: I am hoping to get some feedback on sizing the loom for a Greenland paddle. I
: have the recommended sizing methods from the 'experts', (thanks to Ross
: Leidy's great webpage !) , but I hope to hear from some people who have
: built/used this paddle. My question is, how do you find the narrower grip?
: I see that the 'correct' grip is to hold the shoulder with the OK formed
: by the thumb and first finger, but wonder how many of you find this
: comfortable, or do you tend to wish you had made the loom a bit longer to
: allow both hands to fit within the length of the loom itself? I have never
: tried one, but wonder if I would find it more comfortable with the outside
: of my hands at the shoulders. I will be gluing up the blank in the next
: day or two and would like to hear any comments, one way or the other.

: Thanks,

: Kelly

Kelly,

I have been paddling with a Greenland paddle for five years and find the narrow grip not only comfortable, but necessary for good Greenland technique. My thumbs normally rest on the loom-to-blade transition, with the fingers gripping the root of the blade. There are several benefits to the short loom/narrow grip:

1) Since Greenland technique involves a lot of extended paddle strokes, it's important to be able to quickly index your hands to the home position, and placing your thumbs on the shoulder will allow you to do that, without looking at the paddle. You can't do that as effectively with a long loom.

2) Gripping the root of the blade allows you to maintain the proper blade angle throughout the stroke.

3) Keeping your grip narrow means that with every stroke, you don't have to lift your pushing arm as high, thus conserving energy.

4) A wide grip on a Greenland paddle just doesn't feel right. It's hard to explain, but if you take the time to become proficient with a Greenland paddle, you will know what I mean.

Manufacturers of "Greenland" paddles will likely disagree with all of this, and I think I know why: It wouldn't be economically feasible to offer many different loom widths to fit a range of paddlers, so they offer a wide loom as a "one size fits all".

The Greenland paddle takes a lot of getting used to, especially if you're accustomed to a Euro paddle. My suggestion is to keep the loom narrow (you can always re-shape the blade later if you absolutely hate it) and practice, practice, practice. As you're cursing that narrow loom, just remember that it's a proven design and we recreational kayakers just have to figure out how to use it properly. Also, keep the shoulder fairly abrupt, so your thumb will automatically go to it.

The short loom works best with a narrow, low-freeboard kayak. If your kayak is wide, you will be forced to make a side-to-side motion with the paddle, and if you have lots of freeboard, your stroke will be too vertical. Nothing beats a low-volume Greenland boat to go with your Greenland paddle. There's the reason you need to build yet another kayak!

Rick Rubio