GP drip rings?

Has anyone come up with a drip ring for GP’s? Wet hands in the winter suck. I have tried carved groves and leather shoe laces wrapped around the blade. No joy.

Live with it
I really don’t think you’ll find anything that will keep your hands dry other than good gloves and drysuit.

Drip rings even on a Euro won’t keep the water off you. Kayaking is a wet sport no matter what you do. Best to just dress for it.

Really?
I was hoping there was someone creative on here who had come up with an answer. NOT SOME SMART A$$ answer. Guess I was wrong. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

Ummm…
I didn’t interpret the reply the way you did. I think good gloves is a good answer. Nordic Blues is my choice. Hands stay warm and dry with the GP.

Damn…
I was going to be a smart a$$ too. I guess I’ll refrain.



I don’t really seem to have a problem with water dripping; or at least I don’t notice. If I were to guess I’d say it had something to do with a glossy finish of tung oil. I try to keep them coated and the water beads and doesn’t flow along the length of the paddle too much. It’s worth a shot to try. If you already have a sweet finish on yours then I’m wrong and my smart a$$ comment would’ve been more helpful :wink:



I don’t know of any drip rings for GP but I have seen pics of Alaskan native paddles with rings of wrapped hide or rope. Some I think were even carved that way.

You could use…
The kind of rubber used for truck bed liners or mud flaps.



Cut as accurately as possible to your shaft profile then split perfectly with a razor blade.



Good for temporary winter use and not pretty but will work.

Try these
1. Similarly, carve out a piece of minicell into an oval shaped donut that fits onto the upper part of the GP blade.

2. Cut out a pair of large neoprene gloves leaving the wrist part intact. Make the paddle wear the gloves so you don’t have to :))

Bungie ties.

bungie ties too
i tie them so the knots are on the bottom. works for me!

drip rings


Toilet plungers,cut the center to fit the shaft and trim the outside to the size you want.Not pretty but it works for me.

a serious answer
The GP was developed in an environment blessed with frigid water…the native users most often wore mitts and a tuliq that provided a very close to waterproof seal between arm and wrist–thus water on the blade and consequent drips were unimportant.

More importantly the GP was/is designed to move in your hands-the sliding stroke as an example. Note the Standard Greenland Roll and where the hands are placed…the kayaker may need to get his hands into this position quickly,underwater, and not be hampered with anything that would inhibit the quick sliding of the hands into position…GPs are smooth for a reason.

It’s not that you can’t slide the hands and use the full length of the EP, the EP by its design just makes it less conducive to do so.

All that said, if you want drip rings for your GP you can still have them-just think thinner material that the huge disks placed on EPs…even a wide rubber band may give you some relief…you can even use an old inner tube to cut your own.

Next time you’re paddling experiment with sliding the paddle and utilizing its whole length-this is especially true with sculling for support where the beauty/genius of the GP shines brightest.

Personally I use the ChillCheater/Reed gauntletts (and thanks to G.Stamer I now know that the Inuit never used gauntletts)…I’ve had a spot cut off my arm and the gauntletts mean less sunscreen application but they also mean no worry about drips too.

This is all assuming you are using a spraydeck? If not then pay attention to where your paddle crossed the midline during the stroke-if it passes over the hull forward of the cockpit the drips won’t pile up in your lap, if over the cockpit then you’ll eventually wet out.

If you are blessed to be in a warm environment consider a half-spraydeck to stop those drips.

I use a spraydeck anytime I’m in a kayak-just me, makes me feel warmer and I’m always leaning during turns and would take on water other wise.

Good luck with the drips!!

That’s a great idea
I don’t think about it because my hands slide all over the blades.

Smart as answer #2
Paddle faster. Centrifugal force does the rest.

How about a single blade
My hands stay dry all winter if I want them to. Much more of an Alaskan technique than a Greenland one.

here’s what I did…
…I got some braided high quality nylon cording

and tied Turk’s heads around the shafts and coxcombed the center part of the shaft.



http://www.folsoms.net/knots/turkshead.htm



http://www.frayedknotarts.com/wheel.html



Ashley’s Book of Knots carried in many libraries

and The Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Ropework

by Graumont has a lot of examples.


I did feel dissed
by Olde Inuit’s answer. As I interpereted it, he assumed I knew nothing about GP’s and was giving me the old “live with it” answer with disdain.

I do know something about GP’s, have made more than a dozen, used them exclusively for several years, roll with them several times a week even in winter which here in NW Montana can be challenging and yes I wear my tuilik. When paddling in 18-20 degree OAT with water temps hovering around the freezing point, wet hands are hard on the arthritis.



I have tried variations on most of the suggestions made here with not much success. Harvey Golden shows some paddles on his site that have carved attempts at drip rings so I guess I’m not alone wishing there was a way to keep my hands dry. So far Brooks mittens have been the best answer but I would prefer direct contact with the paddle. I may try to modify some pogies next.

Just Got in From a Paddle
What I learned today was that a thin GP gives a significantly better feel while wearing the Nordic Blues than when paddling with a fatter GP. I had trouble getting a good angle with the thicker, meatier, GP.

Certainly didn’t mean to insult you
Okole,I’m just on this board to chat and learn from others myself. The trouble with typed responses …you can’t see anyones eyes,body language to tell what they’re really trying to say.

Anyway I was just trying to say that there really is no way to make any paddle completely dripless and some of the gadjetry that the other posters suggested may slow it down somewhat but would interfere with the ability to slide the GP back and forth for extended manouvers. Personally I love the wind,the waves,the splashing,the capsizing,the rolling and skulling which you enjoy also.On vertical power strokes my hands actually dip into the water

often so I’ve long since given up trying to stay dry and simply learned to dress for immersion.

I too paddle all winter in the Canadian Great Lakes and in some respects it’s the best time of year…last week myself and friends spent the day on Lake Ontario and had it all to ourselves…never saw another boat of any kind.

I guess I’m lucky as cold hands have never been a major problem with me…I just wear tight neoprene gloves that fit up over the drysuit gaskets and my hands are always toasty.

I find if I can keep my bald head warm with a thick divers hoody the rest will take care of itself.



Cheers



Bert

Maybe I’m just
over sensative. Sorry. I had frost bite on my fingers and toes back in the early 60’s and have had trouble with cold fingers and toes ever since.

I to waer a 7mm diver’s hood in the winter and have rolled every month for the last two years, as the large lake I live on hasn’t froze over for several years. I am 66 and don’t know how much longer I will be able to keep up what has beconme a tradition.

GP drip rings
I made some for my Mitchell Horizon out of wood. laminated some scrap together that closely matched the color of the paddle and glued them on with Titebond. Kind of oval shaped then cut out a U on one side that the edge of the paddle nests in. Only on one edge of each blade. Some comments but I’m dry. Probably hang down about 3/4" which I think now is overkill but ALL water sheds off.



I’ll have to look for a picture or take one if you’re interested. Drop me a emial offline.



Joe