try to answer a few questions
The paddle is made from a solid piece of ash which started life 2" thick by 9" wide and 9ft long , the price for this wood started out at £48 I laughed at wood supplier until he came down to £28 then coughed up the money out of the piece I made one paddle which is all once piece the rest was cut up into square section some of that made the seats and hangers in my canoe and i have some long stave's left to make more paddles , need to safe up for some nice cherry and do a laminated one.
I did use the paddle before it was painted and it worked very well was nice to use but it was a tad heavy so I took it back in the workshop and thinned out the shaft and the blade, I had a couple of bad weeks with my leg and was stuck in this was when the paints came out lol
Sadly I wont be attending the moot this year , money is to tight
If anyone fancies making their own paddle its not that hard just takes a long time , I did 95% of mine by hand with a spoke shave the other 5% being cut out on a band saw and the use of an electric sander very rewarding though, and it does feel nicer to use than anything you can buy ,,,yes even a grey owl