Anybody have experence withy wolfgang brinck
east greenland bent paddles. They have 3/8"
bend in them to produce less flutter. They
look interesting.
last time i checked with
them it cost as much to ship the paddle to the usa as the paddle costs.
on the bent shaft, well when i use a GP i dont get any flutter, should I?
I do like their paddles, maybe someday they can get a USA dealer and get the price to something reasonable.
Having made a few GPs…
…it sounds rather implausible to me that this makes much difference. Paddles flex as they’re used and cedar will even retain a certain amount of bend until it’s stressed in the opposite direction. I have some paddles that have at least that much “offset” cause by slight natural warping and I don’t notice any difference in how they feel when held either way. Last, but not least, one of the main benefits of a GP is its completely symmetrical design. Why would you want to give that up?
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Was just wondering
I don’t have alot of experence with greenland
paddles & when I came across this design was
curious about them.
Location
I believe Brinck’s located in the Los Angeles, California, area.
http://wolfgangbrinck.com/boats/index.html
bnystrom
Your response got me to thinking. I use a laminated GP (Mitchell) so I do not have to deal with either a warp or with much flex.
Out of curiosity, if you pick up and start paddling with a warped paddle is there a noticeable difference in feel to it when held “warp away” vs “warp toward”?
Jim
Distinctive
I’ve tried one only during a pool session, so my experience is limited. However my take is that it has a little bit of the feel of a wing paddle. Pretty cool. Whether it makes any significant difference during a regular paddle, that I don’t know.
NelsonL
warped paddles…
My first GP that I carved warped more than even Wolfgang’s curved paddles. It could be all mental but I definitely felt more comfortable paddling with it with the warp towards me. I considered it my “power face” GP and although it worked ok, I didn’t find any real benefit from the warped paddle.
Wolfgang
Wolfgang lives in Alameda, just across the Bay from San Francisco. I’ve tried his paddles and own one as do many of us in the San Francisco area. They have the best “feel” of the makes that I’ve been able to try out… I would recommend calling him directly if you have questions. 415-846-5488 is his cell phone.
John
Who says there’s not a market
… for those defective warped paddles!
:^)>
shipping charges
The shipping charges seem a bit high, high
enough not to order one.
GP’s are oversized.
and difficult to properly pack and ship.
My Mitchell experience went as such: Saw a blem on the site and called. It was one that had been damaged and repaired (a delamination) by UPS. When shipped to me, UPS danaged…the other blade.
Mitchell ships in cardboard boxes. I beleive that some carvers ship in PVC pipes for protection. Costly shipping, but durable.
Jim
my apologies
i confused him with a european gp maker…sorry
I’ve never noticed it…
…but perhaps it’s just me. Unless the warp is substantial, as schizopak indicated his was, it’s not likely to make any difference. When I grab one of my GPs, I just pick it up and start paddling. That’s part of the beauty of the design; it’s completely symmetric and you don’t have to think about it.
BTW, this is one of the reasons I make all my paddles from vertical grain cedar; it’s very stable and has almost no tendency to warp. If you can’t find suitable cedar in your area, laminating a blank is your best bet.
Hello System,
I’ve had my Wolfgang bent shaft for 14 years and now am looking for another. Do you know anyone who may be interested in selling theirs? Or where I should post to reach those San Francisco paddlers?
Wolfgang seems to have disappeared so contacting him is impossible.
Many thanks!
Libet
I have never heard of an east Greenland bent paddle.
Can you post a picture?
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From Wolfgang’s ee site:
Unshouldered Greenland Bent Shaft Paddle
This paddle has the same shape as the unshouldered Greenland paddle when viewed face on. But in profile, this paddle has the tips of the blades offset by 3/8 of an inch. Though this is a subtle offset, it is enough to give this paddle a decidedly different feel from its symmetrical cousin. The offset stabilizes the paddle when you pull it through the water and minimizes flutter when pulled hard. This paddle is a great choice for sprints or hard paddling where you don’t want to have to pay attention to blade orientation.
Total length - 88" standard or your specification
Maximum blade width 3-1/2"
Loom height - 1-1/4. Width - 1-1/8" Length - 20"
What’s the point? If you use proper technique, flutter is not a problem. I don’t buy his explanation.
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Ideally, you plant the paddle and pull the boat past it. You don’t pull the paddle through the water. Some slippage does occur, but the more the paddle moves, the less efficient the stroke. It is the increased ability to avoid slippage that gives wing paddles a slight advantage for a forward stroke and makes them the choice of many competitive paddlers.
As some of you know I have made quite a few GL and Alaskan style paddles. It’s rare that I can get wood that’s 100% straight and so MOST paddles I make have a bit of a belly to one side and the corresponding inward curve on the other side. I have experimented planting them into the water curve backwards and curve forwards.
I can’t tell any difference at all as far as speed or quiet entry. What I can see a difference with (albeit slight) is how the blade cuts out of the water during the catch to the other side. having the curve going away from the front of the kayak (paddle tips forward and belly of the loom backwards) gives a bit quieter exit. But so little that if you didn’t think about it you probably would not notice it. Any splashing or “plop” noise that you get from some paddles is more a function of the tip shape, but the curve of the paddle seems unimportant… My “worst” curve is about 1" if you lay the paddle on it’s tips on a dead flat surface. One way the loom is about 1" lower then the other way, but that’s also over an 8 foot or longer span.
Overall I can’t see enough difference in their use to concern myself over.
But I may be misunderstanding what the shape of a Wolfgang Brinckeast Greenland Bent Paddle is.
“Bent” and Greenland seem to no go in the same sentence to me, -------- but again I am ignorant of what is being spoken about here. That’s the reason for me asking for a picture.