I mentioned in another thread that I had a wood canoe paddle in the 1980s with a hollow shaft. It was the Chehalis model made by Nimbus in Canada, and it was lost on the Ashuelot River in New Hampshire. I see Nimbus is still around, but they seem to be making only composite kayak paddles now.
A hollow wood shaft makes sense to me for two reasons: It can reduce the overall weight of the paddle or, alternatively, the shaft can be made in a larger diameter without any weight penalty. Experiments have shown that bulkier grips on tools often have a better hand-feel and are more comfortable. If you think a hollow wood shaft has detriments, you can discuss that too.
In any event, I never again encountered a wood canoe paddle on the market with a hollow shaft. However, I just found this video of a guy making one. I have no idea whether his is the method used by Nimbus, but it is clever and the paddle looks darn good.
A hollow wood shaft makes sense to me for two reasons: It can reduce the overall weight of the paddle or, alternatively, the shaft can be made in a larger diameter without any weight penalty. Experiments have shown that bulkier grips on tools often have a better hand-feel and are more comfortable. If you think a hollow wood shaft has detriments, you can discuss that too.
In any event, I never again encountered a wood canoe paddle on the market with a hollow shaft. However, I just found this video of a guy making one. I have no idea whether his is the method used by Nimbus, but it is clever and the paddle looks darn good.