They both had sat in my garage for the better part of four decades. One I had used quite a lot in those early days when budget and desire often collided. The other was rarely used and served simply as a backup...just in case. I'm talking about two inexpensive wooden Feather Brand canoe paddles. The older one was so heavily aged it had developed a dark patina where the finish was no longer smooth and clear but had turned a dark brown complete with deep gouges, nicks, and separating laminents (fixed with heavy duty staples). The other still looks almost new except for some minor laminate separation near the end of the blade (also fixed) and a few scuff marks. Neither canoe paddle had been used for probably over twenty years, but both were still sound in spite of needing some minor repairs. They were destined for a new life and were to become the source of a DIY wooden double end canoe paddle.
(Going to briefly step away from photography and talk a bit more about the outdoor aspect of this site. The past several seasons I have become more involved with backpacking, and canoe camping, employing photography and videography as an element of those adventures. This short piece explains how I managed to make a wooden double canoe paddle. The project was pretty easy to do and a lot of fun to complete.)
Virtually all of my canoe experience involved using a single paddle. In spite of all the off and on years of canoeing, I never really perfected what is called the J-Stroke. That is where you paddle on one side of the canoe for extended periods, but maintain a straight course by rotating the paddle outward at the end of the stroke to gently guide the canoe back onto your intended course. I usually applied a simple or modified version of the J-Stroke by simply dragging the paddle blade at the end of a stroke and use it as type of rudder to steer a somewhat straight path. It worked, but was and is somewhat inefficient and you lose a lot of momentum in the process. The thought of using a double end paddle never really occurred to me. They of course, in my way of thinking, were used in the realm of kayaks, not canoes.
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| Prototype joint |
On the way home, I remembered those two old paddles hanging up in my garage and was inspired by a epiphany; why not combine them to make my own! I pulled them down and laid them out on the garage floor and measured their combined length which was somewhere around 100 inches. Way too long. I overlapped the handles about foot or so and using three heavy duty zip ties, laced them together.
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| Prototype |
Once I knew the idea was sound, I decided to permanently join the two paddles. The way I accomplished this was to cut a few inches off the handle, then using my son's table saw (you can cut the notches by hand if you are careful), I cut about a 10 inch notch in the end of both. These notches were then overlapped to form a joint. Liberally applying some strong glue and clamping the ends together, after a few hours, the joint was good and solid, but not nearly as strong as I wanted.
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| Joint strengthened with paracord and inserted wooden dowels |
To strengthen the joint, I drilled three 5/16 inch evenly spaced holes in the joint then glued and tapped in three wooden dowels. After they set up, I cut off the excess dowel, sanded, and applied a few coats of varnish. I still was not satisfied, so using the previous length of paracord, I tightly rewrapped the joint to provide that extra bracing. Near the base of both paddles I inserted a block of foam pipe insulation, taping both pieces to each end of the paddle and also applied a short decorative section of paracord to keep them in place. These served to prevent water from running down your arms during the paddle rotation on each stroke.
I could not wait to give it a try and within a day or so was back on the water and the results were fantastic. I was able to smoothly cover more distance at a faster pace with less effort. This diy double paddle has become my go to paddle when I am wanting to make a long canoe trip. I've already made two long day trips on the lake, one 15 miles and another about 18 miles, and plan on even longer ones this upcoming new season.
Both were cut out with a jigsaw and shaped using a jack plane, spoke plane, and a block plane along with a belt sander and orbital sander. The one made of poplar, I glued laminated edges to the blade to make it a little wider. To each about 6 to 8 coats of varnish was applied. The poplar one turned out so nice, to avoid risking damaging it, I decided not to use it, but to enjoy it as a finished piece of woodworking...it looks more like a piece of furniture and is standing in the corner of the dining room. The other one made from pine, is a bit more roughly made and I will actually use it. It is about 5 inches longer than my other paddles so I'm curious about its performance and how well it will hold up and handle. Both use a length of hardwood along the shaft to strengthen it at the weakest point.
The double paddle will not breakdown into two parts, but it is actually quite easy to transport without doing so. However, I am planning on building another one, but design it so it can be broken down into two components to make it a bit easier to transport. Still working on the design concept and it should, as did the two single paddles, provide for a fun winter project.
The nice thing about these projects was that neither of them cost me much of anything. The double paddle project was simple and the two wooden single paddles were both fun projects in their own right. Building the double paddle being so simple, no video is really required to understand how to make one, but I did include a few photos to help clarify what it looks like. There is nothing like the look and feel of a wooden canoe paddle.
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