Hi John-

Around here the most of the best paddlers use GPs, and there are very few euroblade paddlers who can keep up. I have some thoughts here.

About the paddle-

Maybe before trying a longer or wider paddle you might want to try a more traditional lenticular cross-sectioned paddle. I'm suspicious of the term "power face" because a Greenland paddle works the same in any orientation. I'm not familiar with an Aleut paddle, maybe it works differently in technique. Also- I wouldn't rush to make a longer or wider paddle. Most people make a paddle that is too wide on the first try. If they're like me it's because it's hard to believe it will have as much power as a europaddle because it's so narrow, but once you use it you find that it's not an equal comparison because the paddles work differently. When you get the technique down I think you'll find that the faster cadence of a narrower paddle is a benefit rather than a detriment.

About the technique-

If it's a matter of acceleration, there are different strokes used for acceleration than those used for cruising. A class might help you here. Recording yourself on video would probably help if you compared yourself with the strokes videos on the Qajaq USA web site. There are also good text-based articles about the forward stroke on the site in the technique section as well, and also a good article about John Pedersen's stroke technique in the last issue of The Masik. Learning to paddle with your torso instead of your arms will probably add speed and reduce fatigue. One of the ways you can gauge the efficiency of the stroke is whether it's silent or whether it makes a scratching sound. If it's noisy the technique is off. Also- the stroke with a GP is much longer and doesn't develop much power until after the point where most europaddlers have their blade out of the water, so if you're taking your paddle out of the water too soon you're loosing power.

By analogy- if you want to make a car faster making the motor more powerful gets better results than putting on different tires. Practicing will improve your motor. You'll get better.

m