Paddle generation 2

I can't say that I thought of the design all by myself. C4, the best SUP company, had changed the design of their race paddles at the outdoor retailer show, so I followed suit and the narrower blade with a tapered shaft is wicked fast. Now if only I could perfect my glassing skills... You know what they say, third time is the charm!

Thinking about studying

You know when you a nerd when... you make a stand up desk extension for your college dorm desk! With school coming up, I figured that I would take advantage of the time by building myself a desk extension. I can't study unless I standing, so since there wasn't going to be a kitchen island in my dorm, I decided to improvise. The final product is foldable and came out pretty nicely.

Karma

Backdoor Sports was where I started Telemarking. Pete, the gracious owner and an awesome guy, practically let us borrow gear for my whole first year skiing. From there I got better and better, but no matter what, I always try to get people over to Pete's. He still has the best kids rental equipment, best service and the most character out of any ski shop in Steamboat.


This week I took the challenge of giving his shop some organization. I made a new bookcase for his many guidebooks, and handcrafted a few signs. I think it came out well, but time will tell to see if my merchandising skills are up to spec!

TP time!

Mr J, was my most influential teacher that I have ever had the pleasure to take a class with. He taught middle school shop and is probably the reason that I want to go into engineering. The guy practically built his own truck over the years, from a carved wood tailgate to the art inspired grill. It was him who I turned to this week for my paddle project. He is an avid boat builder, so his home shop was a natural place to learn how to fiberglass.


Today he asked if I could help him set up a TP for a restaurant downtown. You see, he and his wife live in a TP during the summer months, so he is somewhat of an expert on the subject, and who could say no to a free lunch?


Setting a TP is half science, half art and half luck. Gigi, his wife warned me that it would probably take three sets and she wasn't kidding. We got all the poles in place, save the lead pole, stacked it up, laced it together and the door was on the wrong side! After, like Gigi predicted, two more tries, we had a suitable TP, ready for a powow... or for the kids that need to be entertained at the restaurant.

Paddle test

With my paddle varnished and ready to go, I figured that I ought to try to break it, so I headed out to stagecoach lake. Try as I might, the paddle didn't break, so I would say that this design was bomber! For my next paddle, I want to give the blade a lower profile and make it even thinner... like 1/8", just to push the boundaries a bit.

Just another normal day with the Paley Fam...

My family must be going for a record: how many surgeries in a row. Let see the count. I had a meniscus repair, then a menisectomy earlier this year. My brother had hand surgery (concrete walls are harder than bone... he just thought he would clarify that), and just went in for shoulder surgery since he tore his bicep tendon completely. Now, just when we thought we were in the clear, my dad herniated a disk and went in for emergency surgery. You know it's bad when the nurses start to recognize you and you have your surgeon on speed dial! Anyway, we always go to Vail Valley, and as you can see, the facilities are pretty damn top of the line!

My first paddle!

I have been thinking about making a hollow wood surfboard for some time now. I almost made it my senior project two years ago, but instead equipped a classroom with stand up desks. Now, the itch is back, so I figured that I would start with a paddle. Above you can see the blade gluing to the handle - 1 1/8" fur cut down from a 2x4 then routed round. I modeled it after the best - my C4!



Above, I am going after the handle with a round file.


Fiberglassed! Now I just need to do a little sanding and test it out... let's see how quickly I can break it!

bullseye

Today was a beautiful day, so we decided to break out the recurves and go shoot some targets up in Clark, CO. Twenty shots, one bullseye by my brother Ben and two lost arrows later, I would say that the bunny rabbits eating my garden are still fairly safe. With a little practice however...