| Welcome to Friday Harbor Paddles |
I build Greenland paddles. I try to make
them especially lightweight, and durable
while maintaining the beauty of wood.
The paddles are made from multiple
layers of Red Cedar. The wood is sliced
into 1/4" thick layers, then the faces are
reversed and wood from a different board
is added. By doing this a paddle is
created that is stronger and much less
likely to split, twist, or warp than paddles
carved from a single board. I always try
to mix contrasting shades of Red Cedar
for a more beautiful paddle.
You can chose a Standard Length
Greenland paddle, or I can custom build
your paddle.
Lead time is 1 to 3 weeks.
them especially lightweight, and durable
while maintaining the beauty of wood.
The paddles are made from multiple
layers of Red Cedar. The wood is sliced
into 1/4" thick layers, then the faces are
reversed and wood from a different board
is added. By doing this a paddle is
created that is stronger and much less
likely to split, twist, or warp than paddles
carved from a single board. I always try
to mix contrasting shades of Red Cedar
for a more beautiful paddle.
You can chose a Standard Length
Greenland paddle, or I can custom build
your paddle.
Lead time is 1 to 3 weeks.
| Why use a Greenland paddle? |
Some people find it hard to believe that
such a long skinny paddle can be even
more efficient at keeping a kayak moving
at speed than the more modern large
bladed paddles.
The basic shape of the Greenland paddle
was developed over hundreds of years by
people who spent a good part of their
lives on the water traveling many miles a
day in search of food. They had to find a
paddle shape that would allow them to
maintain a good rate of boat speed and at
the same time keep paddling hour after
hour. They found that large stiff blades,
while providing great power for short
bursts of speed, tended to cause fatigue
and stress on hands, arms, and shoulders
when used over long periods of time.
Their ultimate design, with the long
narrow blades and short loom, still is the
best choice for touring and general sea
kayaking today.
Building their paddles out of a single
piece of wood and lining the edges of the
blades with whale bone worked well for
them. But today we can improve on their
construction in several ways.
We can use multiple layers of the lightest
woods laminated together for extra
strength and stability.
We can coat the wood with tung oil to
harden the surface fibers and prevent
water penitration. And we can add
hardwood tips and edges to lesson
damage to the blades. The improved
Greenland style paddle can provide many
benefits over traditional Greenland
paddles
At Friday Harbor Paddles we provide
lightweight Greenland style paddles that
fit comfortably in your hands and allow
you to maintain speed mile after mile,
while causing a minimum of fatigue and
stress on joints and muscles. You can
choose from Standard sizes or you can
have your paddle custom built to fit your
specifications, boat, and paddling style.
Each paddle is handcrafted from Red
Cedar and a finish of 100% tung oil is
applied to protect the wood.
such a long skinny paddle can be even
more efficient at keeping a kayak moving
at speed than the more modern large
bladed paddles.
The basic shape of the Greenland paddle
was developed over hundreds of years by
people who spent a good part of their
lives on the water traveling many miles a
day in search of food. They had to find a
paddle shape that would allow them to
maintain a good rate of boat speed and at
the same time keep paddling hour after
hour. They found that large stiff blades,
while providing great power for short
bursts of speed, tended to cause fatigue
and stress on hands, arms, and shoulders
when used over long periods of time.
Their ultimate design, with the long
narrow blades and short loom, still is the
best choice for touring and general sea
kayaking today.
Building their paddles out of a single
piece of wood and lining the edges of the
blades with whale bone worked well for
them. But today we can improve on their
construction in several ways.
We can use multiple layers of the lightest
woods laminated together for extra
strength and stability.
We can coat the wood with tung oil to
harden the surface fibers and prevent
water penitration. And we can add
hardwood tips and edges to lesson
damage to the blades. The improved
Greenland style paddle can provide many
benefits over traditional Greenland
paddles
At Friday Harbor Paddles we provide
lightweight Greenland style paddles that
fit comfortably in your hands and allow
you to maintain speed mile after mile,
while causing a minimum of fatigue and
stress on joints and muscles. You can
choose from Standard sizes or you can
have your paddle custom built to fit your
specifications, boat, and paddling style.
Each paddle is handcrafted from Red
Cedar and a finish of 100% tung oil is
applied to protect the wood.
All images and text are copyright by David Smith unless otherwise noted and may not be used without the prior written approval of the copyright holder. |
All paddles are available in Two
Piece Take-Apart version.
Piece Take-Apart version.
1A
1B
1C
1F
1E
1D
1G
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| Gone Sailing and Paddling From June 23 until July 30 I will not be able to start any new orders. |