Re: [Paddlewise] FW: Paddling efficiency (w

>One of my paddles is short with small blades.  When I first started
>using it a couple of years ago, I felt insecure when bracing and
>rolling, for I was used to much larger blades.  Although I no longer
>feel uneasy over it, I still find that I have to pay attention to my
>rolling technique, whereas with a big blade I don't have to think.
>

My wife and I have the following narrow blade paddles: 8'1" Little Dipper,
7'6" Little Dipper, 7'6" Eddyline Windswift, 7'6" wood Greenland by
Superior.  I used to use a 7'3" Descente (large blade).  Rolling is easier
for me with any of the narrow blade paddles.  The set up is much quicker.  I
never miss an on side roll and a well executed roll for me is when there is
hardly any force on the paddle and I come up effortlessly.  The narrow blade
is no disadvantage at all.

Comparing the 8'1" and 7'6" Little Dippers, I much prefer the longer,
especially in rough water.  I like to relax and stroke slowly in those
conditions and the extra leverage is noticeable and allows me to paddle
without having to brace often.  With the shorter paddle I brace more often,
which is disruptive to forward motion.

With all narrow paddles I often use a sculling high brace, which is easier
than with a wide paddle.  Although a slap brace is more powerful with the
wide paddle, the narrow blade provides more than adequate power.  Broached
on a shorebreak wave I again prefer the narrow blade.  It is more than
adequate for support, yet is easier on the body.

>I have always been partial to short shafts (e.g. sprint kayak sized
>rather than sea kayak sized) and the ensuing vertical stroke/body
>rotation.  My preference is to zip about, take a break, zip about, take
>a break, and so on, so the sprint stroke meets my needs.  Also, since I
>don't do too much with my arms, fatigue throughout the day is not that
>big a problem.  I find that long shafts are a bit limiting for my
>personal preferences, for I am unable to rev fast enough.
>

Cadence is so much a personal preference.

>Unfortunately, most short shaft blades on the market are just too big
>for me to comfortably flail away for an entire day if I am in a big
>boat.  When I am on day or weekend trips in a sprint boat there is no
>problem, but in my large sea kayak loaded to the gills with gear, I find
>stroking hard all day long to be a bit much.  Therefore, I had a short
>shaft paddle made up with small blades.  Now I can maintain my stroke
>rate and get full rotation without feeling like I am hanging from a
>rafter by the end of a day.  Although I cannot accelerate as well as
>with a large blade paddle, I can still accelerate far more quickly than
>I can with a long shaft.
>

I wonder about this idea of acceleration.  How would you actually measure
it?  I believe I get the same acceleration out of the narrow blade by using
a short burst of cadence, but I am not sure.  I don't trust my sense of it
as being accurate.

Jerry

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