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Another couple from yesterday, on the Withlacoochee River.

Juvenile alligator, today, on the the Withlacooche River, near Floral City FL.

Between my wife and I we have seven dedicated solos. All are set up for kneeling and straight stick, single blade paddling. 2 June Bugs. One carbon fiber and Kevlar, built by Savage River, and one woodstrip, the original or prototype. 1 Illusion, carbon fiber and Kevlar, built by Savage River...

Several have messaged me, from this and other forums, about better photos of the freestyle blade that was show in the group of four paddles, earlier in this thread. The freestyle blade has thinner edges and instead of Dynel, the edge is triple laminated hardwood. The tip is a non-Dynel...

Below are some photos of the completed paddle that y'all have been following the build of. Tomorrow it will get crated and shipped.

I designed it, for conditions, such as you encounter. The idea came about during a Pine Barrens (NJ) trip, some years ago. Several folks were commenting on the awkwardness of having to hold their grip hands high, to avoid bottoming the blade. One or two on the trip had short beater paddles that...

Glen, These are four paddles that are in various stages of completion. From left to right is a Freestyle Blade which is complete and ready for delivery River Blade, sealed and ready for the application of fiberglass Shallow Water Special which has been glassed but not yet varnished Shallow...

In response to several questions about the edging around my river and shallow water special blades, it is Dynel cord, saturated with epoxy. Dynel is commonly sold as a thin cloth but it is also available as "cord". The material that I use is very much like a very heavy shoe lace, approximately...

Not a derail, at all. In fact, I anticipated this discussion and thought about initiating it my self. My personal take, after having read much of the "dimple theory", quite some time ago is that IF there would be any advantageous effect to leaving the cloth texture, it would be minimal to...

Filling the weave is largely for aesthetic reasons although in theory, the slicker surface should slice more cleanly during in-water recoveries. Freestyle paddles actually weigh a bit less. Firstly, the blades are a bit thinner, especially along the edges. Secondly, the fiberglass cloth used on...

Mostly, UV protection. Some epoxies are more UV resistant than others but all are susceptible to some degree. A good quality varnish with UV inhibitors, reduces that risk. Also, for paddles that require a high degree of finish, varnish provides that. It flows better than epoxy and readily buffs...

The blade is laminated, largely of western red cedar. WRC is quite soft. The blade would have to be built much thicker/heavier to have adequate strength, without the fiberglass sheathing. It would also dent quite easily. In short, the composite construction allows in sum, for a much stronger and...

Once the hand sanding is completed, the entire paddle, shaft, grip and blade are sealed with epoxy. A lot of the 1st coat is sucked up by the wood. After it has cured to a green state, I generally apply a second coat before glassing the blade. A third coat is applied to the shaft and grip before...

Refining the shape of the grip is all hand/eye work. It's got to look right and feel right. This is mostly done with sandpaper wrapped around various shaped, foam blocks. The same applies to the shaft. My shafts are generally oval to provide a good "feel" (on the shaft hand) for blade...

I remove the milling marks from the blade, and do a final refinement of it's shape on an inflatable drum sander. Varying the pressure in the drum allows it to conform, to varying degrees, to the contours of the blade. I also do the final shaping of the shaft and grip with the drum sander. More...

Otters on Rainbow River, Dunnellon Florida. Taken Thursday, Nov. 13th.

Trying to drill new holes that will line up perfectly with the existing ones will be difficult at best, especially if you don't have a drill press. I'd be inclined to fill the old holes either by gluing in dowels or with wood filler/sawdust mixed with epoxy. Then I'd clamp the pieces together...

Once the rough cutting is done, it's necessary to refine the shape of the tip, as shown here. This is done by eye, on a stationary belt sander. It's necessary to keep a close watch on several reference points so that everything stays symmetrical. Essentially, it's "thinning the camber" at and...

Dana, Thanks for that clarification. Seems like we were talking the same language, only with different dialects.

If I understand all of this correctly, my paddles, by your description, have zero mean camber. With some few exceptions, most skilled paddlers (with the exception of many racers and others employing bent shaft paddles) employ a variety of in-water recoveries and loaded slices. The paddle is...