: I guess I'll know more after a long day paddling with #12 - I do notice that
: the shoulders put a strain on the muscles which reach over my wrist to
: control the #1 finger, and I think this is from the tilt. It was
: pronounced at first, but now only after a long day. If the oval/smooth is
: less then I'll probably move in that direction.

I think I had this kind of muscle (or tendon?) strain, too, at one point, and then managed to get rid of it by planing some wood off the side of the shoulder, the part that the hand rests upon. I remember having spent some time and much mental energy figuring out the shoulder shape - or maybe it is better to say, fitting it to my hands.

One can't have this kind of customization on commercial greenland sticks, they really are something one almost must design oneself, to fit one's own physique and style, if one is to reap all the benefits that are within reach.

: One thing for sure - Ive tried some "commercial" native style
: paddles, and I like mine a lot better. Especially the sharp edges.

: I kind of doubt I'll ever go euro. I have never developed that technique, I
: switched to the native before learning to roll, and when I try the euro
: now it just doesnt do anything for me. I even use my skinny-stick in the
: surf, which people think I'm nuts for. But I really think the familiarity
: is safer than the little bit of added acceleration you get from a euro.

I agree 100% here, a greenland stick can be much safer than any euro. I still use my old euros, but for specific reasons: one is very light, another gives me a brutal work-out, a third is very dry - great when things get freezing!

: I'm finding, as I refine the paddles, that I tend to use better and better
: materials. Weight is more important now than it was, and I intend to
: duplicate some of the favorites using something to protect the edges.

Yes, when one feels that one has come close to a "perfect" design, one starts dreaming about those little extras: that final tweak in form, ultra light wood, fussily picked among hundreds of planks, esthetics, hardwood protective laminations...

Luckily, one can DIY, and its still relatively cheap !