From: Derek Wakeling <depawake_at_ihug.co.nz> To: Paddlewise <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Subject: Greenland Paddles Date: Sunday, April 23, 2000 8:19 PM Hi Rob This is a revised Email the first went before I had chance to correct the mistakes. Just got around to rereading a print of your post of the 15th April. Quote " Bottom line is I want a longer paddle, to get the stroke rate down and a larger blade area for easier bracing" I am nor sure about the larger blade area because of the extra wind resistance of the unfeathered blade in the air. Of course the forward tilt of the top edge of the blade with the Greenland paddling style helps. All that I have read about Greenland paddles is indicates the Inuit's used very narrow blades. I saw a photo taken Paul Caffyn during his Greenland trip of and paddle beside a kayak in a the loft of what I think was a derelict dwelling. I can only guess the relative dimensions but it looked very long and narrow. Also the second two paddles I made for Pam and myself are the same length as the fist ones, 2.43m but 12mm narrower at 75mm for Pam's and 81mm for mine and they give more pull. Although the blade shape is slightly different, parallel for the first 250mm from the tip of the blades in the new ones compared to a constant taper from tip to loom for the older ones, the blade area is less for the new ones.But despite this they are more efficient with noticeably more grip on the water. They are also stiffer (better quality slower grown red cedar) and better airfoil section. When at cruising speed, about 7kms/hr in our double, the cadence is just over 60/min. I stress that Pam and I are no longer young but we usually manage to more than keep up with all but the best of the younger paddlers who are in singles. Its not as good as it sounds because other things being equal a double will always beat a single and "Swift", the double I designed and built is a good sea boat and quite fast. When paddling into a strong wind I get more power by changeng the position of my hands on the paddle for each stroke. When pulling on the right blade the right hand is in the middle of the loom and the left is on the left blade. When pulling left the positions are reversed. This comes naturally after a bit of persistent practice. This effectively gives a longer paddle length in the water and reduces the wind resistance on the blade in the air. It seems more efficient to do this when you want the extra power rather than going for a longer paddle. I am not sure why but I find that the techique of using a Greenland paddle forces me to paddle properly using leg and back muscles as much as the arm and shoulders. I have never considered using the paddle as a rudder except as a stern rudder/brace when in surf or on a wave face but I am realy only a begginer to kayaking. Of course every New Zealand sea kayak has a rudder but in contrast to some of the New World designs that have rudders most NZ designs incorporate a solid adjustablefoot rest so that you do not press on the streering peddles when using leg muscles for paddling. I started off using a large rudder for streering but have now reduced the size of the rudder as it is generally only used for course correct in wind and waves. The paddles are used for turning. Happy paddling Derek *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:13 PDT