RE: [Paddlewise] Kayak surfing question

 Mark J. Arnold wrote:
>
> In a message dated 7/20/00 2:39:17 AM Central Daylight Time,
> mkayaks_at_oz.net
> (Matt) writes:
>
> <<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 ... >>  Note: We were talking about a
> Greenland style
> paddle.
>
> For me, extended means moving the bracing side hand across the
> middle of the
> paddle until it hits the other hand.  The non-bracing side hand
> then slides
> out about 3/4 of the way to the end of the blade (my blades are a
> little too
> wide for the grip to go all the way to the end.  I end up with what is
> probably about a normal width grip for a Euro paddle, but with
> lots of extra
> length out the bracing side.

That's what I thought you meant. Not sure how Kevin interpreted this.

>
> << ... 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)
>
> >From you earlier post I got the impression that you were
> suggesting not using
> the extended brace in the surf.  From this comment I get the
> impression that
> I can not use the normal (narrow) paddling grip to brace.  Are
> you suggesting
> some modified grip (not normal narrow Greenland and not extended
> Greenland)
> for bracing?  If so could you explain a little more.

no need to extend the brace in surf and it might be harmful.
Holding your hands close together might be okay for maintaining speed at
normal speed but just won't provide enough power or acceleration for bracing
and catching waves. Hold your paddle even closer together and try hard
strokes and bracing and you will see what I mean.

>
> << Being unfeathered your Greenland paddle would probably just
> get broken by
>  the surf anyway ;-) >>
>
> Can you explain what happens to unfeathered paddles that breaks
> them in the
> surf.  Do you consider it unsafe to paddle with a Greenland paddle if you
> will be doing surf landings?
>
> Do you consider it unsafe to do surf sessions with a Greenland
> paddle.?  I
> would like to spend more time in surf as a boat handling
> exercise, but if I
> am not using my regular paddle it does not do me much good in that regard.

The reason I winked when I said unfeathered paddles break in the surf
because we've been around that block before. The archives might have the
details. This has been an observation of mine as a retailer who sees a
broken paddle now and then. Most were being used in the surf and I can't
recall any of those that was not unfeathered. One paddler described how he
was upside down holding on to his paddle for all he was worth when the
center of the shaft broke as the blades were pulled away. Others broke
during an ender. I imagine that both the paddles blades ended up flat on the
waters surface and the paddler and boat crashed through the middle.
Something would have to give, better the paddle than you or the boat.
Please, don't anybody ask me why a feathered paddle wouldn't also have this
problem.

A Greenland paddle in surf? No not necessarily unsafe (probably safer than
an unfeathered fiberglass or aluminum Euro paddle--or even wood Euro) just
relatively ineffective (for quick bracing and quick acceleration). I'm not
at all anti-Greenland paddle and think they work fine for most uses. Do like
my drip rings though (except in surf where I move them to the middle of the
paddle to keep from spraying so much water around during low brace (#2
definition--but I prefer low=pushing, high=pulling--since its still a low
brace even if you flip the paddle over and push with the power face). Boy
those last sentences got pretty convoluted. Hope you can sort them out cause
I gotta get to work. Last I'm going to say about this so have at me.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com



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