: I've been studying up on making a Greenland paddle and have found the
: discussion on length to be very entertaining. Everyone has a different
: method to determine optimum length and then some sources just say go with
: a particular length unless your boat is especially wide (which mine is).

: I've never even used a Greenland paddle, so I'm really shooting in the dark
: here. Any advice? I'm 5'5" tall, the distance from the floor to my
: fingertips is 83". My Euro paddle is 86" long and I clunk on the
: sides sometimes of my intro tupperware boat (not so much anymore, but a
: lot when I first started paddling), a Walden Vista with a whopping width
: of 30". I guess I need to build my first paddle to use with my
: current boat, as it will be awhile before I build my sleek wooden one.

: I've got an 8' piece of cedar to work with, and am thinking of putting ash
: tips on the blades, so I've got all the length I could possibly want. Just
: don't know what would be a good length to settle on. Any suggestions would
: be appreciated.

: Of course, the loom length discussion is also pretty varied. With my arms
: bent and to my sides, it's only about 13" between my thumbs. Is that
: too short?

: Thanks,

: Patsy

Patsy,

I had a Walden Vision, the boat replaced by the Vista, so I know the situation you are in. I'm 5'9" tall, but a lot of family and friends tried the boat. The biggest difference between the Vision and Vista is the deck height - the Vista appears to be lower, which may affect the desired paddle length slightly.

For the Vision, I chose a 88" Greenland paddle. The euro paddle I had been using was 90", and that just seemed too long. I have a friend that uses 86" Greenland paddles, so I tried one of his, and it felt too short. So, I compromised with the 88" length. I now use an 86" paddle with my wood boats, but they all have very low front decks. When paddling a boat with a higher deck (like a Vista), I grab the 88" paddle.

For the loom, 13" sounds too short. On my 88" paddle, I gave it a 26" loom, and here's why: The Walden is a great boat, but due to it's length, it does not track very well in wind. This was quite noticeable when paddling in Long Island Sound and the next shortest boat was 4' longer, and they needed a skeg! Typically, the only way to keep going straight was to lean the boat hard into the wind, or paddle mostly on only one side. But, if you hold the paddle more toward one side, you apply more leverage on the other. For example, If you hold the paddle so there is more paddle on the right side of the boat, normal paddling would yield the same effect as if you were holding the paddle in the center, but taking two strokes on the right for every one on the left. This allowed me to paddle normally but still compensate for a moderate wind.

So what does all this mean? Go for an 88" paddle. If it's too long, make the next one shorter. But it will work fine until the new one's built. If you build it 86" and it's too short, it will be uncomfortable to use until the longer one is built. And for the loom, I would recommend measuring the distance to the outside of your hands - not the thumbs - to give you a little extra room, which should put you at around 20" instead of 13".

And building paddles is like building kayaks - you can't build just one! So adjust and fine tune with each one. I know an 88" paddle with a 20" loom will work for you with a Vista. It may not be the optimum size, but will work well until those adjustments are made.

Good Luck,

Ken