How To Varnish A Wood Canoe Paddle At Home

As you can imagine, one of the subjects we get the most inquiries for is anything and everything about canoe paddle maintenance. Questions ranging from; "How do I varnish my paddle?"; to "How often should I varnish my paddle"; to "Do I have to sand my paddle before I start?"; prompted us to produce a short and simple video to help those of you who wish to maintain and varnish their canoe paddles at home. We plan to do a "How To Oil A Wood Canoe Paddle" soon as well. Stay tuned!

For more information about how to maintain your wood canoe paddle, visit our website(s): here and here.

How an old paddle might look after refinishing*:
This old paddle has many scars and scratches. Spot sanded with
a coarse paper (150 grit in problem areas) and then a 220 grit all
over (to prepare the old varnish for finishing), then varnished with
3 coats of Spar Varnish (wet sanded with a 320 grit between coats).
We really dig the natural patina of this refinished paddle! Don't you?

Questions? Don't worry, you aren't badgering us!

Just send them to info@badgerpaddle.com and happy varnishing! :o)

A special Badger® thanks to Preston, Marcus, and Ray for their help.

*You can make your paddle look even more like new if you sand away all of the old varnish finish and start from bare wood. However, be careful if you decide to go this route in that you do not sand away the shape of your paddle!