: A bit of entertainment in the middle of a dull work week ;-) ?
: The responses fall into 3 main categories: 1.

I didn't read them all but I got the gist of it. You posted a challenging assertion, and the gauntlet was picked up by many wishing to respond to the challenge, each in their own way and with their own evidence and opinions.

But your basic assumptions and questions regarding Greenland style Paddles remains.

: Here is what is really needed: skilled paddler, equally adept at GP and Euro
: blade to paddle a sprint, middle distance, long distance....
: Measure: boat speed, stroke rate, VO2 uptake, HR (heart rate), energy
: expenditure etc.
: Only then you can draw any conclusion which paddle is "more
: efficient", "easier" etc.
: You can substitute the single paddler for a sample large and diversified
: enough to be statistically meaningful.

Or, you can create a machine, or a computer model of a machine, and then either measure the efficiency mechanically, or calculate it mathematically. Using a talented paddler simply places the burden of acquiring data on an organic "machine"--a human body--rather than a mechanical device. I've seen enough horse races to know that organic machines are not as predicable or reliable as ones made from iron and brass.

As it is, we have a few basic facts which can be plugged into some engineer's calculator. The amount of effort to pull a paddle through the water is based on a few concepts. Similarly, the amount of propulsion a given paddle produces is also base on a few concepts. We can measure these and make calculations.

Some items to e considered (probably not all) would be the area of the paddle blade, the angle of the blade as it moved through the water, the amount of water it displaced, and the direction in which the water was moved, the number of strokes in a given time frame, the speed at which the paddle moved through the water, the force applied to the paddle shaft where it is being held, etc.

I would guess that efficiency would them be a ratio relating how much forward propulsion you got for a given amount of paddling effort.

You might also have a time factor worked in. People, and most machines, can't put out 100% effort all the time.

If the issue is *paddle* efficiency then let's not confuse it with *paddler* efficiency. Exercise physiology is going to vary between paddlers in ways which are more challenging to measure than the physical area swept by a moving blade or paddle.

I suspect that it would be possible to make several paddles which each had different paddle-blade shapes, and paddle lengths, but which had nearly identical (close enough that nobody could care) efficiency in moving water.

For a start, I'd make a GP with a long, narrow blade which had the same wetted area as a paddle with a shorter, wider blade. Then I'd test them n my mechanical paddling machine, and trim a bit off the paddle which moved more water--repeating the process until I had both paddles doing the same amount of work in the same amount of time. Then I'd repeat the process with different paddle shapes and get more data.
Eventually I'd hope to have enough data to be able to come up with a formula for comparing the efficiency of the various paddle sizes and shapes.

This, however, sounds like a nice project for a grad student in mechanical engineering. (Any future engineers out there who would want to do the work?)
: 2.
: The Original Post did not follow the Nickelodeon ".. I love you, you
: love me..." melody, . . .

Is Barney on Nickelodeon?

: . . .so there was a fair amount of plain hate mail. . .

On behalf of the others on this board, I appologize for the boorishness of some people.

: Since the OP a) did not insult any specific person nor b) even a group of
: people, only questioned the method of reasoning, this attitude is
: disappointing.

Small minds = big paddles? Would those be "big" as in long paddles, or as in wide paddle blades? Inquiring minds want to know

: 3.
: Small group who "groked" the true intent: "...
: If the trifle matter of this post stirred the emotions so much, wait till you
: see Part 2 on a completely different yet 100% kayak - related issue.

I wait in eager anticipation. In the meantime I'm making torches for the mob which will . . . No, wait, those are for chasing the monster that Dr Frankenstein has created.
Just a jest. Thought-provoking posts keep me alert.

PGJ