Plans are included for:

• Classic single bladed paddle
• Classic double bladed paddle
• Bent single bladed paddle

Step by Step Instructions

Clear Diagrams

Simple assembly

Correctly proportioned for Touring Use

Match them to your body dimensions

The paddle plans demonstrate Michael Storer Boat Design's clear instructions and layout - just like our boat plans.

The paddles themselves are excellent performers with easy construction.

The only difference between these and the rest of our plans is that some of the drawings have been shrunk down, so some detail is lost.

The download link is at the top of this page.

What Free Plans Cost YOU.

In the world of boat plans, in general, you get exactly what you pay for. By far the bulk of free plans are worth exactly nothing. The boats won't meet the designer's inflated expectations in terms of cost, ease of building, and then performance in use.

A good design should EXCEED your expectations. It should be easier to build than you think and should work better on the water than you imagined

There are some exceptions where free plans are very good indeed, but generally I would strongly recommend buying plans from popular designers who are making some sort of living out of designing boats. They are popular for good reason.

These paddles plans are drawn from extensive research into what people were actually using as reported in magazines. The main difference with commercial fibreglass bladed paddles is that the paddle blades are laminated out of two layers of plywood, providing a light but very robust blade that will deal with some degree of mistreatment.

The other area where these paddles shine is in the proportion of the paddle shafts. They are designed to flex to reduce shock loadings on wrists and elbows - an important consideration where real distance is being covered.

There is a slight thrust compromise in having a ply blade in that it can only be concave in one direction. However this also gives it a predictable behavior when moved laterally in the water, such as in some recovery strokes, some draws and the J and travelling C strokes. Heavily cupped blades can produce unpredictable forces in similar circumstances and are tricky to make in comparison..

Why these plans are free - Three Good Reasons

1/ As a marketing ploy, to show just how good a well put together plan can be compared to the free offerings that are around. ie maybe someone will like my paddles so decide to order a boat plan in future.

2/ I have always felt a little embarrassed when selling a canoe plan to charge extra for the paddles. It feels a bit like "push" marketing . . .
Q: "Do you want fries with that?"
A: "If I wanted them I would have asked for them!"

3/ Because I want people to know just how good correctly proportioned touring paddles can be. Most of the paddles sold commercially are based heavily on racing models, which are fine if you are in training and only want to go 500 metres at the highest possible speed. For the rest of us there is a better balance when we might be paddling for several hours, where the boat may be loaded, when there is wind from strange directions, or where me may need to do some maneuvering.

Click here for the Paddle PDF File (300Kb)

The instructions should print up OK on letter writing sheets (they were originally on A4). The drawings were originally on A3 but I have divided them up into smaller images and put them within the plan. The PDF format will resize itself to whatever you have available.

(9ft Oar plans also available)