Viking Paddles
Hydraulic
paddles. It's a small company owned by Billy Hearn in Rockville, MD.
I've only just seen them at Gauley Fest.
Thanks,
Bryan
David Bussey
feel through entry, power, and recovery; seems to handle abuse very well.
However, it makes a gawdawful sound hitting rocks: sort of like fingernails on a
blackboard.
- DB
In article <36260891...@vt.edu>, Hydraulic says...
Peter Staehling
>paddles. It's a small company owned by Billy Hearn in Rockville, MD.
>I've only just seen them at Gauley Fest.
Aren't they a joint effort with Billy Hearn and Keith Backlund. I
remember Jim Snyder speaking highly of them way before they were out
(like a year ago maybe). I forget are they a wood and composite
hybrid or all composite? Any info on the www yet? Literature?
Pete
Julie Keller
last April. Dave's working hard to put together a dory before leaving in
a few days for the Grand Canyon - therefore has been absent from the group
for awhile. I don't kayak and therefore don't pay much attention to kayak
paddles, but think that it was a wood core paddle.
Julie Keller
KSTRELETZK
>paddles, but think that it was a wood core paddle.
julie - viking makes canoe paddles as well! weird blue color, and my
understanding is that backlund and billy hearn have parted ways and that the
company is hearn's now. some kind of laminate over wood core. . . .
- Mothra (aka Kathy Streletzky)
"Any river you're on beats any river you dream of being on." - Space Canoe
Peter Staehling
>understanding is that backlund and billy hearn have parted ways and that the
>company is hearn's now.
Perhaps that is why the long delay in them being out. Or have
they been out for the last year but just not many of them around?
Daniel R. Gore
but they discuss and make good decisions together and that is what makes
a good product.
The paddles are composite, wood core, compression molded blades with a
aluminum tip compression molded in. Very strong!
From what I hear they have been working on getting perfected the
computer controlled milling of the wood cores to ensure quality control
and speed up production. I do not think they have the through-put yet
that they desire and, therefore, have not advertised extensively yet.
They are just trying to get all their ducks in a row before they go all
out in the market.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
I like my Viking!
Dan
x_b...@hotmail.com
phone numbers) both have Vikings in stock and at least one demo kayak paddle.
I've run the Falls with both a 198 and 204cm stick (my preference is 202cm).
Here is my brief review.
Construction: The blades are S-glass molded at 100psi over an NC-milled
wooden core, fiberglass rope edges and embedded aluminum tip. They are
standard symmetric slalom blade shape, no dihedral or anything silly.
Extremely durable construction. The blade has a plug that extends 3" into
the straight fiberglass shaft. The shafts are ovalized in the grip area like
a Lightning or Sidewinder stick. The overall weight seems a bit more than a
good fiberglass paddle (Sidewinder or Werner), but less than most wood
sticks. Gripe: The shafts are not ovalized close enough to the root of the
blade. This is because of the round plug inside the shaft. If you like a
wide grip on a relatively short paddle (202 is short for me), most of your
hand will be on the round, outer section of the shaft.
Performance: The blades are pretty stiff but the shafts have a nice amount of
flex. Good bite in the water forward or reverse, great control for sliding
draws. No flutter with hard strokes. Gripe: Both demos I tried exhibited
what I call a buzz (small, high-frequency vibration) when doing fast sliding
draws. Admittedly, a lot of kayakers never learn, or use, these strokes, but
I noticed it as soon as I started my warm-up drill. I consider it a fault,
but the overall performance of the paddle is excellent. I talked to Billy
Hearn about it briefly, and he does have some ideas for correcting it which
may be implemented. I'll post again when I know more about this.
Price:
A _steal_ at the $195 retail price. A great combination of performance and
durability, nothing can touch them at that price point.
David Mackintosh
X_b...@hotmail.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~mackintosh/Potomac.htm
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
peik borud
><<<<<<<snip>>>>>>>>
> blade. This is because of the round plug inside the shaft. If you like a
> wide grip on a relatively short paddle (202 is short for me), most of your
> hand will be on the round, outer section of the shaft.
>
Just a thought:
Since they use NC for shaping the blade core, why not
make the plug oval?
Peik Borud
Norway (why do foreigners use Viking as a brand name?)
pe...@online.no
Greg Akins
what I understand his is mostly an R&D contribution and Mr. Hearn is
Marketing and Production?
I had paddled an early prototype back in '96 and know some folks who had
prototypes and have since bought production model paddles. This is a pretty
nice stick. If you are in the market for a good composite paddle,
definitely check these out. The blade design is pretty much the same as
Keith's wood sticks and they feel great in the water.
-greg -> inso...@a1usa.net
KSTRELETZK wrote in message <19981015152852...@ng20.aol.com>...
>> I don't kayak and therefore don't pay much attention to kayak
>>paddles, but think that it was a wood core paddle.
>
>julie - viking makes canoe paddles as well! weird blue color, and my
>understanding is that backlund and billy hearn have parted ways and that
the
x_b...@hotmail.com
peik borud <pe...@online.no> wrote:
> Since they use NC for shaping the blade core, why not
> make the plug oval?
Not a bad idea. I think the shafts are ovalized after assembly (heat and
squash technique), but I think they could be squashed, and then slid over an
oval plug.
> Peik Borud
> Norway (why do foreigners use Viking as a brand name?)
Because we like those little horns so much? I don't know.
Karl Gesslein
metal edge around the wood to prevent the wood from chipping and
breaking. I am considering buying one myself. I currently use a
Perception River Passage which is garbage. I broke both ends off on a
trip down the Yough. Bad design and cheap adhesives were used to hold
the ends on and there is no sheath to prevent water from getting in the
seam. Epoxy seems to work pretty well though, it has not broken since.
If anyone has a Viking kayak paddle and has had good or bad experiences
I'd be interested in hearing them.
Annnaan
The Vikings wandered far and wide and there are some claims that they were
the first Europeans to land in the new world. Their ships were effectively
overgrown canoes that could explore shallow water areas. These boats and the
skills required to make them were a technological advantage for their
exploration. With a name like Backlund, I feel that I am quite possibly
decended from Viking stock. When I perfected my wooden paddles, I proudly
labelled them New World because I was tired of hearing that the only real
craftsmen existed in the old world. Now as an ironic twist, with a traditional
craft blended with high technology, we can label our new product "Viking" to
celebrate the creative spirit of the Viking culture.
So there.
K. J. Backlund, VP, Viking Paddles
Peik Borud
Annnaan <ann...@aol.com> declared:
<19981020004135...@ng145.aol.com>...
> Dear Peik et al,
> With a name like Backlund, I feel that I am quite possibly
> decended from Viking stock. Now as an ironic twist, with a traditional
> craft blended with high technology, we can label our new product "Viking"
to
> celebrate the creative spirit of the Viking culture.
> So there.
> K. J. Backlund, VP, Viking Paddles
>
Hi from Peik:
Way cool, and no offense. I assume you're the guy
assumed with the famous "Slasher". I realised very
early that this is a very sensible shape to make an
asymmetric blade act in a balanced way under
water.
As to boat culture: There seems to have been a
"circumpolar" culture of mongol-like people in the
past. Racial and cultural similarities ranging from
Scandinavia, along the Siberian coast, over the
Bering Strait and into North America and down
into China and Japan etc. suggest this. The Sami
people ("Lapps") have long slender clinkerbuilt
riverboats that look even more like canoes than
Viking ships (they are still used today, sometimes
with outboard engine, they drive like crazy, worse
than jet skis...). Sami footwear and tents are very
similar to Moccasins and Teepees etc.
The Vikings called these folks "Finns" and I believe
the Viking maritime culture was heavily influenced
by them. They were known as extremely good
boatbuilders....
Now I happen to be of 50 % Finnish descent, but
that's another story......
--
Peik Borud
Norway
pe...@online.no
forgive the typos........