The picture I am posting is a bad one, but I'm using it to make a point about the so-called 'experts.' The paddle pictured is from Betsie Bay Kayaks, manufacturers of $3000 stitch-n-glue kayaks with a traditional Greenland geometry, as well as paddles. Their kayaks are fairly true to the tradition, but there really is no standard to Greenland paddle shapes. There are many examples in museums of narrow-bladed paddles of widely varying width, length, and shape. No one is the expert here. Betsie Bay laminates their paddles with a combination of soft and hard woods, and the shafts are rectangular in cross-section. They advocate a straight-down, 90-degree plant in the water (which is the only way to do it with that rectangular shaft), and your hands do not overlap on the blades (the grip in the picture is way too narrow -- it's just for presentation of the paddle.) You are supposed to know the paddle orientation by the rectangular shaft. I have Greenland-style paddles by Eric Schade, which have round shafts, and my 3 outer fingers wrap over the edge of the paddle blade. The end of the blade fits nicely into a joint of my knuckles. I like this style, but I don't angle my paddle quite as agressively as Maligiaq. My paddle is more like 25 or 30 degrees from vertical -- this may just be because I'm slower than Maligiaq.

I think the method for finding your grip width is pretty standard, though: grab the paddle with your shoulders hanging at your sides. Remember that you paddle with your Greenland paddle almost in your lap, as compared to the stabbing motion of a euro-blade paddle, so your arms should be straight out in front of your waist and very relaxed. If your stroke is correct, you will probably bang your knuckles on the shear and/or cockpit coaming as you learn. Your hands should not come up to the height of your shoulders. Keep the paddle low and use lots of torso rotation. I highly recommend that you get Doug Van Doren's video ($30) that's available from the BBK website. He's one of the world's most knowledgeable Greenland-style practicioners. He spends about 1/2 the time on perfecting the basic foreward stroke, the other 1/2 on braces, etc., but only a couple of demo'd rolls (buy the Maligiaq video for that topic.) If you have good narrow-blade teachers in your area, go to a class or two, because the stroke is very different than with the euro-style paddle. Use the narrow paddle like a euro paddle, and you will be slow, frustrated, and sore. Use the narrow paddle correctly, and you will laugh at your friends with thir 'Q-tips'!

On paddle length, 84" is common. BBK says to forget the armspan+1cubit+1hand stuff -- it's the boat's width at the shear that determines paddle length, unless you are very large.

I should also point out that the Greenlanders lost most of their knowledge of kayak building and paddling, and it was through John Heath and others that we have this narrow-bladed resurgence. The Greenlanders were re-taught their craft by foreigners, and all of us that are using narrow paddles are finding out some of the details for ourselves.

Dean