Son's New Paddle

Years ago, paddle maker Craig Johnson sent a gift of a short board of Sassafras along with the 3 boards I purchased from him. It was the perfect size to make a kid's paddle.

5/4 Sassafras Stock

Well I finally finished working on that new paddle for my 8 year old son. It's a 48" beavertail with a long skinny grip.

48" Sassafras Beavertail

For decoration, I was inspired by the sketch of a vine motif on an elongated grip documented in  La culture matérielle des indiens de Weymontachie by Norman Clermont (see that post HERE).

La culture matérielle des indiens de Weymontachie 

Norman Clermont (‎1982)

My boy approved of the grip decoration but also wanted a large letter K for his initial on the blade. This worked out well because by the time he outgrows this paddle as a user, it should fit little brother well and they have the same initial. Also added some other floral decorations on the upper blade.

Decorated Side

I rushed a bit to get this done in time for an upcoming 2 night canoe trip over the May long weeknd. The father of a classmate saw our trip report from last summer and invited us along for their family adventure. Another party is joining us too so we'll have a total of 3 dads and 5 kids.  A no portage base-camp experience has been planned so we'll be bringing along some extra weight including the wanigan, bucksaw chair, homemade pack, chess-set and the bushcraft toys made over the winter.

Camping & Bushcraft Toys

Paddling Chess-set

Given how we're playing it safe and camping close to the put-in, I'm planning on bringing the repaired Sassafras Tripper for a trial on the lake. We'll see if the repair holds up or if the paddle will be relegated to a garden ornament again.