Our latest little adventure to Lake Wazeecha, saw a custom built walnut paddle makes its debut. As with nearly all other woods, walnut can be just right for a paddleboard paddle. While some suggest that walnut is too heavy, I push back just a bit and suggest that weight belongs in a performance-oriented work world – not the leisurely world of having fun on the … Continue reading walnut gets wet
I think wood makes for some beautiful paddles. Wood has heart. It has character. It has soul. Looking at it, you can just about see the story it is telling you. Here’s the story: It’s gorgeous stuff, at least to my eyes. While it is hard not to be a good bit upset at how North American virgin redwood was treated back in the day, … Continue reading a Redwood Custom Paddle
It may not rise to the level of peanut butter and chocolate, but pine and cotton work just fine as paddle blades. My so-called ‘creative side’ favors the machine made paisley in all its many colors and patterns. My eye also likes the wild patterns found in nature, in this case a pair of bookmatched knots and the surprising revelation of ‘birds eye’ upon slicing … Continue reading Birds Eye and Paisley Paddles
A fine summer day. The kids are home and the water called. Off we went to the Wisconsin River for a simple day trip. Put in at the Sauk City bridge. Take out at Honey Creek at the base of the amazing Ferry Bluff. Paddle boards are flexible beasties. You can stand. Or sit. Which means you can use a long paddle. Or a short … Continue reading Short Paddle Long Board
It is the middle of the season that most people are out paddling. Which is what we did over the July 4th weekend. Summer is also a time for projects in the garage. So – back the car out, find your tools and build a paddle! It takes some wood, a few tools, and a bit of time, but building your own paddle is entirely … Continue reading Building a SUP paddle
I do love a wood paddle. Add in a bent shaft and a comfortable handle and it’s even better! Best of all though, is that each paddle project is a chance to build something unique and all your own. There’s no right or wrong, nor are there any federal guidelines. Some in the paddling world focus on weight and performance metrics, but when you only … Continue reading Start with an Idea!
a pleasant Labor Day weekend floating the Wisconsin River Continue reading Down the River
In the early days of winter, as the shortest day of the year approaches, I start hoping for an email from Rutabaga. This year it arrived, inviting me to do a seminar at this year’s Canoecopia. So….I will. I’ll be up in the Atrium on Saturday (March 9) afternoon from 1-3PM, talking and arm waving about the joys and delights of woodworking and paddle making. … Continue reading Canoecopia 2019
Sometimes, if you do something long enough, you experience these bouts of fanciful imagination in which you picture ‘things’. After a few bouts of imagining and designing in my head while I paddled around on other people’s boats, I decided to make this. Two hulls and a deck. Wisconsin white pine, and a shop making paddles that lost square footage to a boat contrivance that … Continue reading cataSUP padaCAT supCAT padamaran
The first few non-green maple leaves are showing up in my yard this week. Already? It seems like I barely paddled this summer. The usual suspects popped up and robbed me of my time. However, there was some paddling. Seems like most often the paddling I do tends to be with people that have never been on a paddle board before, or with people that … Continue reading Summer 2017 in the books
