> does anyone have experience making paddles for kids? how long should a
> kid's paddle be to get a good tradeoff between weight and length ? this is
> for a 9 yr old ...I plan to use a spruce shaft with spruce & fir
> blades ..how small (diam) should I make the shaft?

I made one for my 12 year old daughter (canoe).

For the blade, I scaled down (on AutoCAD) the shape from an "adult" paddle. As for length, there are length formulas for canoe paddles. Someone else may have to help on kayak paddles.