John Fereira wrote:

I paddled with someone last weekend that had a Don Beale paddle. It seemed
like a nice paddle but it was really heavy for a GP.

In fairness to Don, I've seen some of his one-piece cedar paddles that
were pretty light.

A friend of mine just
started carrying Sawyer paddles and got a couple of their Greenland paddles
in. They were also very heavy and even their shortest length was about 4"
too long for me.

The Sawyer paddles have a long loom, like the Betsie Bay paddles. This
is not conducive to good technique.

Malone of Maine *used* to make a nice looking paddle
called a Firestick but I don't think he's making them anymore.

They've been out of production for a while. It was a nice looking paddle
with pretty good feel in the water, but it was quite heavy.

Betsie Bay also makes some GPs.

True, but they're modifications of the traditional shape designed to be
used with Doug VanDoren's low stoke technique. Like the Sawyer, they
have long looms which are not conducive to traditional canted-blade
technique.

It's a self-published book that's not available on the major
bookseller sites, at least not yet. It's available directly from me or
through Chesapeake Light Craft (clcboats.com), The Woodenboat Store
(www.woodenboatstore.com) or Newfound Woodworks (www.newfound.com).
I've emailed you information about it.

I found the book described in the "New" section on the Newfound site but it
didn't show up in the list of books that could be ordered.

I spoke to Michael a couple of days ago and he's just been too busy to
keep up with the changes he needs to make on the website. I guess that's
a good problem to have.

I have always
found the CLC site a bit difficult to navigate but I eventually found the
order form.

They have the book right on their Books page (in the "Accessories"
section under the "Buy Boats, Accessories and Building Supplies" tab).

I've seen suggestion on make the paddle more visible to other boaters
, ships . Any suggestion on how to make what to make the paddles
stand out ?
The easiest way is to make the tips bright. I prefer to use
white-tinted epoxy for that, as it also serves to harden and protect
the tips.

I wonder if there is some sort of reflective additive that could be mixed in
with the epoxy. I've seen lots of diffrent colors at our local marine store.

A friend of mine has been experimenting with reflective additives in
epoxy coated tips. As I recall, she had somewhat mixed results. I'll
check with her and see what the final outcome of her experiments was.
The easiest thing to do would be to put a band of 3M tape around the
blade. I've done it on Euro paddles and it held up well in the water.

Anyone care to comment on the Mitchell Horizon? For someone who has
borrowed others and wants to go with a generalized paddle to build technique
without spending time making one to experiment with...I'd do that later.
Thanks
"Brian Nystrom" wrote in message
news:6svQg.4059$zs6.480@trndny07...
John Fereira wrote:

I paddled with someone last weekend that had a Don Beale paddle. It
seemed
like a nice paddle but it was really heavy for a GP.

In fairness to Don, I've seen some of his one-piece cedar paddles that
were pretty light.

A friend of mine just
started carrying Sawyer paddles and got a couple of their Greenland
paddles
in. They were also very heavy and even their shortest length was about
4"
too long for me.

The Sawyer paddles have a long loom, like the Betsie Bay paddles. This
is not conducive to good technique.

Malone of Maine *used* to make a nice looking paddle
called a Firestick but I don't think he's making them anymore.

They've been out of production for a while. It was a nice looking paddle
with pretty good feel in the water, but it was quite heavy.

Betsie Bay also makes some GPs.

True, but they're modifications of the traditional shape designed to be
used with Doug VanDoren's low stoke technique. Like the Sawyer, they
have long looms which are not conducive to traditional canted-blade
technique.

It's a self-published book that's not available on the major
bookseller sites, at least not yet. It's available directly from me or
through Chesapeake Light Craft (clcboats.com), The Woodenboat Store
(www.woodenboatstore.com) or Newfound Woodworks (www.newfound.com).
I've emailed you information about it.

I found the book described in the "New" section on the Newfound site but
it
didn't show up in the list of books that could be ordered.

I spoke to Michael a couple of days ago and he's just been too busy to
keep up with the changes he needs to make on the website. I guess that's
a good problem to have.

I have always
found the CLC site a bit difficult to navigate but I eventually found
the
order form.

They have the book right on their Books page (in the "Accessories"
section under the "Buy Boats, Accessories and Building Supplies" tab).

I've seen suggestion on make the paddle more visible to other boaters
, ships . Any suggestion on how to make what to make the paddles
stand out ?
The easiest way is to make the tips bright. I prefer to use
white-tinted epoxy for that, as it also serves to harden and protect
the tips.

I wonder if there is some sort of reflective additive that could be
mixed in
with the epoxy. I've seen lots of diffrent colors at our local marine
store.

A friend of mine has been experimenting with reflective additives in
epoxy coated tips. As I recall, she had somewhat mixed results. I'll
check with her and see what the final outcome of her experiments was.
The easiest thing to do would be to put a band of 3M tape around the
blade. I've done it on Euro paddles and it held up well in the water.

I bought adhesive mylar strips from Campmor and stuck two on each face
of both blades. The mylar is so thin that there is no worry about
disrupting the flow over the blades.

I have received unsolicited, positive feedback from other folks. Most
of the comments sound like: "Damn, I coud see your paddle flashing from
way out!"

Of course it is most effective when paddling east or west but it does
seem to work well, and the strips were pretty cheap.

James wrote:
I bought adhesive mylar strips from Campmor and stuck two on each face
of both blades. The mylar is so thin that there is no worry about
disrupting the flow over the blades.

I have received unsolicited, positive feedback from other folks. Most
of the comments sound like: "Damn, I coud see your paddle flashing from
way out!"

Of course it is most effective when paddling east or west but it does
seem to work well, and the strips were pretty cheap.

The prismatic tape I mentioned is very similar, but it works over a
wider range of sun angles and it creates a multi-colored reflection
that's quite eye-catching.

I missed your earlier note about prismatic tape. What is the one you
have had good experiences with?

Brian Nystrom wrote the following on 9/27/2006 3:41 PM:
James wrote:
I bought adhesive mylar strips from Campmor and stuck two on each face
of both blades. The mylar is so thin that there is no worry about
disrupting the flow over the blades.

I have received unsolicited, positive feedback from other folks. Most
of the comments sound like: "Damn, I coud see your paddle flashing from
way out!"

Of course it is most effective when paddling east or west but it does
seem to work well, and the strips were pretty cheap.

The prismatic tape I mentioned is very similar, but it works over a
wider range of sun angles and it creates a multi-colored reflection
that's quite eye-catching.

Dan Koretz wrote:
I missed your earlier note about prismatic tape. What is the one you
have had good experiences with?

I don't recall the brand, but I found it at an auto parts store. IIRC,
it was a VIP store. Look in the section where the pinstriping tape is.

Brian Nystrom wrote the following on 9/27/2006 3:41 PM:
James wrote:
I bought adhesive mylar strips from Campmor and stuck two on each face
of both blades. The mylar is so thin that there is no worry about
disrupting the flow over the blades.

I have received unsolicited, positive feedback from other folks. Most
of the comments sound like: "Damn, I coud see your paddle flashing from
way out!"

Of course it is most effective when paddling east or west but it does
seem to work well, and the strips were pretty cheap.

The prismatic tape I mentioned is very similar, but it works over a
wider range of sun angles and it creates a multi-colored reflection
that's quite eye-catching.

I bought adhesive mylar strips from Campmor and stuck two on each face
of both blades. The mylar is so thin that there is no worry about
disrupting the flow over the blades.

I have received unsolicited, positive feedback from other folks. Most
of the comments sound like: "Damn, I coud see your paddle flashing from
way out!"

Of course it is most effective when paddling east or west but it does
seem to work well, and the strips were pretty cheap.