: Ideally water doesn't flow past the paddle, it grips the water
: without letting water past.

: Bill H.

Bill,
Water always flows past the paddle. The only time water doesn't flow past the paddle is when neither the paddle nor water are moving. When the paddle moves, water is flowing past the paddle. Clearly, the shape of the blade determines the nature of this flow. My recommendation to the original poster is mostly that if one wants to make a Greenland Paddle, it is a good idea to learn what you can about how the Greenlanders made them. And, from my experience the paddle in my previous post is a pretty good reference point.

-John