Re: [Paddlewise] (un)Feathered paddles in surf

On Fri, 30 Apr 1999, Ralph Diaz wrote:

"This feathered vs. unfeathered issue has taken on the trappings of a
religious debate.<huge snip>" 
  
-----------

I've been in direct communication with *God* on this subject. HE said that
using unfeathered paddles was the one true commandment. Derek Hutchingson
wrote a few other things in stone (including love thy neigbours wife, do
unto others as you would have their lawyers do to you, do not steal or I
will fly over to your country and bust your rip-off mold in half, and there
is but one God, Hutchy), but the feathered advice I have followed :)

As SEVEN is the number of heavenly perfection, I paddle with 70 dergees,
and yes, paddling for me is divine.

One of my "heathen" friends paddles unfeathered in some very rough seas,
high winds, and big surf. His paddle is short. He experimented (makes his
own paddles) with different lengths, starting at 230cm, and eventually
found 215cm works best. I can't keep up with the little sinner.

BTW, I would never paddle in rough water with a standard laminated wooden
paddle again after breaking one off Trial Island in a gale last year. My
buddy above constructs his paddle shafts from laminated wood, but uses very
thin laminations of wood with a lamination of cloth tape saturated with
epoxy between each wooden lamination (curved ply blades). It is very
strong, light, warm to paddle, and cheap to build. The only problem with it
is he doesn't feather, but then he must have a different bible translation.

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd 

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