This video demonstrates the process of applying a thin layer of epoxy resin to seal, bond, and protect hand-carved canoe paddles. The video discusses the use of TotalBoat Penetrating Epoxy, 2:1 High-Performance Epoxy, and Gleam for this purpose. The video also discusses the use of West System 105, G-flex, and Cabosil in creating a thickening effect on one Sugar Island paddle 316 past the paddle edge.
Choosing the right epoxy for canoe paddles depends on the material the paddle is made from and the type of wood used. For example, SilverTip Epoxy is designed for use with fiberglass, Kevlar®, Dynel®, graphite, and bare wood, making it ideal for paddle and oar repair. It has superior wet-out characteristics with little tendency to foam or trap air.
For a long-lasting finish on wooden paddles, three coats of epoxy, sanding smooth after each coat, followed by three coats of varnish are recommended. Epoxy resin is the way to go, and either System III or West System makes some great stuff specifically for cedar boats. The System Three sampler kit is a great way to choose.
The video also discusses the use of epoxy resin over polyester resin, as it is supposed to stick better to wood. The video advises against using regular wood glue, as the epoxy will be much stronger over the life of the paddle in any glue joint.
A seal coat of GFlex epoxy is applied to a wooden paddle, with an epoxy tip set into the end of the paddle. A fiberglass plate secures the whole thing together in the end of the paddle wood. Jimmy Diresta uses TotalBoat Penetrating Epoxy, 2:1 High-Performance Epoxy, and Gleam to seal, bond, and protect his hand-carved canoe paddles.
📹 Canoe Paddle Blade – Fiberglass and Epoxy
Part of a DIY paddle project is a layer of fiberglass and epoxy over one or both sides of the paddle blade. Quietwater paddle kits …
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There’s lots to consider when searching for the right canoe paddle. Who better to show you than the best expert we know, Mike …
Have to agree with mewolf1.Your cloth is floating with resin between the wood and cloth. Vacuum bagging is a method, that gives great strength with less weight. A great trick, without vacuum bagging, is to use Peel Ply. One thin coat of resin, then lay on the peel ply. After the resin has set, remove the peel ply. One more thin coat, and you are done. Just trying to help you produce an even better paddle. I like the homemade foam brush !
Hi all – It’s been awhile since this flurry of activity. I’ve not had a reoccurrence of this bizarre fish eye ‘behavior’, but a few thoughts have occurred that further explain my perspective on epoxy and fiberglass and paddle blades. #1 – To each their own. There’s not an absolute, there is beaucoup knowledge gained via experience, as the responders have pointed out! That’s the big reason there’s enough wood and material in quietwater paddle kits to make TWO paddles. The first paddle gives you a ‘taste’ and some perspective on how to work with wood, hand tools, your hands and ‘foreign substances’ like epoxy and fiberglass. The second paddle benefits from what you learned on the first one. #2 – A paddle blade is a small project. It’s not a canoe or even the side of canoe, it’s more like a shoebox. So I don’t worry about the weight of the epoxy all that much, even if I use too much, as some have pointed out, we’re still talking about less than an ounce difference between ‘optimum’ and what I apply. A brush continues to be my preferred spreader, mainly because the hard edges of a spreader tend to move the cloth around too much. For me, I feel that I have better control while moving the epoxy around with soft brush bristles rather than the hard corners and edges of a spreader. The piece of cloth is too small. A spreader DEFINITELY has its place, although for me, that is on a bigger surface area like the bottom of a paddle board. #3 – Multiple coats are a good thing. Filling the weave is ideal with that first pour, but I never quite achieve that goal.
Hi all Lots of updates since I poured this epoxy. I’ll get more articles on this website as soon as I can! wrt Lumberjack and Natty yes I have tried other epoxy brands. MAS, EcoPoxy, and TotalBoat are all on my bench now. They’re all good and workable epoxys. MAS has no amine blush which is nice. The other two require a post-cure warm water wipe down to get rid of the amine blush. EcoPoxy is a “friendly” product with ingredients that are eco-friendly. Thus the name. Based on hazelnut (?) if I remember correctly. When you are pouring epoxy, make sure you do not spread it “too thin”. This is hard to define, but you know you went too thin when you see “fisheyes” in the dried surface of the epoxy. Based on my experience, it looks to me like when I spread epoxy too thin, it’s like I am “stretching” it over the surface. The wet epoxy reaches some limit and then it “snaps” apart” and retracts back to a “location” where it “re-achieves” some level of thickness. The remnant of the “snap apart” looks like a round hole in the epoxy. A fisheye. Moral of the story from my pov is to avoid spreading the epoxy too thin. Be conservative, e.g. make 4 tsps for the second pour instead of 3, better to have too much and minimize spreading rather than too little and end up really working the wet epoxy to get it to cover the area. Overworking it and spreading it too thin, are what I think cause these “snapback holes” “fisheyes” to appear in what was a good looking smooth surface when the epoxy was wet and you left the room.
As mewolf says…too much epoxy…the ideal ratio is the exact amount by weight…not volume… to equal the weight of the cloth…a TINY bit more if you dont want the weave to be as noticeable. But he is also wrong about the application process…this which is shown is correct…laying down the dry cloth…allowing it to be positioned…then wetting it out…finally…if this IS epoxy resin…it will break down in sunlight, and should be painted, or have pigment added to it. Fiberglass resin will NOT break down in sunlight, which is why surfboards are clear…the graphics are applied to the foam before its glassed. Epoxy boards are always painted, and you will never see the cloth…the graphics are always on the surface.