Bert,

The East Greenland paddles often have a bone tip that is slightly wider than the blade. I am assuming that this is what you mean by a "flared tip". This would be a good question to ask the baidarka list (URL to join is below). I haven't made one of these but I know that Chuck Holst and Harvey Golden have, using plastic for the blade tips. The purpose of this kind of tip is debated, even among the Greenlanders. H.C. Petersen mentions in "Skinboats of Greenland" that this style of tip is noiser (drips water) and as a result fell out of favor in SW Greenland. One advantage of this tip is that your hand cannot slide off the end of the blade if rushed. Some folks believe that the tip is for grabbing new ice.

Please let us know what you find out.

Just for comparison to the paddle sizes that you supplied, the cedar SW Greenland-style paddle that I used to compete in Greenland is 87.5" long, 3" wide with a 22" paddle shaft. The paddle that Maligiaq used to win the 1998 championship is 87" long, 2 5/8" wide with a 24 1/2" paddle shaft. The method for finding the paddle shaft size that works the best for me is to stand with your arms hanging from your shoulder sockets and raise your forearms so that they are parallel to each other and horizontal. If you make a "circle" with your thumb and forefinger, these "circles" mark the shoulder of the paddle.

Please don't feel the need to copy any of these dimensions, these are highly personal measurements. Steffen Olsen, who won both the short and long distance races in my class, was very stout with massive wrists and hands, and used a SW Greenland paddle with 5" wide blades! The only way to find the best dimensions for you is do exactly what you are doing; building several (or more) paddles and slightly modifying each.

Greg Stamer
Orlando, Florida