Lumpy Paddles

I loved the Werner Cyprus paddle the first time I held it and was overjoyed when I received one for Christmas. Never thought another paddle would enter my life until I fractured my shoulder. Had a lot of soreness during my first pool practice four months later and I was handed a Greenland paddle made by another paddler. It eased the stress on my shoulder muscles considerably so I asked here at Pnet for Greenland paddle recommendations.

Lumpy Paddles was the most highly recommended paddle. I contacted Bill Bremer and told him my tale of woe. Bill is a wonderful human being, spent tons of time asking me questions and giving me explicit instructions on what I needed to measure, emailed photographs, and triple-checked to make sure those measurements were correct. Days passed then he messaged that he had found a piece of Western Red Cedar he liked and was starting to carve my paddle. In the interim, I studied the Qajaq and Greg Stamer websites trying to learn some basics about the forward stroke with a Greenland.

Some time later a stunning Lumpy paddle, richly colored and beautifully grained, arrived. I was amazed at its lightness and put it on a scale. It weighs only three ounces more than my carbon Cyprus.

That evening I tried it, knowing that I supposed to use a canted blade for the forward stroke. Bill made that very easy because he carved the paddle so that when I place my hands on it, it's naturally canted forward. Awesome! One less thing to think about.

I'm still in the learning stages. At first I could barely eek out 2 mph, but with some experience, that's steadily improving where I can cruise around 3.5. In a stiff headwind, there's nothing that can surpass my Lumpy. Best of all, it's much, much easier on my shoulders and invites longer distances.

Except for that short time in the pool using a borrowed GP, my Lumpy is the only Greenland I've held so I didn't realize what a treasure it is until I took a Greenland class with Rowland Woollven, a BCU 5* Sea Kayak Coach from Scotland and the first man to circumnavigate Britain using a stick. He asked to see my paddle, giving me his carbon GP in exchange, then paddled off.

He liked it so much he had everyone else in the class try it. I had to use whatever paddle was handed to me. That's when I realized how wonderful my Lumpy is - made me happy to be reunited with it.

I love the paddle and best of all, Bill comes with it. He really cares about his clients and wants them to have the best experience possible. He's been a wonderful source of information, encouraging and helping me with technique, always available to answer questions by email or by phone. He's a BCU coach, paddle maker extraordinaire, really nice guy, and fun to talk with on the phone.

If you're thinking of getting a Greenland - go Lumpy. For good reason there's a waiting list, but the wait is well worth it.

Bill goes to great lengths to match the paddle to the paddler, and is generous with his time when sizing his paddles. I, knowing little, obsessed about every detail. Bill, knowing much and being good-natured, took it all in stride. I could not be more pleased with the outcome and have placed an order for a second Lumpy GP with Bill.

When it comes to his approach to his business Bill is strictly old school. His relationship with the customer is based on mutual respect and trust. If you're looking for a Greenland Paddle you could do a lot worse than to give Bill a call. You'll end up with a beautiful and powerful paddling tool uniquely suited to you and your paddling style, and have an enjoyable purchasing experience to boot.

This is my first Greenland paddle and I usually don't like taking un-tested gear on such a long trip. But after one 10-mile trial run with the paddle, I decided to take it on the EC, along with my old trusty euro blade. I ended up using the Lumpy Paddle for 85-90% of the challenge, switching paddles occasionally for variety. It worked beautifully in a wide variety of conditions. It was the best piece of equipment I carried. Despite covering 300 miles in less than six days, I had only one small blister and minimal fatigue.
Thanks Bill!

The paddle itself is a work of art - beautiful cedar with a finish that was like velvet and almost too gorgeous to use, but I got past that as soon as I took it out on the water. I've tried other Greenland paddles, both hand- and commercially made, and always struggled with flutter and noise. Not so with this paddle. From the first time I used it, the paddle entered the water without a splash or waver, and as my technique has improved with practice, it has proven to be silent, intuitive, comfortable, and powerful.

I regularly paddle long distances (15-20+ miles) on and around the Chesapeake Bay in various conditions, and my Lumpy Paddle is now my go-to paddle.

It took me several months and a lesson or two to get the basic stroke mastered to a level where I can paddle for hours near the top speed of my kayak without much fatigue. The reason I say this is that at first I did not like the paddle very much in terms of fit. But as I learned more, I found it is actually a pretty good fit and a rather comfortable paddle.

It is not feather light but is relatively light weight and comparable to most mid-grade composite paddles in weight. I have since carved my own paddle that is a little less powerful (in terms of catch on the water) and is considerably lighter, but the Lumpy is much more solid feeling - now I have two paddles to choose from, depending on conditions and needs.

Craftsmanship is superb – flawless on mine. Made from a good piece of wood and finished very smoothly with rubbed Tung oil it appears – easy to touch-up with a little cotton swab of Tung oil every few weeks where I scratch or nick it.

The paddle is very quiet on entry and exit from the water and has enough grip on the water for quick acceleration. Yet it is not too wide-bladed (3-1/4" for mine at 88" long) to be a problem over long distances or in winds.

I was not very keen on the somewhat defined transition b/w loom and blade initially, but lately began to appreciate the positive feedback this provides about where my hands are on the paddle. That's important since with a paddle like this one tends to move their hands a lot depending on the task at hand. The transitions are smooth enough to not interfere with sliding stroke or to cause rubbing in any particular spot.

The paddle is of good volume and thus quite buoyant. I went beyond my initial basic rolling ability with this paddle thanks to this and the general GP design. I'd love to have a carbon version of it that would be even lighter, even though this wooden one is of very manageable weight.

The paddle works very well for a high angle stroke as well as for low angle relaxed paddling. My other paddle (besides the one I made) is a wing paddle and having a GP and a Wing seems to be a very good combination – both are sufficiently different and offer the chance to work on a different technique while paddling. I can generally maintain similar speeds with both paddles, but they feel distinctly different – the wing is more powerful and offers faster acceleration and top speed but the GP seems to tire me less at the end of 10-15 mile paddling at a brisk pace. The reason is simple – with the GP I can switch hand positions and technique more so than with the wing, the latter being more demanding of a proper stroke and trajectory in the water. The GP is also more versatile in terms of corrective strokes and rolling.

I had a chance to speak with Bill about the paddle – great guy with good advice. I would highly recommend his paddle and his experience to you if you are considering a venture into GP territory for a first time or looking for your next paddle.

The paddle is gentler on my joints, makes going into the wind less of a struggle, and yet still allows me to keep up a 4 mph pace even when my boat is loaded down. I have used the paddle over 70 times in the past year including on a 9 day, 150 mile trip in the Inside Passage and could not be happier with it.

Bill’s customer service is also the best I have ever received from anyone. He really takes the time to find out what type of paddling you do and adjusts the measurements to make a blade that will fit your needs. You can tell that he is someone who loves kayaking and takes pride in his craftsmanship.

Since the paddles are made from wood, they do require some maintenance when they get dings and scratches, but a little bit of sanding and a quick coat of oil is all it takes in most cases.

For pure power and speed, a large faced European blade may be better, but if you want a nice paddle that won’t leave you sore and where you’ll be eager to go the next morning I would highly recommend a Lumpy.

But I kept hearing about greenland paddles and wanted to give one a try. Unfortunately, I did not have any friends with one to try. So I started reading what I could on Pnet and then found the Lumpy Paddles website. That was a great start. It is filled with lots of good information without getting preachy or technical.

Next came the ordering process. I called Bill and ordered my Lumpy paddle. Since these are handmade to your specifications, there is a wait. The wait was well worth it. In March I got my new paddle and have had lots of fun.

Bill treats his customers as good friends and makes sure you are satisfied and can really use the paddle. We have shared many wonderful conversations and I have learned from his knowledge.

The paddle is a work of art, but shows it quality when used. It is versatile, light and easy on the body. I was amazed at how easy it was to transition from a feathered Euro style paddle to using a Greenland paddle. Of course, there are lots of suggestions out there, but the paddle teaches you how to use it. It gives you many paddling options that cannot be easily done with a Euroblade. No more worrying about left/right, front/back, up or down. The paddle is a custom fitted tool that does the job.

I just wish that I could have this kind of buying experience when getting a new home or my next car. Yes, I really like my Lumpy paddle.