[Paddlewise] Paddle Length/Configuration

Somebody wrote: 
 (Yeah, still figuring out the works on this mailer . . .) 

"The best analogy is to spin the cranks of a bicycle at high RPM with 
light loads.  Speed times drag is he power required, and you can make 
the required power in many little strokes or in fewer harder ones.  At 
some point, we run out of endurance, strength and blow elbows and 
wrists."

Yeah but, and I used to race bicycles too . . . Too low a gear on a 
bicycle will create a whole lot of wasted, inefficient movement. You 
bounce on the seat and the whole body flails. Lots of work, not much 
speed. Here's another analogy: Next time you're towing your trailer up 
a grade, put the rig in first gear and try keeping the speed at 55 
MPH.  

Tired of running out of aerobic reserve with my 230 cm. WindSwift, I 
opted for the much larger blade of a SeaSwift --and a shorter shaft of 
220 cm. I have a narrow Current Designs Solstice GTS, and I paddle 
quite upright with this paddle. 

The SeaSwift provides more resistence in the water and a slower 
cadence. The slower cadence (probably less then 10% slower) is MUCH 
more efficient, faster, and more comfortable for sustained distances. 
My form is better, and I use more body muscle in the stroke. My 
cadence is slow enough now that I get a slight but necessary rest in 
between planting blades. Now instead of paddling and resting, I just 
paddle and can keep the cadence going comfortably for hours. But I'm 
fairly strong in the upper body and at 52 haven't started to come 
apart at the joints yet. 

A paddler with more "quick twitch" muscle fiber and less strength 
would rightly opt for a smaller paddle and a higher cadence. Same goes 
for the cyclist . . .  Lance Armstrong, 1999 Tour de France winner has 
gone to lower gears and more "spin" since his bout with cancer that 
left him substantially leaner in muscle mass. 

The Pacific Wave site has a good discussion of paddle length and 
selection: http://www.pacwave.net/paddle_info.html

But selecting a paddle is an extremely individual thing, sort of like 
saxaphone players and mouthpieces. 

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