I'm on the lovely blue (until August when they turn green) shores of Lake Erie! There are a lot of ways to look at the expense of a piece of wood. I don't feel like I'd ever use a Greenland paddle someone else made. So, a piece of lumber is $53. That's less than 1/8 the cost of my foam core carbon/Kevlar whitewater paddle. So- it seems like a bargain, as long as I am able to make the paddle I want. I've never made a paddle that was a complete bust- there is something worth exploring in every paddle. We'll just have to see how it goes...

m