I bought a pair of rental return bending branches wood paddles over the weekend. One clearly was rubbed against the gunnels of a canoe pretty continuously at some point, so I'd like to refinish that area, and maybe a few other areas while I'm at it. I assume I can sand and reseal areas without redoing the whole thing, but what do I use to reseal it?

Exterior grade Poly Urethane varnish.

Give the folks at Bending Branches a call and ask them what they put on their paddles, I did that and they told me what to buy, getting old and can't recall what the product was but I think I got it at Menards, water based is pretty as much as I can recall except a blue and white can. Good folks to deal with. FRED

I asked BB this very question at Canoecopia. Epoxy is good but spar varnish is also fine. The spar might be a little softer in a bad way. I did mine in spar before last trip and it was just fine.

Marine varnish.

Whatever you end up doing to finish it, sand the whole thing down first and itt'l look great when finished! Personally- I like the urethane finishes on the blade and oil on the shaft and handle.

I have refinished many paddles over the years. I use an orbital sander with a fine grit pad on it. I sand outside so I don’t have to breath the dust mixture. You can sand it back into shape in about one minute with a hand sander. I would not suggest doing only one spot because it would look sloppy, spotty, uneven with old and new finish. Then wipe all the sanding dust off with a wet rag followed by a tack cloth. Then you lightly apply 3 coats of spar varnish letting it dry overnight between coats, also lightly hand sanding with 400 grit paper between coats. By the time you get to the last coat it will be smother then it was new, almost guaranteed.

Minwax Helmsman spar urethane varnish is made to apply on outdoor furniture, doors or the bottom of a wood boat or canoe. Buy it at any home store or paint store. Use a fine soft bristle brush to apply.

Awesome, thanks for this excellent advice. Sounds like I'll give it a shot with Minwax Helmsman spar urethane varnish.

I have one more trick for you. Get a scrap thin piece of wood like paneling. Pound small 3 finishing nails into the board one up by the grip area, and two by the blade area . Brush on the finish on one side then flip over the paddle and set it on the 3 finish nails. Brush the finish on the other side and let dry. This way the finish won’t run and drip as bad because it’s mostly in the horizontal position when drying. By the time you are on the third coat the nails don’t even make a mark.