Re: [Paddlewise] Feathered v Unfeathered paddles

> A newbie question-
>
> I have recently begun paddling. I had many wrist injuries in my
> youth and I am concerned about the long term effects of bending
> my wrist while using a feathered paddle. What are the advantages
> of feathered over unfeatherd. How much would I risk my wrist to
> use a feathered paddle?
>
> I am interested in river touring w/ mild white water if it is
> part of the trip. I also hope to do some ocean surfing. Mostly
> I'm interested in kayaking because I have an injured knee so can
> not backpack any more and I miss nature. (All those years of
> Aikido and Ju-jitsu are permanently encoded into my joints)
>
> I would appreciate any input from experienced paddles on the
> respective advantages of feathered and unfeatherd paddles.
>
> Robert Lawson
>

I too am a relatively newbie to sea kayaking.  I found one of the most
neutral explanations of the feathered vs. unfeathered debate in 'The
Essential Sea Kayaker' by David Seidman.  The book lists the pro and cons of
both methods and basically states that which ever method works for you, is
the one you should use.

I've tried both methods, and have found that I prefer unfeathered.  Which is
good since I'm also making a Greenland style paddle at the moment, which are
all unfeathered (to my limited knowledge at the moment).

hth

Don

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