Re: [Paddlewise] Technology guides paddle design.

Driftwood it is Jack, Eskimo though?  How's about Peoples of the Great
NOrth?

I think you would find that the surface area in contact with the water
of a traditional paddle is at least close to or equal to that of Euro
paddle.  From what I have seen from some of the best Americans using
them, our own Greg Stammer, Doug Van Doran, Ray Killen, etc. don't seem
to have the acceleration with them, but can maintain momentum as well as
any Euro.

Ray Killen just wrote a fine article in the most recent issue of Anorak
with quite some interesting information on them.

Jack Fu wrote:
> 
> When the Eskimos (or related peoples) designed their paddles,
> what materials did they have to work with? Driftwood? Bone?
> >From these materials you cannot build a shaft with wide blades,
> because the blades would break. The only blades that would
> last would be narrow (e.g., Greenland) blades. Thus I suspect
> that the Greenland design came into being not because those
> early folks rejected a wide blade design in favor of a narrow
> blade, but because they did not have the materials (strong
> glues for laminating, plastics, composites, etc - all the products
> of technologically more advanced civilizations) needed to make
> the narrow shaft & wide blade combination, or what is sometimes
> called, condescendingly by some, the "white man's paddle."
> 
> Please give some thought to this theory before you flame me
> for my political incorrectness!
> 
> :-)
> 
> ***************************************************************************
> PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
> here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
> responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
> Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
> Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
> Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
> ***************************************************************************

-- 
‡    Gabriel L Romeu   ‡
‡    http://studiofurniture.com  +  /diary     or     /paint    ‡
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************