Maybe you shouldn't judge all Aleuts based on you particular interpretation and execution? Maybe were using it upside down?

Studying and carving these has led to some very pleasant paddling surprises. I absolutely love my Aleut (and my Aleut/wing hybrid). If I could only have one type of paddle for touring in all conditions - it would be the Aleut. Love my GPs too, but they feel like slugs in comparison now.

Lots of variations in what is "Aleut", and many opinions on use. More complicated and more going on that with GP. I use both sides, but for ticking off miles I nearly always use the flatter side as power face now (and this is - go figure - what I see Aleuts in old photos doing). Very solid, very stable, very smooth, very good return on effort. Just adapts on the fly to everything, and essentially disappears in use.

Flutter? That's (always) a technique thing - typically related to overpowering/powering too soon/forcing the blade take a less than optimal path - or combinations of these.

My current favorite is 90" x 3.25" with a 27" loom. For comparison I use Greenland paddles from 86-88" with 3.125" to 3.5" and 21" looms.

Obviously, the dimensional differences also translate to some technique differences from the GP. Subtle, but important. The loom shape (egg/rounded trapezoid) is also key.

If you use an Aleut like a GP - you get performance like a weirdly shaped and less than optimal GP. Let it do it's thing, and use it like an Aleut, and it's awesome. This is similar to unlearning people need to do to get most from a GP after using euros. No big deal, but easy to miss out on the good stuff if you force your old habits on it (it may work OK - but only OK).

My Aleuts are a blend of several sources - similar in their overall forms to Brinck's and to each other, but differing in dimensions and subtle form issues a bit. Small stuff that is really hard to show in pictures. When I get/make time I may do a 3D model and draw up some plans.

Kris

: I built one from the drawings in Brinck's book. The shape means that the
: centre of effort (where you put the force into the loom) is behind the centre
: of resistance (where the paddle blade pushes the water) which makes the
: paddle
: very badly behaved - a huge amount of flutter. This put me off building or
: trying to use traditional paddles for quite some time. Eventually I carved a
: GP, and this is much better (except that eventually, it has warped a bit )-:
: I note that the diagrams that have just been posted seem to show the blade
: face being somewhat convex. With my background of using Euro paddles, I
: carved
: the power face of my Aleutian paddle very slightly concave - maybe this is
: part of the problem ...

: Mine was laminated from two pieces of spruce - there's one little knot in
: one blade face, but, as I recall, the laminated piece is behind this, so it
: doesn't go right through... The GP was cedar with two strips of ash laminated
: either side to make the loom - it has a much nicer feel.

: Andy