Re: [Paddlewise] Favorite Greenland-style paddles

In a message dated 9/16/2002 5:24:59 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
knelson_at_captivasoftware.com writes:


> I have two Cricket paddles, and standard Greenland and a storm 
> paddle. Very strong and pretty too. But custom designing to your body is 
> always preferable.




> 
> As much as I like the Cricket, I find its size that I originally purchased 
> it (84 inches), to be way under my needs (90-92 inches). I made my own and 
> it is far superior in performance for that reason alone. Should you want to 
> purchase a GP make sure it is correctly sized. You can find the correct 
> anthropomorphical measurements by taking the following measurtements under 
> consideration:
> 
> What is the distance between the floor and the curl of your finger tips 
> from an upraised arm?
    An overall measurement for determining approximate length. The beauty of 
GP's is that you can build them longer than you think you will need and trim 
to suit afterwards.


> 
> What is the beam of your boat?
    Too short of a loom (or shaft) and you will need a partial sliding stroke 
to put all the blade into the water. Too long a loom and you will possibly 
have a wider than normal grip.


> 
> What is your finger tip to finger tip arm span plus the distance form your 
> elbow to your finger tip?
>      An alternate overall length measuring system.



> What is the circumference of your OK sign? (The index finger and thumb 
> rounded to form a C or a circle)
    This matters as too large a loom (or shaft) will fatigue or bister hands


> 
> What is the distance between your thumb and finger tips when said digits 
> are curled as if to accept the former 2X4 horizontally across your palms.
>     
       This matters so as to get the correct blade width for easy rolling and 
sculling

For further details I've not included here you may wish to log onto 
www.qajaqusa.org. Post a message on the forum or read the greenland technique 
articles. The greenland techniques in paddling or paddle building have made 
me a far better paddler which is a subject beyond this post so I'll just 
shutup now and wish you well.

Rob G

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