Dave... Yoh, I guess I did not read this well... Yes the Soloright was made as the name implies to right solo. My homemade pole does the same job. (I weigh about 160 lb.)

Someone asked about the paddle shape... No there is not really a good reason why you would try to shape the paddle so it would conform to the inside of the hull. I can only come up with a few excuses why I decided to shape it in that way...
It spreads out the load over a larger area when you step on the pole. ( I am kind of freaked out about soft spots on my old ('85) boat. I tend not to walk on the hull if I can avoid it).
It is made from a composite material - you can shape it the way you want it. Doing a lay up over a flat pic is the same effort as doing a lay-up over the inside of the hull.
It does not only look as a paddle- it can even be used as one. Try this with your water bag.
But you are right - straight would work too.

Someone asked about the cost... Mine was kind of free. The two-piece windsurfing mast was donated to me after it broke right around the joint (this is where they always fail). The epoxy and the glass and the foam is something that floats around my garage (might be $40.00 for a starter kit- but you would have stuff left for other projects). The shackles I used are supposed to be used for some type of spinnaker application (made from some plastic so they would not rub on the hulls while attached to my boat). Those where somewhere around $20.00. But there are low $ homemade alternatives to the shackles.

Patrick