Viper

Post questions & answers about; paddle selection, building and maintenance; paddling techniques; boat transportation, storage & maintenance.
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Doug
Posts: 476
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 7:59 am
Location: London, Ontario, Canada

Viper

Post by Doug »

I want to make this monster.

http://www.bendingbranches.com/bentcanoe/bc_viper.html

Just trying to think of a way to do it now.
Have to make a mould to lay the laminate shaft on?

Doug
"Some people hear the song in the quiet mist of a cold morning..... But for other people the song is loudest in the evening when they are sitting in front of a tent, basking in the camp fire's warmth. This is when I hear it loudest ...." BM
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Bryan Hansel
Posts: 678
Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 6:36 pm
Location: Grand Marais, MN
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Post by Bryan Hansel »

Doug, I had the chance to use the prototype of this paddle and wrote a review on my website for it:

http://www.nessmuking.com/viper.htm

It was my and a few of my friends opinions that the grip was too far forward and just didn't feel right. Other the other hand there is a company called Camp Paddles that got the bends on their bent shaft exactly right. So, if I was going to build the paddle, I'd redo the angle of the handle.

I just picked up Fine Wood Working on Bending Wood from Taunton Press, which had a bunch of old articles about bending wood (surprise) from Fine Wood Working Magazine for $9.95. A very good deal and worth while, BTW. In there, they have an article on how to build Cross country skis, which is why I bought the book. I would build your paddle on a jig simular to the ski jig in the book. You basically take a 2x and cut the shape you want out of it. Then lay a 1/4 piece of plywood three inches wide on top of the 2x. This plywood will be the surface that you bend the wood on. The plywood extends out slightly from the 2x which gives you a place to camp onto. They use camps made out of plywood shaped like a 'C'. These slide up from the bottom or top and then you use wedges between the back of the 'C' and the surface of the wood you are bending. They suggest to have a 'C' every three inches, but you may need more for the Viper.

Keep us informed, because I'd be interested in knowing if you changed the angle of the handle and if it is indeed a better paddle. I padded the grip during the test and it seemed to make a world of difference.

Bryan
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