We handbuild west greenland style paddles for our own use and for customers. Length, diameters, volume, weight and surface could vary. Ours is usually made out of fir, hollow for less weight and still maintaining some volume for boyancy. Making one takes 2-5 days. 5 days is for a good smooth finish.
Please find a sample of our paddles on the video below. One of them was paddled in autumn ice when looking for a jetty walkway that had been disappeared with the storms. Another is a shorter stormpaddle.
Blade is a kayak that has a lot of stability and good tracking. Almost no weather cocking up to a point of 16m/s windspeed. Currently it is free of a skeg, but since it reacts to winds in excess of 16 m/s Jöns has decided to remove som of the keel in the back and add a skeg instead. Currently it turns nicely up to 90 degrees on a bow draw, and stops there. Even beginning paddlers will feel confident with the balance, and edging is easy. Edged turns work well too. The cockpit is large and you can either keep your knees free in the middle or lock them under the cockpit sides for more boat control.
The forms of the hull is truly nicely curved. The flush hatchcovers and the curves is much appreciated if you like taking a swim and climb back into the cockpit on water. There is nothing that causes blisters on your tighs - so common on rescue training with most other kayak models.
Blade kayak on the rocks
During summer 2010 Jöns used Blade as his primary boat. The above pictures are taken some of the first paddling days for blade in the spring 2010.
One of the late summer day expeditions went to Jussarö lighthouse on Sundharun skerrie. There was approximately a 5 km open water crossing with winds of 14 m/s and waves of up to 2 meters.
Fragrance low volume design makes rolling easier to learn, and with some comfort for your legs. Especially the back deck is so low that it is constantly flushed by water. The watertight hatch cover gets a new meaning. Even a small leak could quickly fill up the boat hatch. Edge and half the hatch will be submerged. We did manage to construct a hatch cover that is even tighter and easier to handle than most commercially sold factory hatches, while still using wood. Our goal is to have a hatch - even on this low volume kayak - that could allow keeping spareclothes dry even spred loosley in the hatch. The covers are still easy to open and close.
Jöns used the kayak för half an hour in the breaking waves seen in the picture below. A couple of times it was bow in the sand and tail in the air close to tipping over.
Fragrance i vågor
"Fragrance Test" is made during out of the first testpaddles in May 2011. Several finnishing improvements have been made since than. Especially to improve the functionality of the hatches. The front hatch is always dry now.
Sam Crowley from Sea Kayak Specialists in Michigan paticipated in Hanko Sea Kayak Gathering in August 2011 as a guest coach. He was all smiles and impressed after trying out Fragrance.
Starting to roll is easier and you get the chance to feel the roll in slow motion with the proper equipment. The Greenland Inuits used tuiliks to stay warm during hunting on cold waters. The tuilik allows for free flow of body heat in all of the kayak, and it gives some extra floatation in case of a capsize. It also keeps water out. This tuilik is made of neoprene to fit the small cockpit of the greenlander. Also your socks are likely to stay dry while you paddle in waves that flush over the kayak.
"Balance brace" or floating beside the kayak is a good exersize in perfecting your special rolls. You can try many different body, kayak, paddle and water positions also in slow motion and notice the effects. The greenland paddle with some volume helps even more.
We rent kayaks with some restrictions. July - August with warm air and water is easy. More demanding plans, groups, on open sea we will require proof of skills, or training with passing an examination.
A person with similar to BCU2-star skills levels could rent a kayak for himself during the summer months. Take one or two beginners with you and should have comparable to BCU3-star skills ie. self rescue experience in small waves. Besides the BCU (British Canoe Union) training/examination system other systems are familiar too. We want you kayaking experience to be safe and fun.
Training also gives you the ability to choose your boat and try your limits safely. A wide boat is not always the best choice.
Rent prices are calculated based on number of hours rented. Provide us with your planned dates and departure/landing time. Transportation can also be provided for an extra charge. Booking terms are described on "Booking and sales" and are the same for all services.
Accessories
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