paddle kit components

choices to make your paddle ‘one of a kind’!

I think a Solid Citizen kit looks great as is. To my eye, cedar and purpleheart are a great looking combination. However, if you have some ideas on what you want that go beyond the standard Solid Citizen kit, there are a kazillion different combinations. To get around a gigantic table of buttons, a special order kit (which I am happy to do) requires a phone call and/or email. We agree on the modified kit components and I then email you a Paypal invoice.

For example, a maker could request a kit with basswood handles, a walnut piece for the middle of the shaft, along with walnut inner blade pieces and outer blade edge trim. A piece of redwood for the top shaft piece, or paddle blades with bookmatched knots from old barnboard could also be part of a kit. A custom kit or swapping out pieces changes the price, but the tradeoff is a 'one of a kind' paddle, made with your own hands. The idea remains that wavetrainSUP does the ripping and the 'right sizing', for lack of a better phrase, such that you need only hand power and hand tools to make your paddle AND are not left with a big chunk of very expensive wood with a few quarter inch slices off one side.

So look through the below lists of wood types and pick out your own custom bits. I'll figure out the price and send you that Paypal invoice for your custom kit. Manual, fiberglass, epoxy, brushes, mixing cups, and form are part of every kit.

paddleboard paddle shaft wood options

Wood choices for the shaft include:

Wood shaft pieces can be cut slightly thicker and/or wider if desired. Wider and thicker is what the Chubbster is all about.

paddle shaft pieces

five strips, three cedar and two basswood, destined for a kit. Remember that each kit includes ten strips, enough for two paddles.

paddle blade options

Paddle blade options can almost be their own book. While the default paddle blade turns out an awesome paddle, I am happy to change things up, after all there is no absolute right or wrong in this pursuit of watery pleasure. Some of the choices beyond the default include:

  • type - western red cedar, reclaimed curly redwood, basswood, multi-piece, pine, figured pine, knotty pine, Douglas fir, monkey pod, osage orange, zebrawood, leopardwood, myrtlewood, reclaimed barnboard, reclaimed clear redwood, walnut, yellowheart, alder, and more on occasion as I discover new materials and add them.
  • surface area (aka 'size')- a murky area. Another space where no absolutes exist. For me, the faster I suddenly try to move a paddle through the water, the more stress I put on shoulder joints. In my experience this is more about digging in and suddenly catching the water and straining hard to get moving. On occasion arguments have risen up over 'too big' or 'too small'. It's all experiential AND HOW you use your paddle, imo there is no absolute. It's easy enough to cut a paddle blade down to size, a half-inch off the inner edge removes ~9 square inches of area. For what it's worth, measuring surface area is easier said than done. Also worth keeping in mind how much of the blade actually catches the water on entry and first pull, as well as how much of the blade is used in an average paddle stroke. MUCH MORE to be written and video'd on this topic!
  • thickness - need to consider how blade will match up with shaft piece
  • silhouette - many different blade shapes depending on how big the original piece of wood is/was, as well as how the maker shapes the blade profile.
  • upper end style -
  • one piece -
  • multi-piece of different types and sizes -
  • thin inner blade piece -
  • outer edge trim of purpleheart, paduak (bloodwood), walnut, wenge, pine, basswood
  • tip guard

Be sure and check out the knotty blade section for a wide range of blade pairs featuring knots!

picture of wavetrainSUP paddle blades

a mix of blade types, including from left to right: vg Douglas fir, vg western red cedar, multi-piece of cedar and paduak, and last but not least vg redwood.

paddle handle options

Basic chunks of cedar or basswood are the two basic choices for paddle handles. Pine can be chunked up for a handle. Multi-piece blanks can be pieced together and shaped for a custom look. The idea is to give you a big enough piece of rough wood to shape hte handle to fit your thumb and index finger positions. It's been my experience these vary widely between paddlers, so giving enough wood to shape gives each maker maximum choice. It is entirely OK to shape a little bit, pop the handle on to the shaft and take it for a little paddle and give it a test fit, before you do anything permanent with epoxy.

picture of paddle handles