Convince me to spend money on a new paddle

If it make the dance…does it have wing tips? {This paddle sports wing tips and also the ancient symbol of renewal, the Greenman } built for dancing…

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I let you catch up. Big difference. :kissing_heart:

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That’s gorgeous! Did you make that?

Yes , I did.
Here is one that you might like the looks of…I made this for my youngest daughter. She likes butterflies. And the color purple. {My wife made the paddle case}

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Dang, the response is awesome. I hope others are reading these posts as well. Rsteven you mentioned something that crossed my mind. Another post opined that his paddle was not GP, but Aleutian. That jogs my memory about conversations with him. I know he was making a replica of some specific style, and knowing him, he scaled it to the millimeter. It was beautifully symmetric.

I agree with not feathering. In my background, which isn’t relevant, muscle memory was absolutely vital. I want the paddle blades to be exactly where I know they’ll be. One constant with the Chesapeake Bay is that whatever the conditions are when you get in the boat, they won’t improve. I have enough sense to know when to stay off the water. Still, there are many option. If the bay is dicey, turn around and get in 20 miles exploring the Gunpowder River, and you’ll never be more than one mile from a shoreline.

I don’t have crazy skills like some paddler, but I used to have enough power to push a boat hard. What you and others have confirmed is that the GPs look promising for my style of paddling. I’ve made paddles so I don’t think I’ll have problems making one on the GP pattern. Profile isn’t my concern, but I need to figure out how strong.to make it… I think I can figure the rest out. and it looks like I had inaccurate information.

You might want to review this thread (if you haven’t already):

Making a Greenland Paddle with Hand Tools - Advice - Paddling.com

Near the beginning he talks about some resources that you might find helpful.

Richard

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Feathering a paddle keeps you from rotating your wrist. I use 30°R. I don’t care about the wind.

Just saw a guy explain what I already knew on YouTube.

In my opinion this guy is spot on.

Explains better than I could.

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I tend to agree with room. It seems that nobody has one boat, and the boats aren’t Big Box Specials. So why one paddle. My life will be touring the Chesapeake Bay and maybe do river systems. I saw pictures under water color heading. What a world! We visited by wife’s nephew down in Jupiter, FL. I had my car and couldn’t take a boat, but I will go back to tour the Intercoastal. Since yesterday, I visited some web pages and plan to can some of the referenced paddles. After seeing some of the artwork, I wonder how any of you can put those paddles in water.

I’m new to the forum, and have been impressed with the outpouring of quality information. I know everyone on this forum must have a busy schedule. Yet each person stops to share valuable experiences. Despite the chance that it will bring ridicule from someone with more experienced or be rejected by a novice, members continue to give everything they know. Some of the information could be proprietary. Such as paddle makers and instructors sharing information that people pay to obtain. I truely hope that novice kayaker read these posts to understand that life doesn’t have to end with a sit on top. I started out with a $239 rec boat. I pushed that little boat until it literally wouldn’t climb out of it’s own bow wave and the back end started to go down like the Titanic. It proved to be inadequate, so I kept upgrading until I settled on the Tsunami touring boats. The Wilderness Systems have many limitations, but they can be drive hard. they’re indestructible, and they stay upright. It doen’t compare to the sleek ocean kayaks, but I would like to get a faster boat. Looked at a Delta15.5 and welcome impressions. My options are limited due to my size, 235 lbs, 6 ft, 13 extra wide shoe.

I hope I can help inspire new blood to explore the world around them rom a kayak with the passion that all of you have. Many thanks.

Great video. It corrects the misconceptions I had about feathering, but still like unfeathered. Never cared about wind either. My paddle stroke is low with the elbows and shoulders locked. I dont try to paddle, but swing like rocking a baby. As momentum builds, increasing the cadence becomes rythmic and automatic, with the blades dipping as they enter and exit without effort. Most everyone I see will, pull the power side with the bicep and shoulder, and have sore shoulders and arms within a mile or two.

Sounds like you already have the paddling rhythm and technique that will make transition to a GP completely natural.

This thread is becoming a good source of info on paddles of all kinds and I have a question for the experts not to hijack the thread but it looks like the OP has found the right paddle.

I’m paddling a wide boat 36” with a paddle I’m experimenting with to figure out what I need and then after some practice ether refine it more or buy something better that matches what I figured out.

I started with a 230cm paddle and found it to not be long enough for my wide beam. I made an extension piece and lengthened it to 260cm that I now find correct for my shallower stroke. The extra sweep length is like riding a bike in a taller gear and slows my cadence. And I would actually rather have a higher cadence with a lower torque. In bike terms spinning vs mashing.

What I want to do is trim the outside shape of my blades (plastic) to make the blades less area. I can do this pretty easy I think trimming maybe one eight or one quarter inch at a time take it out and test it and then take more if need be.

Has anyone tried doing this? 260cm paddles seem to be few and far between and is there someone out there that will make them with the area of blade I decide I need? Or am I better off just DIYing it?

I can’t imagine the novel you would of wrote to explain that. Good information. :+1:

challenge accepted.

Interesting. It sounds like what you are creating is similar to an Aleutian style traditional paddle and appropriate to your situation. My understanding is that these were used to paddle the wider and deeper hulled cargo carrying baidarka and umiak boats (Greenland blades being for narrower and lower profile solo hunting kayaks). The swing weight of the longer shaft necessary to clear the high and wide gunwales was offset by having a shorter but slightly wider blade area than the GP.

The paddles that were included for years with folding kayaks like Klepper and Folbot (which tended to be deep and beamy) were also long shafted with short blades.

Correction: Actually, looking into current information on Aleutian paddles, the accepted design now is similar to a GP in being a long tapered blade, un shouldered with a somewhat longer loom, overall longer paddle and with a characteristic reinforcing rib on the back of the blade that changes the paddle performance in the water.

There were shorter and wider stubby-bladed paddles used with those traditional cargo boats among NW coast and Alaskan natives but those are no longer categorized as Aleutian . I tend to get my info on traditional boats from my archaeology and anthropology sources (like the Polar World collection at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History) so forgive the erroneous description.

There are quite a few makers of Aleutian style paddles and articles on them to be found. Interesting paddles!

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I love this! What a lucky daughter.

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Yes that’s pretty much what I’m doing. I was thinking making the blade narrower, but if I understand you are suggesting shorter. Keep in mind I’m starting with a euro blade shape.

Agreed! Roym’s paddles are amazing aesthetically and I imagine they’d be similarly amazing to paddle with.

Raosborne. I responded about the How to Build a Greenland Paddle on the Werner vs Aqua by mistake and spell check changed you name. I liked the video. When he pulled out the club, I was initially shocked until he explained it was a $3.00 2x4 that he used to practice. Good start, but I can’t find part 2. Looking for it, I came upon Joe O’Paddle making laminate paddles and explaining sizing. Curious if anyone has seen or has comment. I have so many questions, I wonder if this topic would be better on a specific thread, but I don’t know if I can start one being new to the forum

Willowleaf, that’s my thoughts after hearing from so many GP users. I was suggested a link to making paddles. I started watching other videos, and I went from a doubter to a convert. Everyone helped me to cut through misconceptions about GP design. I have a winter project now to make a functional blade. No way I’d ever let those art pieces touch water. Talented craft skills, and the fact that many do use those paddles attests to the skill at being able to replicate another one. Impressive!