I hadn’t heard of that method…
…but it makes sense.
Makes sense, except for one drawback…
… that still remains with single or two piece on rear deck: If it does come out, you may not know it until it’s long gone and too late…
Celia - whats threaded???
Can you elucidate there Celia?
And, to answer, yes - I just started to in the ocean boat because I discovered its NOT GEEKY (ask Celia what else I asked was geeky, oh back in the beginning of my whitewater experience) but its good because stuff happens.
Since I don’t exactly paddle with the Whitewater Ballerinas, I’ll be getting a breakdown paddle in a couple of weeks for the whitewater boat.
Its like the first aid kit. I don’t want to have to use it, but someone may be happy its there!
how attached
how do you attach them is what she means me thinks
That’s why I don’t do that. I once had
a guy come up to me and put one of my splits on my spray deck saying it fell off back there in the surf. They come off when mounted on the front in pvc waste elbows once in a while, but at least I know about it.
Dogmaticus
Always, but different for WW
– Last Updated: May-29-09 11:08 AM EST –
For WW I carry hand paddles in the area behind the seat. They don't take up much room and it is super easy to roll with them. It does take some practice to use them. For touring I carry/use a Superior wood GP and a two piece Superior carbon GP. I switch back and forth between them. The one not in use is on the front deck and I have extra bungees for them.
Threaded
There are two short pieces of PVC piping on my front deck that I stick the ends of my spare paddle into. It isn’t perfect, but it is more secure in surf than just sticking them under the bungies. And it’s easier to replace them for those of us with short arms in calmer conditions, when you want to switch paddles. We just drilled a couple of holes in each piece so I could thread the bungie thru it when I redid that section of rigging.
Replacing some portion of your deck rigging should be an annual rite for the sake of safety anyway, but put these boats in salt water for a while and it isn’t optional.
if the rear split,
split off the rear deck that would suck…i totally agree.
i take the bladed end and with that towards the stern place it under the rear most bungie…then swing that bladed end around til the blade is now pointing towards the cockpit and put that end beneath the bungie there. there is another bungie that lays over each end to further secure.
essentially same set up on foredeck. i’ve found that if i can secure the ends from moving around that they aren’t likely to go anywhere in surf.
Nice twist. NM
now you did it
Kudzu and you other stick paddlers you went and done it.
I’m going to get a traditional paddle in a shorter length (between 75-80 inches) as my spare for a low low gear. The Epic ActiveTour LevelLock just went up for sale in pnet.
Your fault '-)
Woohoo!
– Last Updated: May-29-09 8:57 PM EST –
You won't regret it.
Just drying off from a roll session with my 'low gear' or 'small chainring'.
Friendly fire
you will love the paddle.
we want video!
Shorter doesn’t mean low gear…
… or any gear. My storm has same size blades as my regular length GP. Makes close to same speed, and would be same if I did sliding stroke more. My Aleut is faster, and while slightly longer has smaller blades (shorter and narrower). My hybrids are my shortest (other than storm paddles) and are faster still and also has less blade are than my GP (wider, but shorter).
Point simply being that a skinny stick can be slower/faster/higher gear/lower gear/etc - as compared to your EP. They can be made to do whatever, and can also be used a variety of ways. “GP isn’t any one thing performance wise (and certainly no step down from and EP for touring). Sizing and paddler are what determine performance.
You said shorter GP, and not a full on storm, but same goes for something in between. If this is a first GP, I’d recommend you not go too far off the various body sizing methods so you can use standard stroke vs sliding stroke while getting acquainted.
I don’t recommend storm lengths (short enough to require sliding stroke) for spares unless people use them and practice sliding stroke a lot. Need to be familiar/comfortable with a spare or it can prove useless or worse when you really need it.
Can’t recall your size from prior stuff, so maybe you’re not far off decent sizing with “shorter” lengths you’re considering. My GF is 5’2 and has an 80” with 15" loom and an 83" with 17" loom. Smaller has 2 5/8" blades, larger has 3 1/8". Anything in between would be OK, but she doesn’t like to lily dip and moves along at a pretty fair clip so likes the wider loom and a bit more blade (but really doesn’t like the 1/2" longer and 3/8" wider blades on my superior CF GP or storm - seemingly small differences can be quite noticeable).
Sizing matters (don’t forget blade width), as do cross section shapes, transitions, edges, your paddling style/preferences (can alter/fine tune all of the above), etc. The custom fit aspect is about the best reason to go to a GP.
I can give more a bit specific sizing recommendation +/- if you want.
Another Cool Thing
If the GP feels a little big in your hands you can get out the sandpaper and make yourself a custom fit.
PVC piping
Of appropriate diameter, don’t scrath the deck. Mine are a few inches long, I’ve seen longer ones that were actually more integrated together, but they all work the same. Drill a couple of holes thru the piping and run you deck bungies thru them, the bungies that would normally be the last or next to last that the paddle shaft would go under depending on you paddle length and location of you bungies.
Under heavy use I need to replace at least some of my deck fittings, perimeter line, bungies or toggles each year, so it’s no big deal.
That all said, a friend has the Paddle Pants that clips onto your perimeter line and does the same thing, and I am really looking hard at getting one. It has a loop for a Greenland paddle as well as a Euro, so it should be able to carry either as a spare.
Carrying a spare paddle
First off thanks to so many of you for sharing your experience, advice and wisdom on this topic! Little did I know when I first posted it, how many would answer the post.
Gnarlydog has some really good solutions for a “Paddle Park”. Unfortunately none are available commercially at this time. One could always make their own or the other option is to simply put them under the deck bungies, end of story. If cheap was the only answer to kayaking we would all be using sanded down 2x6’s as a paddle.
My concern is the deck getting scratched from the shaft ends of the paddle. so before taking the time for R&D on a paddle park, I went to Cabelas in Hamburg, PA. to see what was already made, that could be bought and used with a little “yankee ingenuity” to change it over to a kayaking apllication. GOT IT! I found a fishing “rod holder bag” made for the apex seats made by “C.O.D. Paddlesports.com”. Widely available on the internet for 10 - 20 bucks each. I paid 14.99 for mine. Has 2 pvc pipe sections 8" long molded into a canvas bag. Each side of the bag has 3 webing strapps already sewn into it. Each corner strap can be secured to the deck rigging to hold it in place on the bow of the kayak. The center strap needs to be pulled together to reduce the angle so the paddleshafts are kept straighter.