Dude straight up: don't be trying to reinvent the wheel here. Paddle making is a very, very fine art. Shooting in the dark will only yeild mediocre results at best. I would contact Blunt Family Paddles and ask his advice. He makes wooden sticks, and they are the legit sh*t that ain't gonna quit.
Kenny is a nice guy too and he'd probably be able to steer ya in the right direction. PNW local. Other than that, another local who is sometimes on this site is Rutang (not sure if I spelled his user name correctly). Try to ping him directlly and see what he has to say. Otherwise I'd say go to Werner cuz they be local, but they also got way more at stake as far as protecting "trade secrets" are concerned.

While we are on the subject let me say this straight up:
Pick up ANY major name brand legit whitewater stick, and most lame ass knock off bullsh*tter "rec" sticks. Look at today's prevailing blade design.

For the record: There is a specific man who deserves full credit for the basic blade shape most of us use and his name is
Keith Backlund.

Yes others have come along since and tweaked this and that, but essentially what we have here is Werner and AT and most other paddles worth using piggybacking (yeah a polite way of saying they ripped him off unless they pay him royalties but I doubt it) on his design, and now decades later it is standard.

If you are seriously undertaking the endeavor of making paddles, YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF to do your homework and study some history while you're at it. That said I wish you well in your endeavors and hope they bear fruit.

The other Master Paddle maker besides Keith, Obviously, would be the Godfather of Squirtboating (which essentially makes him the Grandfather of modern playboating as it is currently known), Jim Snyder. Google his site and read EVERYTHING he has to say about paddling. He went his own way with his own blade shapes but didn't stop there. We're talking about true craftsmanship here.

A project that would be easier but still in the spirit of your project would be to re-fiberglass an older paddle. I've thought about trying this but so far haven't found the time. Seems like it wouldn't take excessively long and learning how to use fiberglass seems like a useful skill.
I've got a werner that has less than half its original surface area I could give you.

Here is a relatively obscure site full of info that may be indirectly useful:

http://www.boardlady.com/index.htm

SHH kiwi i was thinking bout just scratching the brands off one of my paddles if this doesn't work out.

CP stands for culminating project, travis. it's f**king stupid. I posted on here when I had to do it a few years back cause I wanted to make a custom glass surfboat, unfortunately anything water related isn't allowed because it is potentially dangerous and the school doesn't want to be sued. So basically you're limited to masterbating in a padded room for 30 hours (or at least claiming 30 hours) and presenting that.

Who's your advisor Jacob? Go for Schaefer, he's a boss and super chill about all the due dates. plus he realizes that it's all bullsh*t and will let you slide on lots of things as long as you're not a jackass (you're not a jackass).

For my CP I ended up "learning to use photoshop". biggest load of crap ever and I passed. you're supposed to spend a minimum of 30 hours working on your project. I threw it together in about 3 hours 2 days beforehand. It did not make me a better person, did not prepare my for college, and made me resent the public school system.

Jacob, consider reglassing a paddle, that's a skill you'll probably use more than actually building a paddle when you get old and take up canoeing, an added bonus, it's easier.

Autoclave? That is pretty sweet, having a sterile shaft should bring some extra credit points on for the project!!!

James, I thought the same thing, but you shape the carbon sheeting into whatever shape you need then add a resin film to coat it. It then bonds the material together. Its a lot cleaner than hand laying and hand applying resin. But it looks like im going to have to hand lay.

If you are in Seattle, you should come by my garage sometime and check out my wooden paddle 'operation'.

Sounds like you are going very high tech with boeing, and all carbon construction.  I am old school, and make my paddles out of wood.  Wood is by far the superior paddle material.  I realize there is a lot of excitement in building something with lots of high tech stuff, but I does not guarantee a good product.

When I started paddle building years ago, I tried to go real high tech.  It doesn't get you far, untill you have some basics mastered.  Also, it sets you up to invest loads and loads of money into high tech equipment and tools to keep building them.  Trust me, if you want a nice paddle to use for yourself, that you made for yourself, be prepared to build at least 5

If I could offer some insight over this messageboard, it would be to step back and keep it simple.  Other than that, you should come out to Issaquah sometime, and I'll show you what I have learned and help you avoid some pitfalls and repeating certain types of research.

BTW always make sure you have a sterile shaft before masturbating in a padded cell.