Yo Pete

I made my first greenland paddle out of a $30 NZ piece of western red cedar 4 x 2 x 8 feet long that was a 'second'. It had worm holes all through it and I figured that would give it a rustic character and me a license to be less than a perfectionist in making the paddle (my first one). I ripped the major cuts as perscribed by Chuck Holst out on the bandsaw at work and dealt to it remorslessly with a surform then finished of with a jolly good ravage with my beltsander and a liberal dose of Deks olje oil about a day before we went away on christmas holidays. It works really well, seems more than strong enough and should last a lifetime. I use it all the time.

At the same time I got a premium $60 NZ piece of western red cedar same size. I am just about to whittle that down. Sure $90 NZ sounds like alot of money for two paddles, but that pales in comparison to the $170 NZ I paid for a carbon/poly composite which I don't use much these days.

The western red cedar is light and easy to work with. Mind you the Jarra would be good for fending off those bloody great white sharks and crocodiles you have around your home waters

Go for it. Spend your money on your boat and paddles - you can't take money with you when you die!

Cheers Pete