RE: [Paddlewise] Favorite Greenland-style paddles

From: Chuck Holst <cholst_at_bitstream.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 11:32:03 -0500
-----Original Message-----
From:	James W. Durkin [SMTP:jwd_at_phonogram.net]

> Skis ain't paddles, but it makes we wonder.  Why not a wingspan-based
heuristic? <

There is one: An armspan and a cubit (elbow to fingertips). Betty Ketter of 
Ketter Canoeing once told me that everybody takes a 54" canoe paddle, 
because people of different heights vary more in leg length than in torso 
length, and when you're sitting down, leg length doesn't matter. Whether or 
not her generalization is true, I prefer the armspan-and-cubit measurement 
because it does take leg length out of the equation.

Note, however, that both methods of measuring Greenland paddle length are 
for the long touring paddle. Many paddlers, in Greenland and otherwhere, 
prefer a slightly shorter Greenland paddle, especially those who use the 
sliding stroke. For the shorter paddle, measure to the base of the fingers 
or the base of the hand instead of to the fingertips.

Chuck Holst




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Received on Thu Sep 19 2002 - 09:54:51 PDT

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