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Re: Strip: Building the Njord
By:Björn Thomasson
Date: 11/10/2014, 5:14 pm
In Response To: Re: Strip: Building the Njord (JohnAbercrombie)

A very good comment. The ocean cockpit makes it a difficult balancing act to enter the kayak from the water. You will need to be able to perform a roll (which is as easy in a Njord as in a dedicated Greenland rolling kayak – not just my opinion ;-) or, failing that, a re-entry-and-roll.

Apart from that I have another view than John (and most other paddlers) on cockpit size vs paddle motorics. While knowing very well that paddlers used to powering the strokes by "cycling" legs and rotating in the seat, insist that this is the highway to speed and efficiency, I will just as strenuously insist that the Greenland style is every bit as efficient once learned – and even more so in some contexts (fx bending forward against hard wind).
With a low deck and a small cockpit hole you can get tremendous power into the water with a sit-up motion: your right knee against the deck, pushing your right shoulder forward during a left paddle stroke, and vice versa.
This is a more direct powering of the strokes than the usual competition style: the force is transmitted directly from the knee to the same side shoulder – while the more common foot dance on the foot braces will go through a series of connected motions: the foot pressing on the support by straightening the leg, to a small rotation in the seat, up through the spine to a more pronounced rotation of the shoulders.

This is said, not to missionize, but to provide an explanation for my recommendations on the plans.

Messages In This Thread

Strip: Building the Njord
george jung -- 11/9/2014, 1:27 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/9/2014, 6:27 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord *PIC*
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/9/2014, 6:45 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
george jung -- 11/9/2014, 7:37 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord *PIC*
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/9/2014, 7:51 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
Bill Hamm -- 11/10/2014, 12:17 am
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
george jung -- 11/10/2014, 8:51 am
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
Björn Thomasson -- 11/10/2014, 12:56 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
george jung -- 11/10/2014, 3:06 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord *PIC*
Björn Thomasson -- 11/10/2014, 4:35 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/10/2014, 3:12 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/10/2014, 3:06 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
Björn Thomasson -- 11/10/2014, 5:14 pm
Re: Strip: Building the Njord
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 11/10/2014, 4:05 pm