im looking for suggestions on a wooden paddle for under 200$ i want a fairly large blade [ i’ll be paddling a mill creek with my wife in the front and i expect to be the only one paddling] any suggestions
I've been happy with my Grey Owl Mistral from CLC. 28 ounces, $174.00.
Mark
http://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/boat-gear/grey-owl-mistral-hybrid-paddle.html
I made my own of laid up woods and then "carved" them with a bandsaw and a ROS.
Mine turned out exceedingly heavy, though, since I used heavy hardwoods, and I never use them. I use greenland paddles now that I spend less than $10 in materials and shape in about an hour.
If you've built your boat, building a paddle wouldn't be too difficult for you, assuming you have large enough clamps to do the blade layup. You could even do a blade layup of plywood and then a "split" Ferule/shaft that you glass the blade onto. Fairly simple and really cheap without the need for large clamps.
FrankP
On the off chance you're canadian (or near the border) try Mountain Equipment Co-op.
If you want to try a greenland paddle (which I highly recommend), try Beal Paddles.
Finally, Tom from T and J paddles does wide-blade paddles by special order I believe. I have a greenland paddle of his, and I like it very much.