I have been in rare situations when the wind could blow an unfeathered euro out of my hands. Usually cured with a death grip.
Those situations were in the ocean or a saltwater bay.
Here’s a photo I dug out of the dusty archives showing both the Friday Harbor 5-lamination GP and the vintage 2-piece Bending Branches “standard” blade (has a different label because BB made them for Walden, an extinct company that made boats of recycled plastic for a while.)
To explain the lamination difference: with the vertical versions that Dave Smith made the 5 layers were oriented 90 degrees to the blade face so the appearance was one of longitudinal stripes of cross grained wood across the blades and shaft. Stiffer construction.
I also did the same sort of thing in kids sizing…not as many sizes but all made with a smaller width blade than the other 15 paddles.{so that makes 4 different widths}
Tell me these are all just for you and you will be my hero. Lie to me if you have to.
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I started this project many years ago because I was teaching paddle making at several different colleges for their outdoor clubs.
These were to determine what size each person needed so they could make one from wood and have it actually fit. I also have several for different blade styles {but not as extensive} to determine how they wanted their paddle to load during the stroke.
Many are in a 4 piece configuration so that shoulder could also be changed
So sort of yes…these are all for me. it is a set
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That’s very cool! I hope you will chime in with advice if, down the road after I replace my sea kayak, I decide I need to shorten my single piece CF GP
You will never know what size actually feels like an extension of your body …until you actually paddle with “THE” paddle.
It makes you dance on the water…
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This paddle always did that, but I hope to find a narrower boat that I am (hopefully) able to have ride in the water at the proper level. I was too little and too light for my current boat, so I imagine the extra length helped in that regard.
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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. 
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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?