RE: [Paddlewise] Modern Greenland Paddle

There are lots of interesting possibilities with Greenland paddles. I
have three very different Greenland paddles.
Not all of us have the ability, (I have repetative stress problems with
carving and sanding), time, or inclination to build things. But
Greenland paddles are out there.

One is a fiberglass, injected foam and aluminun interpretation by
Italian kayak designer Raymond Varraud. The kevlar coated metal tube
loom is a little wide for my hands, but it's fun to scull and roll with
and comes in bright non-indigenous colors like orange and yellow and
white. If you want to know more about the paddle, contact Raymond at
varraud_at_usa.net.

Another was carved from a single plank of Western Cedar and treated with
teak oil. The shape is a little different. The blades end with a
straight edge, like a plank, rather than rounded. Also, he's done some
neat stuff with the loom. Shaping it for a hand grip and varying the
thickness along the loom, so you always know where your hands are. Rob
Savage, the designer, is in Chicago and sells the paddles for $140.  You
can contact him at 312-738-2370.

The third Ken Katz made with some assitance from me. It's laminated
cherry and sitka spruce, and has a traditional sort of shape. I treated
it with Tung oil and  wax.

I plan to try out the 2 wood paddles this weekend, weather permitting.
It will be fun to compare these three very different Greenland-style
paddles, all made by friends.

Another plus of the Greenland paddle, not mentioned earlier, is that
they are stable in strong gusts of wind. They don't jump up into a gust
the way a "sport" paddle does.
 
Barbara Kossy
Richmond, California
bkossy_at_igc.apc.org





> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Barbara Kossy [SMTP:bkossy_at_igc.apc.org]
> Sent:	Friday, March 27, 1998 6:32 AM
> To:	barbara.kossy_at_pbdir.com
> Subject:	Re: [Paddlewise] Modern Greenland Paddle
> 
> >Return-Path: <owner-paddlewise_at_ns1.intelenet.net>
> >From: Julio MacWilliams <juliom_at_cisco.com>
> >Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Modern Greenland Paddle
> >To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> >Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 01:04:21 -0800 (PST)
> >Sender: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> >X-Listname: Paddlewise Mailing List
> >X-Subscription-Info: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
> >
> >> 
> >> By "modern Greenland" I mean any light, usually graphite narrow
> bladed
> >> paddle.  Typical are the Werner Little Dipper and Arctic Wind, and
> the
> >                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> ??!!!!!
> >> Eddyline Windswift.  I have owned and used all of these and find
> any of them
> >> dramatically less tiring over long distance at moderate speed (3.5
> to 4.5
> >> knots) than a large bladed paddle such as the Werner San Juan.
> This with
> >> the very important proviso that I use a low Greenland stroke.
> >
> >The Artic Wind can only be compared to the extremely long paddles of
> >East Greenland, not to the West Greenland variety which are the ones
> >people refer to by "Greenland Paddle".
> >
> >IMHO the Artic Wind, and most of the commercial paddles that are sold
> >as "Greenland" paddles are aberrations of the original idea. They
> lack
> >the profile that provides lift when swept across the water, the
> shafts
> >are too long -designed for the general public who are not expected to
> >change their paddling style-, and they are not designed to be grabbed
> >at the blades in order to play Greenland "trick" rolls.
> >
> >As George Gronseth said one in wavelength, the cheapest Greenland
> paddle
> >made at home is better and closer to the real thing than any
> commercial
> >version. Only those who make their own paddles following the
> descriptions
> >of John Heath and others know the difference.
> >
> >The most outrageous example of misconception for the sake of
> marketing
> >hype comes from Derek Hutchinson and his "Toksook" paddle. He claims
> >"it is symmetrical, which helps in sculling", but the edges are very
> >thin and the blade stalls at very low angles; it does not even have
> >the appropiate foil shape to create lift. He uses the leaf shape in
> >the blade just because "the Aleut did it that way"; the secret of 
> >that shape is that it reduces the cavitation of the blade as it
> enters
> >the water, yet the modern asymmetrical paddle blades maximize that
> >cavitation for the sake of wrist comfort as the general public wants
> it.
> >
> >Do you folks want to see a good paddle? Look at the painting on
> >Dyson's book "Baidarka", page 55. 
> >
> >I am surprised that someone like Mr. Hutchinson could get so close
> >and yet not get the clue. A good paddle blade as an eliptic shape,
> >and has a symmetrical foil profile. If I ever got bored of my
> >Greeland paddles (highly unlikely) and made a modern paddle I would
> >pickup a nice strong carbon shaft, and glue styrofoam blades to 
> >it as described above (eliptical, foil profile, symmetrical), and
> >fiberglass the foam. That would make the lightest paddle of all,
> >it would scull like not other, work like a wing paddle whenever
> >the paddler chooses to use a positive angle, and would have extremely
> >low cavitation when entering the water.
> >
> >But such a paddle would be difficult to market due to the fierce
> >competition of the _new_ release of sea kayaking paddles from
> >other manufacturers. As everything _new_ is always better, the
> >new paddles do no longer have a spoon shape, but the _new_
> revolutionary
> >fork shape. Such a revolutionary design is going to make millions
> >of $$ in revenue from the general public, who can not wait to get
> >the latest _new_ stuff at REI. :-))
> >
> >- Julio
> >
> >p.s. grrrrr!! :-}
> >
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> * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * --*--*--
>     Barbara Kossy Communications
>    vox: 510-234-3479 fax: 510-234-6615
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