inexpensive Greenland paddles

I don’t know the guy, nor can I vouch for the quality of his paddles, but he’s got several laminated wooden GP’s, for sale on Ebay ending today. His starting price of $117.30 to $122.30 (which includes shipping) is pretty good for anybody wanting to try out a GP (and who doesn’t have time or skills to make one).



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenland-Paddle-custom-made-with-hand-tools-/181393513235?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3be55b13



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenland-Paddle-custom-made-with-hand-tools-/181393888020?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3beb1314




I Still Think Lumpy is Underpriced
$175 plus shipping and handling.



Bill, you need to raise your price… right after I buy another one.

Call me a skeptic…
…but I wouldn’t trust a paddle that appears to be constructed from small scraps of wood. Particularly in the loom area, I would NEVER build a paddle that way. It’s one thing to laminate a loom from full-length strips, but using small chunks destroys the continuous grain that is critical to loom strength. This is especially true with butt joints, which are notoriously low in strength compared to scrarfs or other joints with greater surface area.



It’s less of an issue with laminated blades, as long as the loom extends seamlessly from one end of the paddle to the other. However, I would not use butt joints on anything other than hardwood edging.

Buyer Beware…
A poor paddle is never a bargain at any price, unless someone wants a “wall hanger”. In addition to other remarks, blade tip shape looks thick and clunky, I’d expect a loud “kerplop” on every stroke. Lots of knots. Lot’s of flatsawn lumber. If it were me, I’d steer clear.



Greg Stamer

I agree
and recommend Lumpy. Last thing you want is to get an ill fitting paddle when you are learning to use a greenland paddle. Get a Lumpy. It will fit you properly.

When a bargain isn’t a bargain…
These days, anyone can download plans off the internet and have a go at making a paddle, and even trying to sell a couple… After all, everyone says they are so very easy to make…



However, in my opinion, and I just might be a bit biased… It’s hard to make a really sweet paddle, one worth offering to others, as the plans don’t tell you which measurements need to be tweaked and most importantly how to tweak them…



This only comes from experience, both as a long time user of the Greenland-style paddle as well as trial and error, discovering what works and what doesn’t work so well…


Crud
One look at the blunt paddle tip tells me this person has not used one much. That sicker would “plunk” with every stroke. See pic #8.

way too wide at the blade
for Greenland stick. And maybe it’s just me, but the plades are simply not symmetrical, judging from the pics.

Looks nice as a wall hanging…

– Last Updated: May-15-14 4:30 PM EST –

Having downloaded GP plans, I had to carve a couple of paddles before I got one that felt right to me. They really should be customized to each paddler or they can feel awkward.

Are those ebay GPs take-apart? Yeah, I'd be concerned with the construction of these based on the pictures. You probably want a solid loom and thinner blade tips.

I'm no carpenter, but I was able to carve a solid $15 2x4" straight grain red cedar board with just a jigsaw, hand plane, clamps, and an electric sander. It's not a fancy laminated GP, but I can make a ton of these for cheap and have so many spares...

X3 on Lumpy great to work with
Nice to have it custom fitted too. IMHO most important part of your rig. R

Tremolo
Try Caleb Davis, Tremolo Paddles. He makes a living at building paddles. I can’t necessarily vouch for the Greenland paddles that he makes, but I very much like his canoe paddles. Give him a call for details and advice.

http://tremolopaddles.wcha.org/tremelopaddles/Welcome.html