I am looking for suggestions for a second greenland paddle and from previous posts, I have been helped alot on this site as well as from reading others posts!
I have a GP made by Don beale and enjoy it immensely but am looking for another one as a spare or even my main one.
Dons loom is an oval and i like this feel although at first it felt odd. Only other gp i have seen and held is a betsy bay and i disliked it - very skinny round loom and slippery so those are not on my list. Anyone familiar with Beale paddles who know of others with similar looms or this quality, can you tell me the brands. I would like to have a different paddle for my second for variety. I am leaning towards Lumpy or possibly Novorca - wood- as I still dont have anything to compare mine to ie length of paddle,length of loom for the $$ Mine is about 22" loom and 86" length. A second one i might shorten the loom and maybe lengthen the overall length - just dont know I am short 5’3" and i cannot even reach my paddle standing upright as the instructions show on websites but have no problem paddling with it’s length at all. thanks
Marilyn
IMHO, you can’t beat a Beale GP
Why not try a different length, width, etc for a spare - or better yet, why not get a storm paddle from him as a spare.
I carry a storm as my spare (wish it was a Beale), and it when the wind really starts to blow, or I feel like a change-up from my normal stroke to a sliding stroke.
Beale or Lumpy
I have spoken to both Bill Bremmer who owns and operates Lumpy Paddles, Chris Rabb from Tuktu paddles and Don Beale. Took one class from Don Beale and another from Chris Rabb. All have different philosophies on paddle making and while I didn’t really discuss this much with Don or Chris, I think I have a pretty good feel for the different attributes. Please go on their websites and look around.
Your paddle
sounds a little long for your height, what width is your boat? Brian Schulz says no paddle should be over 84". Your loom seems plenty long too, mine are 19-20" and I’m 5’9" and I paddle NDK boats. I love my Beale and the one I made in his class at SSTIKS.
tempest 165
is what i paddle mostly Don originally made it 88 in length but I asked it be a little shorter similar to a 220 cm euro paddle length so he changed it before sending it to me. His thoughts were that the width of the blade about 3 1/8" wide needs some length to be effective, i believe as I have smallish hands. I assume that a 31/2" blade doesnt need the length as much as there is overall more blade but I really dont know the semantics to all of this! My tempest is 21 1/2" wide and i think i could shorten it up a little but not too much from 22" i need to measure to confirm that but that is what he told me he was making it that length. I sometimes paddle a cd squamish around 24" so i am thinking he went a bit between the 2. If I shortened the length i feel there wouldnt be much paddle unless i drastically shortened the loom and i dont think i would be comfortable with that - wish I could try some for testing purposes!
Re the previous posts re websites - i cannot tell much from my computer re the looms and their shape visually which is why i asked the question to those of you with hands on experience!
Thanks,
Superior carbon fiber?
Superior carbon fiber is expensive, but I think it’s worth every penny. I loved my Beale wood paddle. The Superior carbon fiber is very similar in shape and feel (including oval loom). The advantage over wood is that you can abuse the ends on rocks without worry. It seems like it should last forever. Plus it seems a little lighter than wood (haven’t weighed it though).
You had to!
I want a carbon fibre gp badly! This would be a pefect second - as well as a storm. I am trying big time to look the other way but you did it!!You said that word “carbon” I havent seen a carbon gp yet but the novorca looks so nice on their website, i would be afraid to use it! Have a daughter starting college and she turned down the schools with scholarships - but…she did receive an independent one for her volunteering excellence last night so perhaps i could justify that bit of savings towards tuition into well…you know…hmmmmmmmmm…carbon…
I
think at Your height…something around 80 to 82 inches in length and with small hands anywhere in the 3 1/8 to 3 1/4 inch max width would work for You
My wife is around Your size. (height) and she likes her paddles at the 80 inch mark and no longer.
Hers are also in the 3 1/8 to 3 1/4 in width (depending on which paddle)
They generate plenty of power and don’t wear down “the engine”
Her loom is around 17 to 17 1/2 to the root of the shoulder.
I can’t imagine someone Your size prefering anything as long as what You describe. I use paddles in the 86 to 88 inch range and I’m 5’11"
My looms range in the 19 1/2 to 21 inch length (depending on the shoulder style.)
good luck
Best Wishes
Roy
2nd Paddle Good
I always travel with 2 paddles. One is longer for a slower, downwind cadence. One is shorter for a faster, upwind cadence. By all means on your 2nd paddle keep the loom comfortable and shorten the paddle length. It takes about three paddle strokes to get accustomed to the different lengths.
You have good taste in boats.
If you have Bill make you a Lumpy just tell him you want one like he made for his wife.
Bill’s wife’s paddle
so what is it like? Does Bill reinforce the ends with epoxy or other material? Yes I love my boat but I wish it was lighter! (and me too!)
Light Weight… Had a Very Good Feel
I don't remember if the loom was round or not. I've never seen a Lumpy with epoxied blades.
Blade ends
Do lumpy paddles have any type of reinforcement at the ends of the wooden blade? Don usually puts a piece of wood i believe, in his paddle ends but in my case since he had to change the length a little shorter, he used some sort of epoxy just a tiny bit at the tip of the blades. This is apparently a little stronger so that is good by me!
I Don’t Know
You can ask Bill if he does that. I have avoided doing the epoxy thing until I can put some kind of protective surface on the deck up near the bow. I store my spare paddle by wedging one end under the deck line up at the bow. My Euro paddle scratched the deck finish badly. The cedar paddle doesn’t scratch at all. I have had to do some touch ups on the cedar.
Check Tuktu
Their website is tuktupaddles.com. I have to say the Tuktu is the only one I’ve paddled extensively but I’ve always been happy with it.
They have a good description of different wood characteristics on the site, and several different options.
SYOTR
Randy
lumpy
bill doesn’t epoxy his paddles, put different tips or edges or laminate them. if you’re worried about strength, he’ll make you a spruce paddle. what you will get is a paddle that is optimized to you including not just blade and loom size and paddle length, but shoulder size and shape as well. My guess is that you’d do very well with an 82" paddle with 3" blades and a 17-18" loom and small shoulders. I have a couple of lumpy’s and have carved my own, also own 2 superiors, and the lumpy paddles are the best.
Carbon Fibre
Is superior the only brand that does Carbon Fibre GP’s? They seem expensive, even for their wooden paddles. Or just me?
82" L 18"loom?
with a 21 1/2" width kayak i thought the loom was supposed to be around that width - getting confused now. With an 82" paddle would that mean you would need to do fairly high angle paddling? In the past, I used 220 euros - A thought is that maybe I am not paddling correctly and using enough torso rotation. Would you need to do this extremely with 82" length (about a 208cm length blade)? Maybe i should try it for a different feel.
Give Bill at Lumpy paddles a call
he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Greenland paddles and will spend lots of time answering your questions. As someone mentioned before he asks you about height, build, arm length, shoulder width, grip diameter (I forget the 'correct' name), hand size, what type of boat you use, your current paddling style (not just high angle/low angle but YOUR style), how/where you like to paddle, how you will be using the paddle (primary, back-up, flat water, rough water, etc), and anything else that he thinks is relevant to building your paddle.
At your height I would think a 220cm paddle is too long for you, but I don't know you and haven't seen you paddle. I am 6'2" and use a 215 euro paddle, but I am considering going a bit shorter.
Anyway... give Bill a call and he will take care of you. Plus, he is a really nice guy.
Novorca
Novorca also do carbon fibre, the foam blanks are custom shaped so you can get it exactly how you want. I have one and am very satisfied with it.
Beale or Lumpy (seconded)
My fiancée is 5’2 and loves her Beale #136 - 82" x 3 1/8" max width with 17" loom (her other GP is 80" with 15" loom and even narrower blades). #136 is about as big as I’d go for her and reflects her paddling style - she is NOT a lily dipper and likes to set a pretty damn speedy pace for someone who doesn’t paddle much. Folks like this may like slightly wider looms than more “social” paddlers).
Can also highly recommend Lumpy Paddles as well. Very nice shapes(more like mine/my preferences than any others I’ve seen).
I use paddles I carve myself (GP, Aleut, and “other”) and a Superior carbon (that’s blades are a bit big for smaller paddlers IMO -all lengths have same size blades - and loom can feel a bit thick to smaller hands, but VERY SWEET paddles if they fit you.