Re: [Paddlewise] Switching paddle types

In a message dated 9/17/2002 6:12:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com writes:


> Again, what is it about the GP that makes it come out of the water 
> past the hip while the euro comes out near the hip? Looking at the 
> paddles I can see no reason why two paddles of the same length would 
> come out of the water in different places. It seems this is more a 
> function of the person holding the paddle not the paddle itself.
> 
> That was a technique description (attempted, anyway). And as is usually the 
> case, it is the function of the paddler and not the paddle.
> 
> Why can't you "cant" a euro paddle? Seems to me that I do and when I 
> look at other euro paddlers so do they. Is there something about the 
> paddle that makes you feel you can not do a "crunch" with a euro. And 
> if there is an advantage to these techniques for a GP, why wouldn't 
> those same techniques provide similar advantages to the euro?

I think the argument stands that you can do most if not all with a "euro" as 
opposed to a GP. Based on the discussion of GP capability getting one out of 
a jam it does it very well. (Windy conditions and rough seas driving one into 
a pier, were the posed conditions.) Much of my claim to the GP's (percieved?) 
superiority was rooted in the reduction of wind shear, the blades excellent 
tactile feedback or indexing for sliding strokes sometimes necessary to get 
out of the supposed jam. I believe you suggested that the "euro's"blades were 
not comfortable to grip and one wouldn't want to do that in extending that 
blade. Added wind susceptability? of course. Whether or not one might mimic a 
technique and translate it to another tool I would suggest it might possibly 
come at less efficiency. Assuming it is feathered, there would be a control 
hand involved and round, egg shaped or not it seems quite a stretch to say it 
would be as fluid as a sliding stroke with the already well described GP 
technique.



Happy Paddling,
Rob G

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