: I was at the Bluff Pt. gathering today and tried out some wonderful boats. I
: meet some great people and saw some wonderful and inovative craftsmanship.
: There seemed to be a lot of people using Greenland style paddles. I asked
: lots of questions in the course of the day but the one that I never got an
: answer to was "why use a Greenland style paddle?". They
: "look" like the right blade to use with a skin boat, all very
: traditional. One guy did say he couldn't ever figure out a feathered
: blade. At least that was some justification. Most people just entered into
: how easy it is to make one. Is that why you chose to use one style blade
: over say a very nice featered touring paddle? What are the attributes of
: this style in use? Weight doesn't seam to be the primary factor . Wind
: resistance might even be greater. Comfort in the hand? Ease of stowage I
: can definitely see as a big benifit. They seem to tuck right under a
: bungie for easy access as a spare. I don't mean to offend but why
: shouldn't I spend the time to make a truely light and beautieful feathered
: western style paddle to use as my primary blade? Or maybe I should ask
: what makes this simple and traditional design better than anything that
: has been developed since? Steve.

Hi Steve,

I've built both types of paddle, a European styled paddle from the plans in Nick's book, and a greenland type that I made using several different plans I found on the web. The greenland paddle was by far the easiest to make. My euro style paddle was more of a challenge to build but it's the one that people oh and ah about when they see the two together.

About the only difference I can see between the two is I'm less tired (and sore) after paddling with the greenland type all day. I do have to paddle a bit faster to acheive the same sort of speed, but I hardly notice. After I made the euro style paddle, I took it out for my usual 3 hour trip up the river and back. I was so tired on the way back that I had to switch paddles and finish with the greenland stick.

Also with the greeland paddle you should be able to grip the blade anywhere along it's length, this is handy for doing extended braces etc, if you're into that sort of thing

I think a european style paddle could be as easy to paddle with as a greenlander, but you'd have to make the blades a little smaller than the ones I made.

Hope this helps,

Paul