Re: [Paddlewise] Kayak surfing question

At 09:10 PM 7/19/00 -0700, Matt Broze wrote:
>Mark Arnold wrote:
>
> >>Does using an extended brace with a Greenland paddle make any difference
>in
>the choice of braces to use?  Do you even try to go to extended braces in
>the
>surf?<<
>
>There is so much force in the surf you don't need much leverage on your
>braces and if you give the surf too much of a lever it can do some real
>damage to you. And the surf doesn't even need a place to stand, just a long
>enough lever.

As usual, I agree with 99% of whatever Matt says. So I'll reward him by 
posting the 1% that I happen to disagree with. Sorry Matt. Guess that's how 
science works.  :)

Regarding Greenland paddles in the surf... I am sorry to admit that I don't 
have a large amount of experience using them. I have a hard time not 
spending 100% of my surf time in a surf kayak. But with regard to using the 
extended paddle brace in the surf, I would say go for it if you have a real 
Greenland paddle that was built according to true Greenland specifications. 
This means the the length of the shaft is almost identical to the width of 
your shoulders. If you have one of those "commercial" Greenland sticks, 
then odds are that the ends of the blades occurs much wider than a 
traditional stick.  The extra width of the loom means that in normal 
paddling, your arms are already held at the same width as, *ahem*, 
traditional white-man's paddles.  Extending your grip on one of these would 
put your arms at risk as Matt says. However if you are fortunate enough to 
have a traditional-style Greenland paddle, then doing the extended paddle 
brace puts your arms at about the same width as a modern paddle. I don't 
think there's any harm in that, and honestly, I cannot really visualize 
that an effective brace in the surf is possible using the standard narrow grip.

There's another helpful nuance of Greenland paddles in the surf, which is 
that they are designed to act as a wing to generate lift that supports a 
brace.  In calm, green water, there is a huge difference between the amount 
of bracing force that can be applied when the paddle is sculled vs. held 
steady. In the surf, it will be hard to scull, and even if you could, the 
paddle would be moving through aerated, highly turbulent water. Since that 
precludes it from generating lift, it is far less likely to generate as 
much bracing resistance as a white-man's paddle, thereby reducing the 
stress on your shoulders.

Cheers,
Kevin


Kevin Whilden
Your Planet Earth
http://www.yourplanetearth.org
(206) 788-0281 (ph)
(206) 788-0284 (f)

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