Greenland Paddle. Unless you want to change don’t pick it up.
I am 71, excursion/expedition paddler, so 30 mile days are the norm. Tried the Greenie back in April and and gave my bent shaft Werner to my wife. The value is for an old guy, you pull less water and last longer. The exception would be for rough conditions, strong tide and current, waves, etc.
Good luck. Sj
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Do you use a one piece or 2, 3?
I am looking at the Superior now too, lol.
I can see getting a 2 piece for an extra paddle backup…
But seeing as i already have a 2 piece spare backup Werner paddle I am going to get a solid 1 piece for daily use.
Done - thank you. Fingers are crossed hoping for Lake Placid, March 2021!
I agree that you should start with a wooden one for all the reasons stated (you can shorten if too long, nice feel in the water, cheaper).
I started with a custom 5-lamination cedar made to my personal metrics and it is still my favorite (I owned 11 paddles until last month when I sold two).
I only bought a Gearlab carbon too because I have several folding kayaks that I can travel by train or plane with and needed a break-down paddle that I could pack. I bought the Gearlab Akiak because it is most similar to my rounded end, no-shoulder cedar one and is close to the same weight. I like it too, but if I could only have one it would be the cedar.
Is Superior still making/selling GP’s? The link I have had for a while did not work.
Nash Boatworks now makes them…
Many GP users - myself included - go with a short “storm” paddle on the foredeck as their backup. With proper deck rigging, it’s very secure, but accessible in an instant, when you need it. That’s only happened to me twice, but both times it kept me from having to wet exit in dicey circumstances (rock gardens). As the name implies, it’s excellent in really windy conditions, since the sliding stroke eliminates having an upper blade catching the wind. Additionally, a storm paddle is ideal in really tight quarters, such as sea caves.
Brian, in chapter 3, arm length is recommended for a storm paddle. Would you suggest a little longer for a 26” beam (CD Kestrel 140 composite). I have considered making a storm paddle for my first project (layout practice and help organize my little work shed). I already have an old commercial GP to use in the meantime.
Thanks,
Mark L.
Actually, a storm might work just fine with a wide boat, considering that the entire upper blade functions as the loom. With a full-length paddle, you would typically make the loom longer, at least the beam width of the boat.
Keep in mind that with a storm, you have to learn to use a sliding stroke. It’s not difficult, but it’s significantly different from from the standard paddle stroke.
One quick clarification, I think you meant to say arm span.
Yep, my mistake (page 10 clearly states; “arm span”).
Thanks again.
I’m very fond of my Inuksuk 2-piece carbon. This has been my first full summer with it, and I feel like I’m really getting in tune with how to use it effectively. I purchased it originally because I wanted a Greenie for which I could adjust the length. The joint is rock-solid. The only downside to it is the amount of extra time it costs me, because everyone wants to talk to me about it. 
Most of the people in our Club make their own Greenland paddles. A fraction of the cost, lighter weight than some with ferrules, and built to your exact specification. In a normal year we usually offer a Greenland paddle workshop at cost. Most people can essentially finish one in a couple of days or less.
For people that find it difficult to transport a one piece Greenland paddle in their cars, many strap a piece of 4" PVC pipe on their roof rack with a screw off cap.
That’s a nice website. Lots of info for your members.
Here in southern SC there was just one place offering GP building classes, a kayak shop in Savannah, GA. They have now discontinued the classes as the paddle maker has moved on. And last year several of their classes were canceled as only one person signed up for them…me!
You don’t need classes. The PDF that’s floating around tells you all you need to know. And if you mess it up, throw it away and make another one. I used a piece of white wood from Home Depot that cost $3.10. I have cedar in the basement but I didn’t want to waste my cedar learning to carve. Just do it. A spoke shave is cheap, you’ll learn to sharpen it. You’ll need a clamp, those are cheap. And a tape measure. And then it is just pure gold.
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You’re right, I didn’t need a class, but I wanted to take one. Need and want are two different things. I’m an experienced woodworker with a shop full of tools and I’ve seen all those pdfs, so of course I could make one. The biggest issue is finding high quality blanks, as there are no decent wood suppliers anywhere close to where I live. I’m not really interested in “white wood” from a big box store. So, I had the paddle maker build me a WRC GP. It’s really beautiful, exactly what I wanted and I’m enjoying using it. And I had him make another, for my wife.
Nothing wrong with that at all! I wanted to try out a GP without dropping a lot of coin, so that worked for me. Someday I might take a class also, just because I’m pretty sure that my blades aren’t quite up to snuff.
When we moved to SC two years ago my wife and I decided to take a tour with a local guide to get a feel for the lowcountry salt marshes and to ask a bunch of questions about the tides, best places to paddle here, etc. The guide was using a GP, one he had built himself laminated from cedar he had found at HD and Lowe’s. He kindly offered it to me to try it and I liked it. We still bump into this guy once in a while at one of the local ramps and we did so just after I had bought my GP which I showed to him. He was very impressed with the low weight, overall finish and the fineness of the blade edges, and went off talking about making himself a better one than his first one. I guess that’s the difference between a first time home made paddle and one from someone who has made hundreds of them.
I might sometime in the future - maybe over the winter when my garage isn’t at 95 degrees! - make myself a storm paddle. If I can find a decent piece of cedar that is. And I’m sure you making yours yourself was a very interesting and rewarding experience which some day I’ll try too.
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Anyone that can make their own Greenland Paddle can also make their own Euro Paddle. There are many reasons, like the nuances missed by first time paddle makers, that they don’t. The perception of the Greenland Paddle as simple to make, leads many to believe that getting a close proximity to a diagram of one of the forms of Greenland Paddle, is good enough.
There will be a difference between the 10 th paddle you make and the first.
Finding good wood is becoming more problematic as the old growth trees disappear from the market. I turned to making carbon paddles for this reason , among others. Like the ability to repeat, refine and tune.
So I like to use G/flex thickened for the edges at the tips. It won’t run. After about 20 minutes it won’t sag much either. I lay the blade flat and apply it to the edges, while flipping it over and doing the other side. I do this to keep it from sagging. when I am done applying it I spend about 20 minutes flipping it now and then Finally I prop it up vertical, and flip it vertically every 10 minute a few times until it looks to hold it’s shape. I just took these photo minutes ago of a Bald Cypress GP I am currently making. I will do a final shaping of the edges tomorrow, and finish the paddle with multiple coats of tung oil. I may stain it or not. I know the grain isn’t ideal. The wood was given to me and doesn’t have any knots. Other woods that will be light and work fine are spruce, fir, and black walnut (which is very light for a hardwood).
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I have to agree with Roym on this - homemade paddles are a good way to start, but may not be giving a proper impression of how good a GP can be. So go ahead and make one, but if you have a chance to try a refined paddle, grab it - it will give you some insight, and maybe help tune up your homemade version.
I know this from direct experience - I made a GP in a class at Cape Falcon after finishing a boat. I’m a former professional carpenter, and it seemed like a good paddle. Later on, Brian of Cape Falcon gave me a paddle he made to use while he paddled my boat down the Hudson.
The difference in performance is pretty profound, and I think is due to an accumulation of fine details - the shape of the cross section and how it changes over the blade, the tip radius, radius of the edges, loom and shoulders, etc. I prefer it so strongly, I haven’t modified the one I made, I just keep it as a spare. I should tune it up as a loaner, but haven’t done so yet.
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bringing this back up to the top ( hopefully), I borrowed a buddies GP when I tried out his Eddyline Fathom, the paddle was great and now I am thinking of adding one, I think a one piece one would be fine as I never need to put my kayaks in the car. is there any advantage to a one piece over a 2 piece. where is a good place to buy one? I guess I am looking for a entry level or mid level one. I do not have the skills to make one. Also if it matters I paddle 99 % of my time in salt water on the Delaware bay . Thanks in advance.