>> Greenland blade tips are rounded for stealth.

>Should I care? I'm not likely to go seal hunting.

Perhaps not, but I fully enjoy the quiet while paddling, especially during solo paddling. If you use your kayak for wildlife photography, birding, and similar pursuits, stealth can come in handy.

>>They enter the water quietly and cleanly, and discourage drips.

> How do they discourage drips?

Obviously this is a subtle feature, John Heath has told me that it is an important factor to the Greenlanders but it probably won't be noticed by recreational sea kayakers. The rounded end distributes and holds some of the water that would stream off of a sharper point. This can either be an advantage or disadvantage. Water will be free to run down the paddle, but I find that drips land on the foredeck rather than in my lap (but then I use a small cockpit). I have never seen a drip ring on a modern Greenlander's paddle.

>I like the pointed tips on my Aleut paddles because even though the blades are >very thin, the pointed tip is a beefy extension of the spine, so I can push >off from shore, poke a seal, or a beached, sleeping, wet suited paddler, >without breaking the tip off.

Rob, I thought you said your weren't interested in seal hunting . I read somewhere that the sharp tips of some of the paddles did perform service during warfare. As to using a paddle as a push-pole, don't get me started! Perhaps I'm alone, but I consider it an abuse of a fine paddle to use it as a push pole, or allow it to strike bottom at any time (or to cup your hand around a mortised paddle tip for that matter). An extended paddle held horizontally works well for navigating the shallows and a low volume kayak allows you to push off from shore with your hands, if necessary.

Another benefit of a rounded blade tip and reinforced edges, that I failed to mentioned in my earlier post, is for durability around new ice.

Greg Stamer