Paddles
 

Photo's and info supplied by Rob Macks Laughing Loon

Plans for 3 Kayak Paddles

Plus /Kayak Seat /Thigh Braces /Spray Skirt.

• Paddles, An Aleut Style narrow blade unfeathered paddle and two sport kayak paddles wide or narrow, feathered or unfeathered.
• Seat: A carved, foam seat with an adjustable padded wood strip back rest.
• Thigh Braces : Carved, closed cell foam pads improve cockpit fit to make rolling easier.
• Spray Skirt: Simple instructions to make your own custom neoprene spray skirt.
  

Plans include: Full size drawings of paddle blades, thigh braces, seat templates and backrest template. Detailed building instructions and many illustrations. Also included is a list of material sources. Plus a background on the features and technique of the native Aleut style paddle.

Thigh braces are carved foam blocks glued under the front of the cockpit rim to form a comfortable contact point for your thighs to brace against during paddle strokes for a most efficient transfer of power. Thigh braces are also very important in outfitting a kayak to make Eskimo rolls easier.

One thigh brace block is visible in the picture below on the lower right edge of the cockpit rim.

This is the most comfortable seat you'll ever use. Carved from closed cell foam to fit you!

The contoured backrest is a curved wood strip panel covered with 3/4" thick close celled foam. A tongue of wood strip panel on the rear of the back rest fits into a slot in the foam seat to hold the backrest up. This allows clear space behind the backrest to stow gear. The backrest is adjusted forward and back via nylon straps at the sides.

The closed cell foam the seat is made from is extremely resilient and will never absorb water. It adds to the flotation of your boat. You can retrofit this seat into any kayak, glass, plastic, wood strip, stitch and glue, or skin on frame for paddling nirvana.

**************************************************************

Photo's and info supplied by Nick Schade of Guillemot Kayaks

Full size plans and patterns for a wooden feathered sea kayak paddle.

Making your own paddle is a fun way to upgrade your equipment. It is a fairly quick project. You should be able to make one in a couple weekends. The paddle I make does require a bandsaw, but the technique I describe can be adapted to hand tools.

The plans show how to create the feather angle. While I like a fairly large blade, changing the size and length is easy. Six different paddle blade sizes are drawn out full-sized on the plans. The instructions in my book describe the basic method for making any laminated paddle and includes time saving methods.

Greenland Paddles Recorded by Gail Ferris  good info on Greenland paddles, worth a look.

How long should my paddle be.