A new premium, handmade paddle arrived yesterday and it has a small knot in the blade, about 2 mm across and a cavity about 0.5 mm deep. Should this be considered a defect and be returned or is it an acceptable variation?
It's oiled.Is the blade glassed? If so, no big deal.
If it’s a varnished blade, be sure it never loses its finish…
I would probably scrape the hollow gently and fill the void with epoxy just to level it up for a smooth varnish finish.
I like it very much! It's perfect for cruising up and down the lake. But I wouldn't take it on a trip into the wilderness because of its thin blade.The fabled Nashwaak! How do you like yours? That was the first paddle I ever bought, and it made me realize I could build my own a lot nicer and a lot cheaper. I ended up trading it for an expensive box of .308 ammo.
Aslowhand, I don't know if you are familiar with the story behind the Nashwaak paddle, but I have included a link with the history. It became very desirable to own one in Canada when Bill Mason gave it a ringing endorsement. Because of that, its status got elevated almost to a magical state. I bought into the hype, and payed $125 way back when 125 bucks was a lot of money to me. I was disappointed when I received the paddle and it didn't perform any magic or transport me to Nirvana.I didn't know anything about a fable when I bought it... it was on sale, I got it for a third of its original price.
If it breaks or gets stolen I would have to ask a friend who is a carpenter to make a similar one because I don't have the skills to do it.