Re: [Paddlewise] Paddle Finish

<< The best approach is to use one of the newer Poly Urethane

varnishes made by Interlux/Pettit
>>

>You'd best be aware that any finish like this will be hard to hold onto.<

A hearty second to this.  I am finishing a review of eight wooden paddles, and 
have been using primarily wooden paddles for 2 years.  While UV resistance and
physical wear are at the top of the list for desireaable qualities for yacht
brightwork, tactile considerations should come first for paddles.

Even polyurethane is not harder than rocks, so the main cosmetic spoiler is
going to be little better anyway, although I suspect that sand will have a 
more rapid effect on softer varnish.  In any case, a coat or two of varnish
is a small price to pay for a better grip on the paddle.  The softer varnishes
(probably alkyd, but unspecified) that I have tried are noticably easier to 
hold than PU *of the same gloss.*  This last factor is a biggie.  Matte
or satin finish is much less slippery than glossy.  I don't think I have
tried an example of non-glossy non-PU, or even if such a thing is readily 
available.  Glossy non-PU is still slipperier than I would like.  One 
paddle manufacturer that I talked to, who uses non-PU, said that he ships
a scrap of sandpaper with each paddle and advise the purchaser to scuff up
the grip area to give decent control.  He said that if he did it himself, 
buyers called up to complain that there was something wrong with the finish!
I find it depressing that so many buyers would be unable to figure out why
this was done.  

My solution was even more radical:  I wrap the shafts of my 
paddles with imitation cork bicycle tape.  Very grippy, but not very pretty.
My primary paddle is now 2 years old, and having been hacked down a couple of
class 2/3 river runs as well as plenty of entry braces and hundreds of bonks
against the boat, it is ready for some attention.  I will probably take off
the tape and try a couple of different brands of varnish on the two halves
of the paddle, with scuffing of the grips and glossy blades.  I doubt that 
anything will give the quality of grip I am used to with the tape, and of
course will also not give the larger diameter that I like, but it will be fun
to play with.  With luck, I will find that going back to smaller grips
is easier on my tendons, but I'm not going to hold my breath!

I bought a copy of _Brightwork_ recently to learn more about varnish.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find yet any mention of whether there
is a problem with applying differnt types of varnish over one another.
Otherwise, a very helpful book.

Nursing a cold, so in paddle-withdrawal,
Mike Wagenbach

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