Canoe building plan

Varnishing Laminated Paddles

While up at the cottage, I ended up varnishing some of my laminated paddles, including the Greenland Kayak, Ottertail Jay, and Adirondack Owl made earlier. Using the 8-paddle rack made by Redtail Paddle Company (picked up at the MEC paddlefest last September), I suspended them vertically and began the varnishing process. For the kayak paddle, a nail left over in a scrap piece of baseboard was used to elevate the bottom. When one end had dried, I flipped over the kayak paddle and did the other end. The regular canoe paddles were suspended upside down by clamping them lightly against the storage shed door once the varnish on the blade had dried. Not really the most time-efficient way to varnish, but I wasn't in a rush and it worked for me.


Hanging on the Rack; Kayak blade on nail; Clamped to do the grips
After a full day of multiple coats, I was left with some glossy final pics taken during the brief moments of sunshine.


Adirondack Owl


Ottertail Jay


The whole batch


After seeing these all together, I've realized I've used quite a bit of walnut lately. My new batch of stock is mostly lighter coloured woods.