How to make a paddle blade

[Adapt]

As I now have a brand new carbon shaft and a snapped blade I was thinking of making a blade. Rather then making heaps of mistakes I was wondering if anyone had any advice or links they could share on how to make a paddle blade.

[blackeye]

I am 80% through making my first paddle out of E glass, scrap blue styrene foam, and old red cedar for the shaft.  I googled and you-tubed around until I saw enough to learn to glass and some basic construction techniques. 

Some advice I got in the fibreglass store from an ex-paddlemaker customer was to go out and buy shafts - so basically the position you are in.  I ignored that as I had this piece of really nice cedar i wanted to use. 

I made a form from a piece of plexiglass, although you could use wood and cover it with wax paper, cellophane or mylar.  It is just to make the concavity for the blade face. 
I laid down two layers of 6 ox E glass cloth and worked the epoxy in.  I let it cure, although next time I'll assemble everything at once and vacuum bag it.  Make sure the glass pieces are larger than your intended blade shape. 
I angled the shaft the requisite 11 or 12 degrees (I believe the slope is 1 in 20) and made sure it conformed to the curve on the form.  I meant this part of the blade to be flat, but the plexi was thick and didn't stay flat when only the tip was to be bent.  So where the shaft meets the blade face, it has a slight curve. 
I had meticulously carved a foam core so that its outer edge ended 1" or so inside each side of the blade's width and far end (shovel?).  I cut a slot so it settled around the shaft.  Assuming your shaft is cylindrical, this could be a bit tricky.  But the foam is cheap so just try it and see. 
I laid two more layers of E Glass over top and poorly vacuum bagged the whole thing.  It worked , although the shaft rotated 2 or 3 degrees.  That won't be a problem with a cylindrical shaft. 

Maybe you can buy a short length of carbon or glass tube with an inner diameter such that your shaft can tightly fit inside.  Cut this at 11-12 degrees and use it as a socket to receive your shaft.  Fasten it to the blade face with glue or epoxy, then laminate some cloth over top.  You will have to make a filet ie fill the space around the shaft or tube with some material so the top layer doesn't have sharp corners to turn or a void may result.  This is where the foam core comes in. 

Once the whole assembly is solid but still pliable, cut the raggedy outside of the blade to within 1/4 inch of your final blade plan shape, then later sand or sure-form it down to the final shape. 

Have fun!

[Bill Huson]

I made a couple blades out of balsa wood.  Two layers of 1/4" C-grain balsa, shaped and sheathed with 3 oz glass cloth. No problems, paddle blades keep stroking water.

[blackeye]

Bill, my paddle #1 is way overbuilt, although I did manage to sand through the backside trying to clean it up.   So how many layers of the 3 oz cloth did you use?  How did you fasten the shaft?  What kind of shaft?  Details and or photos, SVP.  My plans are to make paddle #2 with a divinely cell foam core.  Hah, that autocorrect, what a funny guy. 

[Bill Huson]

One layer of 3oz with edge kinda filled with epoxy & milled glass fiber. I built the shaft "birds mouth" style out of 6 strips of 7mm x 14mm western red cedar and 2 strips of 7mm x 20mm cypress = oval shaft.  T handle hand shaped, shaft planed & sanded to smooth oval.  Bladse just glued on to shaft at a 10 deg angle. Daughter's paddle is 76" and weighs 21.5 oz. Mine is 81" and weighs 24 oz.

hard to post pics when max file size is 1000kb