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Tundrasails Kayak Sail Systems

Joe O'Paddle Greenlandic Kayaking gear

Now on my second season with a Greenland stick made byJoe and am very pleased with it. I have bought a drawknife and a few other little wood working tools and have 3 pieces of red ceder hoping to get my storm paddle made shortly.

First Paddle shipment expected shortly
I have 5 Greenland paddles made by Joe on the way and they are expected easily before the end of the month. They vary in length and stlyle as it is a trail batch, some with shoulders and some with out. Looking forward to seeing them and trying them out.

Greenlandic Paddling
Through this page I hope to open the eyes of folks to the wonderful branch of paddling known has Greenlandic kayaking. This is the oldest form of kayaking as the natives that inhabit the Circumpolar countries invented kayaks and all the associated movements. They have a huge stock pile of rolls and games and their equipment and boats are very interesting. I will shortly have a glossary and photos here and will be selling custom made paddles and rolling sticks and other Greenlandic goodies.
I have began adding in the interesting bits so please eddy out and enjoy the page, picture yourself rolling with a hand crafted Greenlandic paddle and then check the bootom of the page to see how to size yours. Cheers, Greg

2 piece take down Greenland Paddles
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custom made by Joe, Order yours today

My Norsaq arrived today in the mail and I am looking forward to trying it this week end. Should be interesting as I have never tried to use one before and it is much smaller than I thought, however learning will be fun. Cheers, Greg

Norsaqs by Joe
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Check Joes FB page and ebnter to win one of these

Congratulations to Joe O'blenis
Joe has just completed a solo circumnavigation of Vancuver island and set a new record ding it. Joe completed the trip in 16 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes, beating the previous record by 16 hours. Joe paddled a Tahe 585 kayak and used a greenlandic paddle that he of course made.

Greenlandic Norsaqs (Rolling Sticks)
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individuallly crafted By Joe O'blenis

Pictured above are the Joe O'paddle Norsaqs or greenlandic rolling sticks. Each one is hand crafted by Joe laminated from strips of red and white cedar and other select softwoods, finished with the Original Tung Oil. Mine is arriving this week  and I hope to use it at the Paddlers for Parts Sociable Affair, should be interesting as I have never used one.
Just thought I would mention Norsaqs were originally used as harpoon throwing sticks, to increase the power into the harpoon, This feature has been left off the recreational models.

The Boxed set including a Standard paddle, Norsaq
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and Storm paddle, your dream come true

Above is a boxed set of Joes handicraft, a beautiful trio I am sure you will agree. Each piece is crafted to your exact  specs and it doesn't get any more personal. Looking forward to ordering myself a set after all my birthday is coming.

Picture this paddle beside your boat
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Each one made to order ,makes a great addition to your collection

Joe makes both one and two piece Greenlandic paddles, the take down models are reinforced with Carbon fiber furrles where the paddle joins, making a very strong connection.

Sizing your Greenland Paddle

Length:

 

The following method will give you a good place to start from. Holding your arms out to the sides, measure your full armspan,from fingertip to fingertip. Next, measure the distance from your elbow out to your fingers. Add the two measurements together and this length should give you a good indication of your maximum paddle length.

 

For those paddling a wider kayak, say 24" and above, you may go slightly longer. It is rare that I build paddles beyond 225 cm in length. Many people may wish to go a little shorter however, especially if using a more high angle stroke. Email me for more details and with any questions. 90% of my paddles come in between 210cm and 220cm, usually around the 213-218 cm range.

 

Width:

Joe builds his paddles to be between 3.25 and 3.5" in width at the widest point. For those with very small hands, you will want to go even narrower. You should be able to comfortably hold the paddle in your hand from the widest point. For those of you with large hands, you still should not normally go over the 3.5" maximum. By special request, any size width can be special ordered. 

 

Loom Thickness:

Joe builds his looms between 1.25 and sometimes as much as 1.5 inches thick. For width, from 1" to 1.25". Smaller hands may require smaller looms but you will lose a bit of strength. 

 

Loom Length:

For the length of the loom before it starts tapering out for the blades, stand with your arms hanging down at your sides completely relaxed. Bend your elbows 90 degrees, knuckles facing up,  maintining the same width between your hands.  Form a circle  with your thumb and forefinger on each hand. This is the distance for a custom loom length. I normally build looms in the range of 18" to 21", mostly on the shorter end of that range.

 

 

 

 

Paddle Size Conversion

 

    Some people tend to prefer inches as a means of measurement whereas other prefer centimeters. Here is a quick list of conversions from inches to centimeters. My paddles for kayaking will be measured in centimeters whereas my canoe paddles will be in inches. Inches are rounded off to the nearest half inch.

 

200 cm = 79.0"

205 cm = 80.5"

210 cm = 82.5"

215 cm = 84.5"

220 cm = 86.5"

225 cm = 88.5"

230 cm = 90.0

 

 

Message from Greg
Folks thanks for stopping and dropping your anchor for a while, always a pleasure to see you here. Enjoy your stay and drop back anytime.
Contact me at cominco@theedge.ca , should you have questions regarding the sails or the local area around Yellowknife.
I am now using Skype and if you can contact me through Skype, my name being cominco2.