amphibious man you see that he paddles sliding his hands slightly. So does Van Doren in some clips. Maligiaq talked about the 60 degree or so cant. I have heard countless times that a GP is not to be used as a high angle stroke, or low angle, or in surf, or that it is not a severe weather paddle or conditions paddle etc etc ad nauseum. One of the most grievious sins I heard about was when Tsunamichuck made a feathered gp! Oh the blasphemy! :)
Aleutian paddles have a wider loom and narower blades but were used for heavy conditions for very long distances. Other paddles were developed according to conditions and available materials.
Take a look at this photo (and the website as it is fascinating)
if you look at paddle #7 in that photo (Copper Inuit), you'll find that a "euro" paddle isn't a European invention after all.....the "Eaters of Raw Flesh" (English for the French derogatory term "Esquimaux") were a few years ahead of them there. Ironic, isn't it?
Everything about kayaks old and new was co-opted by someone from someone else for a specific purpose. It's an evolution which happens to have lots of branches for lots of differing uses.
Use what works for you, and what you enjoy. The history is cool stuff to experiment with and learn from, but in the end, you'll use what suits you best, whatever that may be.
I suggest you go to home depot or lowes and but as many clear quarter sawn cedar 2x4’s as you can find. Go to gpcarve.com and watch the video, put on a respirator and start hacking away. For 10-20 dollars you can possibly have a paddle you will love, or for another 10 bucks you can refine it even more. My paddle is an aesthetic mess, but I really like it. I used Cypress wood for mine and like it very much ( it is not heavy!!!). Give it a try it is actually alot of fun.
from Wayne: ...the "Eaters of Raw Flesh" (English for the French derogatory term "Esquimaux")...
First Eskimo, if it ever meant that, and it is quite doubtful, would have been a Cree or Algonquin or Montagnais word (it is uncertain in both origin and meaning), not French, picked up by French (and English) travelers. That Inuits now prefer to use their own language to describe themselves is perfectly understandable - renaming landmarks and people has always been part of colonialism, and of any subsequent emancipation, look at any map if you need proof...
Anthropology? I recall taking that in college. The first thing the professor told us was that it was “The most racist of all of the academic fields”, because it saw everything and everyone from a White Anglo-Saxon perspective, and not in their own context as they relate to their own world.
And with that, he launched into a lecture on Newfoundland culture, which, after visiting there some years later, I discovered was pure propaganda. If you look down on someone, you’re probably missing a learning opportunity.
Yep I have about 8 or 9 GP’s, and not a commercially made one in the lot. Easy to make, and fun to use. And if I break one (And I have), I’m only out about $35 and a few hours of my time.
Text Book Another thing not to get absolute on is paddle length. Think lengths. Plural. If you’re going to carry a spare, carry a different gear. Carry a GP that is 5 inches shorter for paddling into a stiff breeze. Think gears on a bicycle.
If you are willing to dig around the wood bin, you can find nearly vertical grain cedar that is clear enough for paddle use. I have done it a couple of times. Also, look at the 4x4’s as they can be cut in half. I have cut a 4x4 in half before from Home Depot and it looks great. Yesterday I bought some Sitka Spruce from Public Lumber in Detroit. I had to buy the whole 10ft x 9.5"x 2.5" board so it was really expensive. Vertical grain clear was almost $50 per cut 2x4 (2 boards) board. This is the most I have ever paid for paddle wood, I hope the Sitka is worth it. I agree that it can be very hard to get good wood at the big box, but if you get there just after a shipment it can be done. Bill
They don’t even carry it down here. Only cedar is knotty siding and lattice (I’ve laminated and made a paddle from lattice strips). Sitka? Forget it. Not even the specialty yard I get my WRC from carries it.
paddle, Doug Like lots of others here, I’ve taken 4 classes at symposia with Doug over the years. He’s a great teacher, and at the last class I took with him (2 years ago), he was encouraging students to use a forward canted stroke. I alternate between a BBK paddle and a more traditional paddle (made by Ron at Novorca paddles), and both of them are fine paddles that respond to slightly different strokes. Depending on conditions and the way my hands are feeling, I like having different shapes to choose from.