Re: [Paddlewise] Switching paddle types

On Sun, Sep 15, 2002 at 06:25:54PM -0700, Steve Holtzman wrote:

> My wife (who also paddles), claims I have a "collection of paddles". I have
> an Aquabound Expedition in glass that I used to use and now just keep it for
> people to paddle. I also have 2 Swift(glass blades and carbon shafts), one
> is a Mid Swift and the other is a Sea Swift, and the paddle I use most is a
> Toksook designed by Derek Hutchinson.

My wife claims weird things about my paddling obsession too.  Most
notably of late my growing library of books and tapes (and a desire to
build a CLC stitch-and-glue Pax 20 or a strip-built Redfish King).
But hey, when you get to spend 8-12 hours a day in a passive motion
machine for much of a month, you've got to do something to occupy your
mind (and I couldn't figure out how to rig it up under my corner
computer desk).  Besides, she's got here own boat, paddles, and
accessories too, so it's the pot calling the kettle black.

> I used to use the Mid Swift as my "normal" paddle before getting the
> Toksook. I had originally tried the Toksook a year ago and thought it was
> too heavy and I didn't like the 90 deg feather ( my Swifts were ordered with
> a 60 degree feather). After taking a class from Derek and having Wayne
> Horodowich loan me his Toksook, I purchased one that day. This is a very
> heavy paddle (about twice the weight of the Swifts) with a carbon shaft and
> blades, although the blades have a metal tip embedded in them. The blades
> are very similar to a GP. They are symmetrical, narrow, and long. The amount
> of support is absolutely phenomenal. I almost always use that paddle unless
> I am doing some real long distance stuff and then I go back to the Swift.

I was quite interested in the Toksook once I learned about it.  It
seemed a modern paddle built on the best components of the original
Greenland design.  Plus you get Derek H's decidedly personal take on
"rightness".

It's write up in the New York Kayak Co.'s catalog (plus the shots of
Randy or his SO using it) gave some credence to its usefulness.  It
also gets excellent comments from the University of Sea Kayaking site.

But once I went looking for one, it was a different story.  The
company or people that import it have a web site that is, for all
intents and purposes DEAD/DEAD/DEAD!  When I queried Randy at NY Kayak
Co., he was now far from enthusiastic about it, calling it "weird" (in
the same way that those who don't like Derek H., but are polite about
it, refer to him).

So, short of buying it sight unseen from USK, I wouldn't get to try
it.

I thought the metal tip on the blades was a neat idea.  No worry about
putting too much pressure on it when getting in or out of the boat
(I'm one of those chaps cursed with legs way too long to simply pop
them up and over the coming as I come in to the beach for a "straddle
the boat like a horse landing and dismount".)  It looks like it would
also work well for chipping away a Zebra Mussel clusters when
otherwise bored.

> No problem switching even though the feather angles are so
> different. After a few minutes, bracing is automatic---but for rough
> conditions, the Toksook sure makes me feel a lot more secure on the
> water.

The 90 degree feather angle kind of scares the bejesus out of me.  I
learned to paddle w/o feathered blades.  I still generally paddle
non-feathered, but when I switch, I like something much less radical.

Thanks for the info Steve.  Do you have any other suggested sources on
the Toksook?  Especially where one might get to try one in the
Northeast or Mid-Atlantic states?

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