tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154913422010027075.post4152112815091414936..comments2024-01-06T02:36:25.904-08:00Comments on Skinboat Journal: Unangan (Aleut) Paddle Orientation RevisitedWolfgang Brinckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08314364206955412017noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154913422010027075.post-20597832413125112912014-08-08T08:18:10.833-07:002014-08-08T08:18:10.833-07:00"Another thing I noticed while looking at Rob..."Another thing I noticed while looking at Rob Macks' photos of paddles is that on some of them the ridge on the blade was not sharp but rather about a half inch wide and flat."<br /><br />I just had an interesting experience in handling a paddle I made which has this little flat surface at the apex of the triangular loom. Holding the paddle and NOT LOOKING at the paddle, this little flat surface was very tactile and distinctive. <br />Again, I believe this is another clue to index the blade angles in the dark or in rough seas.<br /><br />Make a paddle like this and try it in the dark!Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06610596563084538631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154913422010027075.post-15555436504086907262014-08-07T07:10:11.516-07:002014-08-07T07:10:11.516-07:00Wolfgang you said, "To test the idea of the u...Wolfgang you said, "To test the idea of the uncomfortable loom, I carved a loom section out of a piece of two by four with a dimension of 1-3/4 inch deep and 1-1/4 inch wide and roughly triangular with rounded edges so it became more egg-like than triangular in cross section."<br /><br />First, I said this size is not common. 1-1/2" x 1-1/8" was the common size of 5 of the paddles I handled. Second, you rounded the shape to more like and egg.<br /><br />Then you said, "Well, the loom seems a little more comfortable held as shown in the photo below, (flat blade as power face) but not all that uncomfortable the other way around either."<br /><br />"a little more comfortable" can make a big difference in a tool you use all day every day, don't you agree?<br /><br />The main point I am trying to make is the spine side crest of the triangular loom acts as a "index" to the blade angle. A small indexing ridge is a common feature on higher quality paddles today.<br /><br />An indexed paddle is a very important feature especially in dynamic water conditions like the rough seas around the Aleutian Islands.Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06610596563084538631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154913422010027075.post-16650990337205407112014-06-21T06:22:27.781-07:002014-06-21T06:22:27.781-07:00The 1-3/4" high loom was only on the 8' 6...The 1-3/4" high loom was only on the 8' 6" Aleut paddle I handled at the Smithsonian. This was larger than I find comfortable in hand. Must have been the Paul Bunyan of Aleuts' paddle.<br /><br />The 5 other paddles I handled all had a loom height of more like 1-1/2" with a width of 1'-1/8".<br />This makes a big difference in how it fits an average hand.<br /><br />As recreational paddlers we can play with paddles as we choose using either side as power face.<br /><br />The loom shape of the Aleut paddles have been largely ignored. In the Aleut paddles I handled and the drawings of other Aleut paddles I've seen, the looms are of a triangular or egg shape. This shape is an important feature, indexing blade orientation.<br /><br />In dynamic waters, like the Bering sea, where rough seas and bad conditions are routine, a paddler's life depended on instinctive reactions.<br /><br />If you're a whitewater paddler you know you never change your grip and you index the blade angle on your loom, so you can roll blindly.Rob Mackshttp://www.laughingloon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154913422010027075.post-22700861827654741782014-06-18T07:44:16.082-07:002014-06-18T07:44:16.082-07:00Lance, I usually take my gps with me when I try ou...Lance, I usually take my gps with me when I try out a new paddle, that is, when I can find my gps. So then I try ridge side back and flat side back in the case of the Aleut paddle and see which gives me better top speed. I do the same thing even if I don't have a gps along and in no time at all I think I know which side I prefer and then I paddle a while longer and change my mind. I usually tell people to try these paddles both ways and see which orientation they prefer. <br />In any case, there is no way of knowing if the Aleuts actually had a preferred way of holding their paddles unless someone finds some first hand eyewitness account of what they did and asked them why they did it one way or the other. Or maybe there never was a consensus even for the Aleuts. Who knows. Our ability to know things has limits.Wolfgang Brinckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08314364206955412017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154913422010027075.post-74469172203270403842014-06-18T07:44:09.450-07:002014-06-18T07:44:09.450-07:00Lance, I usually take my gps with me when I try ou...Lance, I usually take my gps with me when I try out a new paddle, that is, when I can find my gps. So then I try ridge side back and flat side back in the case of the Aleut paddle and see which gives me better top speed. I do the same thing even if I don't have a gps along and in no time at all I think I know which side I prefer and then I paddle a while longer and change my mind. I usually tell people to try these paddles both ways and see which orientation they prefer. <br />In any case, there is no way of knowing if the Aleuts actually had a preferred way of holding their paddles unless someone finds some first hand eyewitness account of what they did and asked them why they did it one way or the other. Or maybe there never was a consensus even for the Aleuts. Who knows. Our ability to know things has limits.Wolfgang Brinckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08314364206955412017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154913422010027075.post-91219292137896446672014-06-18T00:49:31.483-07:002014-06-18T00:49:31.483-07:00Well, I didn’t see a way to enter any search terms...Well, I didn’t see a way to enter any search terms here, but this is interesting. I have two Aleut paddles, each with a double-ridged side and a flat side. The loom -- on my spec -- is an oval, so the paddle is very comfortable in either orientation. <br /><br />95% of the time, I use the ridged side of the blade as the power face, and this feels really powerful. Haven’t GPS’d it, but it feels a lot faster than the flat side, although perhaps I’m not controlling flutter very well when using the flat face. <br /><br />I definitely use the flat face for bracing and rolling, and it feels comfortably Greenlandish. <br /><br />The pics are interesting, but I’m not too concerned about whatever inferences we might make from them about actual use. <br /><br />I'm hoping that -- in the development and refinement of these technologies -- experientially-evaluated utility would trump any “Thou shalt” with regard to paddle usage, but maybe that’s optimistic, given the history of religious/superstitious belief there…..<br /><br /><br />Lance Hardwickenoreply@blogger.com