>> I have never tried the narrower-bladed manufactured paddles, and would be interested in a comparison from any who have paddled both Greenland and narrow, Euro-design progeny. Tom Joyce >> The narrowest fiberglass paddle I have used is an Eddyline Wind Swift, but one thing I like to emphasize is that the cross-section of a Greenland blade is as distinctive as the profile. I believe (without tank tests or calculations, Mr. Winters) that it is the double-convex section of this blade that gives the blade so much lift when it is swept or sculled, and even for the forward stroke, if you use the right technique. Certainly it is much easier to scull with than a Euro-style paddle, because it has a less critical blade angle. Unfortunately, I have not stressed this enough in my instructions on how to make one, and I have seen more than one homemade Greenland paddle with blades that were too thin, too flat, or had squared-off edges. Another difference between the Greenland paddle and a narrow-bladed Euro paddle is the way the loom, or shaft, meets the blade. The loom on a Greenland paddle is oval in section rather than round, with the long axis 90 degrees from the long axis of the blade section. Where they meet in the West Greenland paddle is a shoulder where the loom abruptly widens into the root of the blade (what would be called the throat area on a Euro paddle). In use, the thumb and forefinger grasp the loom at the shoulder, while the last three fingers grasp the root of the blade. This allows a very secure grip on the paddle, while at the same time it gives an almost instictive feel for the orientation of the blade, which is very important when rolling or bracing. Also, the shoulder works as a built-in index point for hand placement. For Steve Posti, my instructions can be downloaded from the Inland Sea Kayakers Web site at http://www.isk.canoe-kayak.org, from the Paddlewise site, or from the Unofficial Greenland Kayak Club site at http://magicne t.net/~gstamer/QK.html. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Jun 05 2000 - 14:20:19 PDT
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