RE: [Paddlewise] Kayak surfing question

Kevin Whilden wrote:

 <SNIP>
 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.

I'm not sure we are talking about the same thing by extended paddle. I take
an extended paddle brace to mean that you extend the paddle more to the
bracing side as you would do with an extended paddle roll. I can't see how
(if this is what Kevin means too) that can be accomplished without moving
the hands on the paddle out of the traditional narrow position (which I
agree wouldn't give you an effective brace so why bother keeping the hand
close together anyhow).

>
> 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.

They may act like a wing but I'm not so sure they were "designed" to act as
a wing. What are your historical sources for this claim?

>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.


The water that is aerated is not usually where you are bracing (and that
water isn't going to cause much trouble if it were). The water that causes
the trouble is the water lifting up as the wave peaks to break and is still
peaking up behind the soup as the wave tumbles forward once it has broken. I
extend my paddle when faced with steep dumping breakers. Yeah, I extend it
out the other way away from the breaker and have little more than the blade
beyond my hand to brace with so I don't hand the surf such a big lever.
The real reason hardly anyone uses a Greenland paddle for playing in the
surf is just what Kevin is talking about. They don't have enough bite on the
water for the real quick acceleration you need to catch a good ride in the
first place. Well, at least not as fast a wave as the "white man's" paddle
can catch. Greenland paddles aren't good for quick slap braces on the waters
surface either. This soft bite might help protect your shoulder but not if
you give it a much longer lever arm with which to compensate for its poor
bite (and help it wrench your shoulder).

Being unfeathered your Greenland paddle would probably just get broken by
the surf anyway ;-)
I suppose this could be seen as a safety feature too. Better to have your
paddle break than your shoulder dislocate.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com



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