> I'm
> now worried that the paddle is not strong enough and will break easily.
> Should I beef it up with glass cloth ?? Or should I have included a
> stronger wood ( fir/ash/etc ) in the laminate ??

Ed,

I have used my solid cedar paddles extensively without any problems other than dinging the soft cedar blades, but I leave them plenty stiff with as large a paddle-shaft as comfortable and use high-quality vertical grain lumber. I also treat the paddle with great care and avoid using it to push off the bottom or placing a great deal of stress on them during rolling, bracing or as an outrigger to enter/exit the kayak. That said, I have no doubt that I could easily destroy a wonderfully light but relatively brittle cedar paddle if abused and generally use spruce or southern yellow pine paddles for extended wilderness trips and areas with rocky beaches or numerous oyster beds. I also carry a stout spare storm paddle as a backup.

Almost all of the Greenland paddles that I have seen fail broke at the transition between the shaft and the roots of the blades and I would not recommend applying glass to this area as I prefer the feel of the wood.

Although I have not yet made one, if you want a more "bombproof" Greenland stick that is still lightweight then my suggestion would be to use sitka spruce with ash or synthetic edges and paddle tips. Some folks use plastic or nylon to simulate the look of whalebone. You can often find scraps of vertical grained sitka spruce if there are homebuilt aircraft associations near you but it is expensive. A scrap long enough for a paddle costs $50.00 here in Florida. You may have luck finding a wood supplier on the web or in the back of Wooden-Boat magazine. Douglas Fir works well and can be found in clear vertical-grained lengths but it can also be very heavy. If you go this route, pick through the stacks and find a lightweight board. Of course, you could also continue to experiment with laminations.

Good Luck!

Greg Stamer