Daysi Tragesser

Sassafras Tripping Paddle

Multiple canoe related projects have been a distraction from actual paddle making over the last year. A few summers back I obtained a batch of Sassafras stock from fellow paddle maker Craig Johnson. From one of these premium boards, a blank was cut out...



After converting my cherry guide paddle into an heirloom gift from my 2nd son, I've had plans to replicate the original design to serve as a user.  This paddle shape with its elongated blade and long tapering grip is one of my favourites for tripping. It is similar in shape to the working paddlings used by the two Maliseet Guides in  W.C. Gaynor 's "Diary of a Canoe Trip" (see this previous post).



Over a few days during a wicked heat wave in the city, the paddle was worked down to have a slight spine on the handle and upper portion of the blade. I leave the shaft area until the end so the shaving horse has a square surface for better clamping.




Here's another shot with the paddle shaft worked down and wetted for a bit of colour contrast and to raise the grain.



One deviation from the original cherry paddle is that the shaft diameter has been reduced down to a 1" circular diameter. Most readings and tutorials for hardwood paddles mention 1 -1/8" diameter as being ideal although a 1" shaft diameter is not unusual, especially for strong flexible woods. The classic plans appearing in the Rick Waters' article "The North Woods Paddle" (Wooden Boat Magazine - Issue #67, November/December 1985) mentions having a 1" thick shaft with these ash paddles.

As for decoration, the preliminary plan is to fully burn the grip using the shou-sugi-ban technique learned from Luke McNair and David Gendron (post here). The blade will be decorated based on the second side on the painted c1849 Penobscot recently on display at the Peabody Museum.

October 2016 Update: Paddle has been decorated and is now complete. Read part 2 of the post here.