Drew Cutter wrote in :

Brain ,

I love the tuktu paddles. Question do you carry more than one style of
Greenland paddle . One for bad weather (storm) and another for more
calm condition when you are on open water (like the great lakes ) ? I
kind feel like I'm buying a bamboo fly rod as i look over the tuktu
paddles.

I own three bamboo fly rods. Even if you buy a new GP they're considerably
less expensive than a bamboo fly rod. However, I bought two of mine used
(the other was given to me) and paid just a bit more than the Tuktu prices
for a new paddle. Fortunately, a GP is much easier to make than a bamboo
fly rod. A long long time ago I had a roommate whose father owned an
antiques shop which had a large wood shop in the basement where he built
bamboo fly rods. He bought the raw bamboo and built the blanks himself. it
was quite an operation. About 20 years ago or so they were selling for over
$1000.

Brian Nystrom wrote:
Drew Cutter wrote:
Since you seem to be the expert on Greenland paddles. I've found
only two source for paddles . One wood and the other fiberglass.

There are several companies selling GPs, but they're mostly small.
Cricket, Don Beale, Tuktu and Superior are some that come to mind. It
seems that most people just make their own.

I paddled with someone last weekend that had a Don Beale paddle. It seemed
like a nice paddle but it was really heavy for a GP. A friend of mine just
started carrying Sawyer paddles and got a couple of their Greenland paddles
in. They were also very heavy and even their shortest length was about 4"
too long for me. Malone of Maine *used* to make a nice looking paddle
called a Firestick but I don't think he's making them anymore. Betsie Bay
also makes some GPs.



It's a self-published book that's not available on the major
bookseller sites, at least not yet. It's available directly from me or
through Chesapeake Light Craft (clcboats.com), The Woodenboat Store
(www.woodenboatstore.com) or Newfound Woodworks (www.newfound.com).
I've emailed you information about it.

I found the book described in the "New" section on the Newfound site but it
didn't show up in the list of books that could be ordered. I have always
found the CLC site a bit difficult to navigate but I eventually found the
order form.


I've seen suggestion on make the paddle more visible to other boaters
, ships . Any suggestion on how to make what to make the paddles
stand out ?

The easiest way is to make the tips bright. I prefer to use
white-tinted epoxy for that, as it also serves to harden and protect
the tips.

I wonder if there is some sort of reflective additive that could be mixed in
with the epoxy. I've seen lots of diffrent colors at our local marine store.