Bookmarked.
Nice that he has paddles in stock and the price includes shipping. Enjoyed reading the linked article on technique. I hadn’t wandered around the Qajaq USA site; probably should.
Thanks!
very nice website
It’s only March…imho I’d back off
Personally I’d wait till 100% healed to come back…starting out easily, but that’s just me @61yo.
Find a greenland paddle that works for
your needs. Narrow blade paddles will give you less bite and are easier on the body. Wider blades can give you many of the same paddling characteristics as a euro paddle at the cost of being harder on your body. My best advice would be for you to go to a kayak symposium and try other paddlers greenland paddles and see how the different sizes feel to you. I enjoy using narrow blades and wider blades at different times and for different conditions. Enjoy.
Did learn
that there will be different GPs to try at the PAKS symposium in June. Also told that for the GP class, it was best to have your own paddle. That makes sense.
I was able to see and hold different GP paddles at the Quiet Water symposium today. With the exception of a paddle with shoulders, the blade size looked pretty much the same on each paddle that was for sale.
I learned that I do not want a paddle with shoulders (too heavy and too fat) and that a 4 1/2 inch loom feels pudgy in my hands.
I did get some helpful tips from Lumpy Paddles in a PM, including the suggestion I take a tape measure with me today. Was happy I did as the only information on the tag of each paddle was the price.
Selecting one’s first GP seems to be a mixture of art, science, and chance.
Since the only way to start this exploration is to get a GP wet here on home water, I plan to order one from Lumpy. If it turns out I don’t like paddling a GP, I’ll have a lovely piece of art to hang on the wall.
I Bet You’ll Be Happy
Bill makes paddles with shoulders that are NOT too heavy or too fat. You know how even a little sunscreen on your hands makes a euro paddle all slick and difficult to control? Well GP shoulders make that a non-issue. Bill will make you a ‘Ginger’ paddle that will feel perfect… I’m betting.
Ditto
One of the oddities of GP paddles is that some that appear similar may not be. A paddle by a good experienced maker will be better than most DIY paddles you may try.
I have a paddle I made in a class - it’s pretty good, not great. The course instructor made one at the same time that looks the same, but is far superior.
You can always remove shoulders from a paddle if you don’t like them, but you can’t put them on.
What’s the benefit of shoulders
on a GP?
One paddle I held had hefty shoulders, compared to the others. If I tried to slide my hands down the paddle, they would be stopped by the shoulders.
shoulders
First you don’t hold onto the loom on a GP, you hold onto the blade or the junction between the blade and the loom. Some people like the shoulders to hold onto, some don’t.
Bill H.
When
wearing mittens…the shoulders give you a “lock in” point.
{You can feel where your hands are and how the blades orient without even looking}
I like small shoulders…some like them large. Some like none.
Best Wishes
Roy
Shoulders
Agree with Bill and Roy - shoulders help you know where the paddle is without looking, especially with gloves. I’m not a roller, but they also help you index the blade while under water.
I did shave down the shoulders on the paddle I made - they were originally too large and put my thumbs to sleep, which was very weird.
Okay, I get it now.
The particular shouldered paddle I saw looked more like a weapon than a paddle.
Paddling is really terrific; there’s always something new and fun to learn. Thanks!
I think that I saw the one with …
– Last Updated: Mar-06-16 8:14 PM EST –
the heavy shoulders. My guess is that may have been a museum replica. You don't get a great look here but it's the closest I could find http://bealepaddles.com/the-paddles/west-greenland/
You may have looked at Chuck Smith's paddle rack (Aluu Paddles). The shoulders on his shouldered paddles are more like those that I use. If this horrible facebook url works you can see both shouldered and un-shouldered paddles.
https://www.facebook.com/AluuPaddles/photos/ms.c.eJw9zNsJACAMQ9GNpKmtifsvpvgo3K8DCYypGIakghoND3wC2hV0j8TuA~;JM6AW8YAU6H~_YLFgoUgg~-~-.bps.a.1075844365784951.1073741829.992127824156606/1075846015784786/?type=3&theater
(ah well, it doesn't work and it is (the url) ugly). If you do Facebook, search for Aluu Paddles.
So far I do like the shoulder as it helps to lock the blade into an appropriate angle.
Yes, that’s the exhibit
– Last Updated: Mar-06-16 10:59 PM EST –
I was at, but that heavy shouldered paddle isn't on the rack in the photo (the link worked for me). It was much stockier than the one shown in your first link.
It was a great show, Rich. Travel time was longer than anticipated as just below Claire we had a Conga line of vehicles doing 35 in a 70 zone because of heavy snow and lousy road conditions (a few rollovers and vehicles in ditches as well).
I was astounded at the number of people already there at 10 a.m.
Accolades to you and your team. You must be exhausted.
The Qajaq rope gymnastics were really cool to watch.
The purpose of shoulders is more…
…than just to provide a location or stop for your hands. With your thumb and forefinger wrapped around the loom and your other three fingers on the shoulder, the paddle will naturally cant forward at the proper angle for a canted stroke when you push with your upper hand. Your upper hand can be completely relaxed and the paddle will still orient properly. You don’t get that with a shoulderless paddle.
For this reason, I recommend that people learn GP technique with a shouldered paddle. Once you have the canted stroke down, try a shoulderless paddle and see if you like it. The important thing is to try everything on the water. Holding a paddle in your hands at an expo can only tell you so much.
Shoulders help when you’re tired
– Last Updated: Mar-09-16 1:58 PM EST –
Some paddlers like shoulders, some not. As others have said, it helps index the blade properly, and properly fitting shoulders allow one to paddle while barely gripping the blade/loom junction at all. This is a huge advantage for tired hands and forearms, for cold hands, for arthritic hands, and for stressful situations. It can make a big difference during a long paddle by delaying the onset of fatigue.
-Tom
Shoulders it will have.
– Last Updated: Mar-09-16 2:42 PM EST –
Graceful ones, not blocky. I have no GP experience, and thus no opinions.
Buying that first GP sure isn't as simple as buying a Euro.
Lumpy Paddles has been wonderful for this neophyte to work with. We've got the length and width dimensions down (84", 3.5"); loom is what I'm unsure of. My Werner has strips of blue tape along the shaft marking various loom lengths and I've been air paddling outdoors. It will be either 20" or 21". I might have to wait until the next pool practice to decide.
Just go for it
A custom Euro wouldn’t be so simple either. Go with the builder’s recommendation on the loom, you’re gonna love it! Then be sure to paddle, and paddle lots. Putting miles under your keel is the only way to learn what you like. I don’t think the pool will tell you what you need to know, unless all you do is roll instead of go places 
-Tom
Will do.
Thanks to all for the great education I continually receive here at the University of P.net.
It’s very much appreciated!
Delete the “s” in the links you paste
When you paste a link as you did, edit the prefix to delete the “s”. If you make it “http://” i instead of “https://” the hyperlink will work.