HTERVORT_at_aol.com wrote: [snip of excellent treatise on length and blade area components of "my paddle is too long"] > Here again, people sometimes tend to simplify the length and/or blade-size > "equations" too much. > Dave Kruger wrote: >Generated significant tendon pain > when "graduated" from a 235 cm Werner San Juan (monster blades) to a 245 . . > . .Switched to a 220 cm Lightning standard sea kayak paddle that summer > (medium-size blades) and have been relatively tendon-pain-free since< > You cannot separate paddle length from blade size. Either a longer paddle > *or* a larger blade will increase the drive of the paddle and thus slow your > stroke and also place more stress on your muscles and all the suspension > hardware in your wrist, elbow and shoulder joints. If Dave had switched from > the 235 SJ to a 245 Camano (10% less blade area) instead of maintaining the > same blade area, he would have had about the same force in his forward > stroke, with more reach during his sweeps and braces, but with more paddle > sticking out into the wind (everything has its up and down sides). > In touring, we usually use a longer paddle than in racing or WW because it > allows us to keep the elbows down low, near our sides, to reduce the effort > expended in raising and lowering the weight of the arm/paddle combo during > each stroke and to also keep the blade low. Even if we can all agree on > this, however, there are still other arguments for preferring either a little > longer or shorter that people will come up with. This is certainly reflected > in regional differences you will see. For example, the Brits seem to prefer > sub-220 cm paddles for single touring kayaks, while many in the Northwest USA > have championed 230-240 cm or longer for the same boat category, and we sell > mostly 220-230 cm paddles for single touring boats. Harold, I should have been more explicit. After I blew out my tendons with the 245 San Juan, I could not paddle comfortably even going back to the 235 San Juan. In order to decrease the stresses on my wrist, elbow, shoulder system to the point that I did not re-injure myself, I had to back off to the shorter Lightning, which also has a smaller blade area than the San Juan. In other words, I had to work both pieces of the paddle system in the same direction. The paddle I use has a smaller blade face than the Camano, so I doubt switching from a 235 SJ to a 235 Camano would have been OK. For the record, the only time I wish I had that San Juan back is in surf. That small Lightning stick just does not give me enough push on bracing and steering, _quick enough!_ It's hell getting old! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed May 09 2001 - 13:12:32 PDT
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