MAKING A CANOE PADDLE | My Laminated Cherry and Ash Canoe Paddle Build and Rebuild

A couple of years ago, while we were finishing the attic, I took a weekend off from the constant house work and built a cherry and ash laminated canoe paddle at the Cama Beach Center For Wooden Boats wood shop - as my own shop was in full use for the attic remodel and storage. It was a little bit of a rush build and after paddling with it once, I decided it just wasn’t right: Too big, too heavy, and way too angular.

After a 1/2 day of paddling and with a bag of frozen peas on my shoulder that night, I felt that it needed to be rebuilt and reformed into a better performing paddle. That process took a couple WAY too long as an orthopedic surgery and house projects took precedence. I made a video of that original build and part of the rebuild, so this is both a part 2 and a stand alone video of the process.

I picked the paddle back up this summer and finally both finished it and took the newly reshaped stick out on the water for a day of canoeing with my wife. This video will take you through all the steps of the initial build and the refit. The last bit is some on-water testing.

Corey’s Amazing Tung Oil: