Arctic Wind -- who knew Werner made an Aleutian paddle?

Spotted this today on Ebay – never knew that Werner made Aleutian style paddles. Post calls it a Greenland but at 254 cm and with those asymmetrical leaf-shaped blades I’d classify it as an Aleut. Anybody ever seen one of these before?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Werner-Arctic-Wind-Kayak-Paddle/183248952955?hash=item2aaa7d1e7b:g:ZOkAAOSw8nxbDcK7

There is this mention of the paddle on the Foldingkayaks.org forum site:

"Werner Arctic Wind. Another discontinued design from Werner, probably because it didn’t sell too well. And that’s a pity, because this is a fine low angle paddle of what some call a “pseudo Greenland” design. It doesn’t have exactly the shape of a true Greenland style paddle; rather, it has long, very narrow (3″) tapered blades on a standard Werner shaft. You can’t grip the blades as you can on a real Greenland shaft.

Like the original Little Dipper it’s a very comfortable paddle to use for long periods of time, and it gets a lot of stares from other paddlers! Interestingly, salespeople at two different kayak stores told me it was a favorite of theirs. If you ask around in shops you might find a new old stock example for a good price. The Arctic Wind is my favorite paddle next to the Klatwa, and it’s a good thing I have two, as a friend I introduced to kayaking in the summer of ’02 tells me it’s her favorite as well.

I found my first Arctic Wind in a store as new old stock, and purchased my second one used, thanks to Ralph Hoehn. who read here that I was looking for one. Thanks, Ralph."

Looks a lot like my first double blade paddle - a Bending Branches. Low angle for sure but not an Aluet.

Asymmetrical blades are not in the description of an aleute blade. See…http://www.tuktupaddles.com/aleutian_paddles.html

I have a Sawyer that is similar.

I bought two Arctic Winds sometime in the 1980’s to go with my Feathercraft double. Mine was 8 ft long and my wife’s about 7 ft 6 inches. We used that combo for a number of trips to the Canadian Gulf islands, the Canadian Octopus Islands, the San Juans, and Baja. Sold them probably about 1990. They were way too long.

I’ve purchased three Arctic Winds since 1989, all 8+ft long and requiring me to cut them down to 230 cm. The last one I purchased was graphite - very light. Used them as my touring paddle in my Nordkapp until a couple years ago when I replaced it with a GearLab Akiak.

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It looks in the photo like your Arctic Wind is feathered. True? Did you use it feathered?

It was originally a very long one piece so I cut it down into a 230 cm two piece with the ability to paddle feathered or unfeathered. I’m not sure but believe it was feathered when I purchased it.

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And yes, I did use it feathered for years because all my other Werner paddles are feathered. I have since purchased a GearLab Akiak which is unfeathered but have no problem switching back between feathered and unfeathered. It takes me about 5 minutes to get used to the paddle I’m using.

I got an Akiak myself last winter – looking forward to using it for the first time this coming week. It’s very similar in dimensions and swing weight to the laminated cedar GP I’ve lovingly used for 10 years – I wanted a two-piece for travel. The Gearlabs are beautifully made paddles.

As I mentioned, mine was a bit over 8 ft. Such a long paddle required a low stroke and i never thought of feathering it, and never thought of shortening it. I am sorry i don’t have it any more now that I mostly use GP. At the time I switched to a Werner Little Dipper (old style), then San Juan (way too big a blade). I wonder how that Arctic Wind would compare to a GP of the same length.