The center section, the loom of the paddle, doesn't look right to me. It shows the loom being 'taller' than it is 'thick' -- if you picture the paddle in position in your lap and 'tall' means the up/down direction and 'thick' means the fore/aft direction. I think the paddle loom should be larger in the fore/aft direction than the up/down direction. For one, I think it fits your hand better that way, and for another it's stronger in the bending direction. But I may be biased since the local professional kayak builder Betsie Bay Kayak builds their paddles that way. Their paddles are laminations of a variety of woods, using spruce as the loom core with a hardwood laminated on the fore and aft sides (oak, I think). The loom is (3) pieces of about 3/8" or 1/2" x 3/4" stock. They're not the lightest Greenland-style paddles, but plenty strong...

Dean