore. Plus, I can build a really great paddle for about $30. Did I mention I'm sometimes cheap, too?

Now that we have that established, a little background info. Greenland has no trees. So, both kayaks and paddles were made out of driftwood, which was available in good supply. Over the course of the years, a set of general guidelines for a traditional paddle emerged. These are not rules, just generalizations:

                    Length:                    The maximum height the kayaker can reach in the air flat-footed.
                                                    OR: an arm span plus a cubit (Elbow to fingertips). For me, both are the same.
                    Max blade width:     The width of a "C" formed by the kayaker's thumb and middle finger.
                    Length of loom:        The distance between the kayaker's index fingers at rest at his
                    (Handle)                    or her side while standing.
                    Width of loom:          Personal preference, shape is by preference, too.

For me, this translates into a paddle that is 7'2" long, a maximum blade width of 4", and a 20" loom. 4" is generally considered wide for a traditional Greenland paddle, but then again, I'd be considered a big guy in Greenland as recently as 50 years ago, so I guess it's all relative (And I'm only 5'7"). I use 3.75"  as my maximum width.  I also prefer an oval-shaped handle, with the widest part of the oval being front to back when in use.

Traditional paddles were hand-carved out of a single piece of wood, and not oiled or finished to keep them from rotting. They took a bit of time to make, but not a lot, and they had a tendency to warp with heavy use. My method uses a 1x6 and wood strips to achieve the same dimensions with less carving, and because it's laminated, it's stronger and less prone to warpage. You can also coat the entire paddle with marine epoxy before varnishing to lock the wood fibers, and increase the overall strength of the paddle if you feel it needs it.

Now for the fun part. Select a piece of 1x6 wood that is as straight as you can find, and as free of knots as possible. I've found that the best woods are white pine, yellow pine, sitka spruce, and red cedar. This is based on weight of the wood, strength, and ease of carving. These woods have the best combinations of the three. For the loom strips, I prefer to use aspen or red cedar for the same reasons. I tried red oak, but it's a pain to carve, even if it does look really nice and adds a ton of strength. Not worth the effort to me. I build a 5-layer laminate out of the pine blank, 2 - 1 1/2 by 1/4" by 4' strips, and 2 - 1" by 1/4" by 2' strips.

Now that you have your materials, you have to settle on a design. There are three basic blade designs:

             -A blade that tapers straight from the end of the loom out to the tip at a constant angle:

            -A blade that tapers at a sharper angle from the loom about 1 and a half inches or so to a width of half the
maximum blade width, and then at a much shallower angle out to the tip
(I exaggerated the shoulders a little in the drawing, so they're easier to see):

            -A shorter version of the second paddle, called a storm paddle. The paddle itself is one armspan long, and
             the loom is two fists wide. All other dimensions are as above. I also shorten the loom strips to 3 feet and
             18 inches, respectively.

Some of my early designs

My Latest paddle
Made from 3/4" by 3/4" Sitka spruce in the middle, red cedar, and white cedar

The first blade is my favorite. It is very light, and paddles every bit as fast as any other paddle I've used. It is also great in the wind - very little resistance. The second has more blade area, and is great for doing things like one-handed rolls and balance braces due to it's added buoyancy. This is the design you see in most commercial Greenland paddles. The storm paddle is kept on the back deck of your boat as a spare. The stroke used is a sliding stroke, which allows the kayaker to never have an upwind blade. Hence the name "storm" paddle --- it's main function is paddling in high winds. They work good in surf, too.

So now, you measure yourself, and calculate your dimensions. Take these dimensions, and translate them to the design of choice. Draw the paddle on your piece of wood, and cut out a blank with a jig saw. Remember to round your tips -- it cuts down on splashing when you're paddling. Now, eyeball the blank down it's length, and check for warpage. Most commercial wood will have a slight warp to it. So will your strips. Oppose the warpage of the blank and strips to straighten the paddle if the warp is more than 1/4" or so. If not, oppose the warp of the strips to add strength (Concave to the blank works best). The loom at this point should be cut to the same width as the strips that will be epoxied to it.

Now that you have your blank, center the 4' strips on the blank, glue them to the blank, clamp, and let sit for 24 hours. One strip at a time works best. Less frustration this way. Then glue the 2' strips on (Centered, of course), clamp, and let them set for 24 hours each. I have used a number of glues over the years: Epoxy, Franklin Titebond II, and Polyurethane glue among them. Epoxy is the most work, and the most versatile. Titebond, Elmer’s carpenter’s glue, and Polyurethane glue should only be used if you’re going to coat the paddle with epoxy or varnish. Polyurethane glues claim to be waterproof, but my experience has shown that claim to be questionable.

Now you're ready to carve. I use a pair of block planes. One is a 4", and the other is a small modeler's plane for close quarters and fine detail. The paddle blades should be symmetrical, in the shape of an airfoil. Leave the center of the blades their original width, and taper in a rounded shape to the edge, which should be in the center of the original width of the blank. Don't make the edge too sharp, and also carve the tips of the paddle down to about 1/4" or slightly more (Maybe 3/8"). Do this by shaving from a point on the paddle in the center of the blade about 4" from the tip out in a radial pattern across the curve of the tip. Too thick tips will cause splashing and fluttering in the water.

The handle is up to you. Some people like more rounded handles, some like squared handles, and others like oval handles. The handle you should have at this point will be a squared oval, which you can carve into any of these shapes. Start by making an oval, and keep carving until it feels comfortable in your hands. Once you have a comfortable handle carved, shave the remainder of the strip that goes out the blade at an angle so that it blends into the blade at it's end. Now take the small plane, and shave out any asymmetry in the paddle. There will always be some, so don't get too stressed over it. You just have to be close, not perfect.

Sand the paddle until it is smooth, and round the entire edge of the blades (Tips especially) to protect them from chipping. Once sanded, check the paddle for strength. If you feel it is a little too flexible, paint it with a coat of epoxy. Fiberglass resin works just fine, but you can also use the more technical marine epoxies if you like, too. At this point, you can choose to add a second coat of epoxy, or varnish the paddle. This is all preference. I like the look and feel of varnish. Others like the feel of an epoxy finish. A note: epoxy degrades in UV. You will have to re-coat your paddle once a year or so unless you varnish it. If you don't mind that, then you're done.

Finishing variations:

-You can just varnish your paddle if you like, or epoxy the tips first and then varnish the paddle. Epoxy at the tips is a good idea to protect them. I like to mix white gelcoat pigment into the epoxy that goes on the tips, so that the paddle looks like a real Greenland paddle, which have whalebone tips. About the last 3 inches of the blade is right. After several years of building paddles, I epoxy the whole paddle now. Too many advantages, not least of which is increased durability.

-You can also sand the paddle to a really fine grit, and rub about 8-10 coats of oil into it. This gives a silky finish to the wood, but requires a bit more attention, and is prone to damage at the tips. But, they are beautiful to look at. Note: you will have to use epoxy to laminate the paddle for this finish. This is quickly becoming my preferred finish. I like to use Watco Teak Oil, and sand the paddle progessively smoother between coats until I get to 600 grit for the original finish. I use 220 grit to sand before the first re-coat after 6 months or so, and then just oil it after that. Mixing linseed oil and turpentine makes a nice finish, too. There’s lots of oil recipes, and they all work.

-Then there's my newest idea -- the annoying finish. I'm considering finding some epoxy-based reflective paint, or reflective gelcoat pigment, and painting the tips of a paddle with it. The idea was for paddling after dark, or in heavy boat traffic. Two places where it's good to be seen. A friend of mine recently tried this with glitter on the tips of her paddle --- unique!

It can take 2 or 3 tries before you really get the process down to where you're making what you like, and are making really nice looking paddles. Then, you can start to experiment with shapes and finishes and such. Take the time to try a few commercial and homemade ones ahead of time, notice the lines of the paddles, and keep these images in your mind as you're carving. It's very easy once you've done one to your liking.
 

Other resources:

Greenland Paddles recorded by Gail Ferris

Harvey Golden's native kayak and paddle replicas
 
 

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