Re: [Paddlewise] Paddle Shafts

From: John Winters <735769_at_ican.net>
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 09:48:32 -0400
--

>While we're discussing shafts what are the pros and cons of Graphite Vs
FG.
>I've cut my Carbon Swift down to the length of my FG Lendal. I seem to
>suffer little or no elbow or shoulder pain with the Lendal, but some with
>the Swift.
>
>Is it psychosomatic or is there really any benefit of the fiberglass
shaft?


I don't know that the material makes the difference so much as the size,
weight, and flexibility. Perhaps the synthetic paddles have a different
rebound rate after flexing and maybe different shock absorbing qualities
but so far I know of no investigations into that.

Some years back I made a number of paddles for people who had shoulder
problems by starting with a stiff paddle and then  progressively cutting
them down until the paddler was happy. The owners swear by them but I am
not sure why they were better.

Cheers,
John Winters
Redwing Designs
Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft
http://home.ican.net/~735769/

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Received on Sun Oct 04 1998 - 07:59:54 PDT

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