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Researching a fishing/hunting paddle

Joined
Sep 25, 2022
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Location
S. Central Alaska
Im sure there’s plenty of smart folk on here who can tell me what i’ve got here. It was an e-bay purchase and doe’s not appear to have any cracks however it would appear to be in the “vintage” category. For me it’s simply canoe art that’ll hang in the shop but i‘d really like to learn about it. I’ve called it everything my pea brain can imagine and am finding nothing on search engines.
 

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I remember those from way back. It's a one handed paddle for duck hunting, etc. You grab the part in the hole, and the upper section rests on the outer forearm for leverage.
 
I agree, it looks like an attempt to customize a paddle for one-hand or one-arm use, allowing you to make minor forward, back or sculling adjustments while you use your other hand for a fishing rod, camera, binoculars, harpoon, corncob pipe, slice of pizza, iPhone967, etc. You really can do this with any paddle, and sometimes a longer paddle crooked in your arm and against your shoulder would provide more efficient leverage than a short hand paddle.
 
So now that my new acquisition has shown up, im more eager than ever to learn something about these. It seems highly impractical and wouldn't be all that comfortable to use but it’ll sure be a nice conversation piece.

what i received does not look like it was ever used but does have plenty of “character” marks and i‘d really like to identify the wood. I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s hard, easy to file, scrape and sand and has a closed grain. It’s also very light and has a fairly delicate feel as would come from a good craftsman. No maker’s marks at all and under the grunge it’s got a pleasant look to it.

I have no problem cleaning it up and bringing it back to restore what unique elegance it may have once possessed, if i want to look at something old i’ll just go look in the mirror!

Here’s some pictures and im hoping someone can identify the wood at this point.
 

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I remember those from way back. It's a one handed paddle for duck hunting, etc. You grab the part in the hole, and the upper section rests on the outer forearm for leverage.
I think this is your answer. Most often referred to as a skulling paddle to be used one handed over the side of a low-profile duck boat [skull boat] when paddling slowly toward a flock of ducks.
 
Thanks guys, “skulling paddle” yielded results on the search engine, and since it’s possible it came from “duck country” it could also possibly be Cyprus or Sassafras wood? Anyway, it’s a nice old find and will look good on a wall.
 
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