Hi Folks
I am new to this forum and must say there are a lot of clever ideas availabe here. Love Dale's idea on using play-do for the epoxy tip. I am a wooden boat builder in New Zealand but until recently (shame on me) have never built a paddle. Just finished a 2 person Waka Ama (outrigger canoe) for a client who also wants bent shaft paddles made.
Having read books and searched out info on paddle making I started out as per most instructions with hand planing the blades to shape BUT soon had to try my 4" disk-grinder sander to see how it would work. I use this a lot in general boat building for all sorts of shaping etc and it worked a treat on paddle shaping.
I know, not very traditional but it seems to be able to do the job just a well as my hand plane.
I am just wondering what other folks are using for shaping before I start feeling a bit guilty about not doing this traditionally.
Cheers
Blade Shaping
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Juneaudave
- Posts: 522
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 12:42 pm
- Location: Juneau, Alaska
- Contact:
Thanks for that Kent
The outrigger is a ply multi chined design that I had Paul Fisher design for me. The client wanted a wood boat rather than molded hull with a bit of a traditional look. As they are forming a local club it is hoped that a few more will be built. As cost plays a great part in boat building for a living, this design had to be based on a few things, reasonably light,traditional-sort-of-looking, sturdy and of course not too expensive! This ment it had to be completed in under 80 hours.
This boat could easily be rigged for sail but will be only used for private paddling and clud competitions.
My son is coming home shortly and will be sorting out our web site if anyone wishes to have a look at the outrigger.(I have no idea how to post a photo here)
I have plans for a Bear Mountain Prospector for my own canoe and one day will even get to start it!
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The outrigger is a ply multi chined design that I had Paul Fisher design for me. The client wanted a wood boat rather than molded hull with a bit of a traditional look. As they are forming a local club it is hoped that a few more will be built. As cost plays a great part in boat building for a living, this design had to be based on a few things, reasonably light,traditional-sort-of-looking, sturdy and of course not too expensive! This ment it had to be completed in under 80 hours.
This boat could easily be rigged for sail but will be only used for private paddling and clud competitions.
My son is coming home shortly and will be sorting out our web site if anyone wishes to have a look at the outrigger.(I have no idea how to post a photo here)
I have plans for a Bear Mountain Prospector for my own canoe and one day will even get to start it!
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RE
Hi Folks
Hopefully this link will show our little outigger. (I admit. had to get my son to do it)
If not, it is on our web site under "products". www.houseboatsnz.co.nz
I have now built 6 bent shaft paddles for a learning curve (kept 1 and gave others away). Probably the most difficult part for me is getting a balance between light weight, too much flex verses strength. I am glassing both sides of the blade now.
What do you folks concider too much flex ? All the paddles are well under 2 lbs but not sure if I should try to make them more solid with out any flex?
Cheers
Randall
http://www.houseboatsnz.co.nz/images/waka001.jpg
Hopefully this link will show our little outigger. (I admit. had to get my son to do it)
If not, it is on our web site under "products". www.houseboatsnz.co.nz
I have now built 6 bent shaft paddles for a learning curve (kept 1 and gave others away). Probably the most difficult part for me is getting a balance between light weight, too much flex verses strength. I am glassing both sides of the blade now.
What do you folks concider too much flex ? All the paddles are well under 2 lbs but not sure if I should try to make them more solid with out any flex?
Cheers
Randall
http://www.houseboatsnz.co.nz/images/waka001.jpg
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KARKAUAI
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 3:06 pm
- Location: Hickory, NC / Princeville, Kauai, HI
- Contact:
Aloha, Randall,
Your Waka is cool. How long do you expect it to take a novice to build one?
My Ulua is strip built from Gary Dierking's design, rigged to sail with double ama setup and leeboard. Single ama setup for paddling. You can see some pics at http://karkauai.com/KeKalakupua_FINISHED.html I'm building a second hull after truckers destroyed the first one on it's way to Kauai. Looks like the second hull is going to take me about 300 hours (about 400 for the first one). If you know Gary, tell him I said Aloha.
A hui ho,
Kent Robertson
Your Waka is cool. How long do you expect it to take a novice to build one?
My Ulua is strip built from Gary Dierking's design, rigged to sail with double ama setup and leeboard. Single ama setup for paddling. You can see some pics at http://karkauai.com/KeKalakupua_FINISHED.html I'm building a second hull after truckers destroyed the first one on it's way to Kauai. Looks like the second hull is going to take me about 300 hours (about 400 for the first one). If you know Gary, tell him I said Aloha.
A hui ho,
Kent Robertson
Hi Kent
WOW! You do excellent work! When I looked at your site and saw your beautiful boat THEN saw what those idiots did to it I really felt awful for you. Only a fellow boat builder knows it's not just construction time that makes a boat, a lot of it comes from the heart also. Some of the best ideas/craftsmanship comes from just standing back and thinking about things first.
I would think between 100-150 hours for a novice to build a ply Waka. I had a look at Gary's site also, another excellent boat builder! Most of the serious outrigger builders are molding their boats.
Best of luck with your new hull.
WOW! You do excellent work! When I looked at your site and saw your beautiful boat THEN saw what those idiots did to it I really felt awful for you. Only a fellow boat builder knows it's not just construction time that makes a boat, a lot of it comes from the heart also. Some of the best ideas/craftsmanship comes from just standing back and thinking about things first.
I would think between 100-150 hours for a novice to build a ply Waka. I had a look at Gary's site also, another excellent boat builder! Most of the serious outrigger builders are molding their boats.
Best of luck with your new hull.
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Baconweasel
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:07 pm
Blade shaping
New here...first post/reply.
I've had luck using a three step process. 1) run the blade, alternating sides, through a thickness planer, slowly raising the planer as its blades approach the throat. This gives you a good taper from tip to throat. 2) Use a hand planer (electric or hand-drawn) to further reduce thickness where needed, especially the top of the blade near the throat. 3) For the last step in shaping, I use a belt sander with 36 grit. This removes stock quickly enough, though not so quickly that you can make errors that can't be fixed. I also use the belt sander with 36 grit to shape the handle on the blank from square to round.
Using a palm sander with 60 grit quickly cleans up the deep grooves left from the 36 grit. Then on to 80, 120, 240, 320 and then varnish. (Yeah, a lot of sanding, I guess that's why my last palm sander exploded into about 9 pieces one day last fall).
This has worked well with ash, cherry and walnut. Takes a little longer on maple though, which is ridiculously hard.
Hope this helps.
I've had luck using a three step process. 1) run the blade, alternating sides, through a thickness planer, slowly raising the planer as its blades approach the throat. This gives you a good taper from tip to throat. 2) Use a hand planer (electric or hand-drawn) to further reduce thickness where needed, especially the top of the blade near the throat. 3) For the last step in shaping, I use a belt sander with 36 grit. This removes stock quickly enough, though not so quickly that you can make errors that can't be fixed. I also use the belt sander with 36 grit to shape the handle on the blank from square to round.
Using a palm sander with 60 grit quickly cleans up the deep grooves left from the 36 grit. Then on to 80, 120, 240, 320 and then varnish. (Yeah, a lot of sanding, I guess that's why my last palm sander exploded into about 9 pieces one day last fall).
This has worked well with ash, cherry and walnut. Takes a little longer on maple though, which is ridiculously hard.
Hope this helps.
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Pete in the Deep South
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:07 am
- Location: Jasper, Ga.
- Contact:
Randall,
I carved out a more flexible version of my favorite straight paddle during the winter - the old one now feels deader by comparision and the thicker blade doesn't cut and slice, and grab the water as well on control strokes.
I suppose the limit to flex and thinness is when the blade becomes too fragile and floppy when it comes in contact with a rock and it bends too much. A river or whitewater paddle needs to be stiff because the possibility of contacting rocks is always there and more violent power strokes are being made, while a flat water cruising paddle can be lighter and whippier for more comfort.
The original cruising paddle that I patterned the more flexible version after was already fairly flexible, I knew this when I hit rocks on power strokes by accident. I thinned down the next one as much as seemed practical when the blade was being bent against the floor. This resulted in the blade with about 15% more flex (by measure in inches) when weights were hung off the tip.
A bent shaft will not be the same as the straight I described above, but some flex there also adds to the quality of the paddle IMO, as well as thinner often being lighter which counts for a lot.
For me, flex is good because it gives the paddle a livelier feel and seems to reduce fatigue over the long haul. Others hate whippy paddes, so I suppose it's subjective.What do you folks concider too much flex ? All the paddles are well under 2 lbs but not sure if I should try to make them more solid with out any flex?
I carved out a more flexible version of my favorite straight paddle during the winter - the old one now feels deader by comparision and the thicker blade doesn't cut and slice, and grab the water as well on control strokes.
I suppose the limit to flex and thinness is when the blade becomes too fragile and floppy when it comes in contact with a rock and it bends too much. A river or whitewater paddle needs to be stiff because the possibility of contacting rocks is always there and more violent power strokes are being made, while a flat water cruising paddle can be lighter and whippier for more comfort.
The original cruising paddle that I patterned the more flexible version after was already fairly flexible, I knew this when I hit rocks on power strokes by accident. I thinned down the next one as much as seemed practical when the blade was being bent against the floor. This resulted in the blade with about 15% more flex (by measure in inches) when weights were hung off the tip.
A bent shaft will not be the same as the straight I described above, but some flex there also adds to the quality of the paddle IMO, as well as thinner often being lighter which counts for a lot.