[Paddlewise] Re[2]: Modern Greenland Paddle

     To add a personal comment to the Greenland paddle thread --- there was 
     a comment about the virtues of home-crafted Greenlands that was right 
     to the point.  The indigenous folks who carved these things made them 
     to their own dimensions --- anthropometrically.  All the gouges are in 
     the John Heath articles --- hand size influences loom, length is the 
     upraised hand with fingers curled, etc.  And the significnace here is 
     that it really <does> make a difference.  A big difference.  
     
     I have two paddles made identically, but one is an inch shorter than 
     the other.  Same wood, same dimensions otherwise.  Big diffenence in 
     paddling.  A better paddler than I am could probably distiguish a 
     smaller difference.  A 7'6" paddle is going to be close to be ideal 
     for some one or two percent of all paddlers, but less correct for the 
     other 98% or 99% of us.  Little differences in the loom, the blade 
     width, the stiffness (as a function of the wood used or the thickness) 
     will also yield a very different paddle.  And all this matters a lot 
     at the end of a long day.
     
     Speaking of which, that's why these paddles are so great.  They don't 
     blow your tendons out.  They're easy on the body.  Especially <old> 
     bodies!  And they're great for rolling, as has been noted in other 
     posts.  But the other area of importance --- at least for me --- is 
     that crafting them can be almost a religious experience.  It's very 
     therapeutic, taking a two by six of cheap, recycled pine board --- 
     <free> on the beaches of the Potomac and the Chesapeake --- and 
     carving it, planing it, sanding it, scraping it into a clean, 
     efficient paddle is a great weekend project.  
     
     Try reading the articles --- the directions are even pilot-proofed!  
     And the payoff is a beautiful paddle, arguably the most efficient sea 
     kayaking device you can make!
     
     Joq Martin
     St. Inigoes, MD --- the ospreys are home.
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