Harold wrote: >>>>For touring, where we tend to use a lower stroke which is more restful and lower in the wind gradient, traditional makes more sense, unless we are beating into a very heavy wind for a short time, in which case switching to feathered might save a lot of energy.<<<<< While I'll admit that unfeathered paddles suffer less disadvantages than usual when used with a low angle stroke I don't seem to have any problem using feathered paddles at a low angle either so I'd appreciate hearing why you think "traditional paddles make more sense" for touring. Why "for a short time"? Wouldn't it be even more beneficial to feather if you had to paddle into the wind for a long time. Harold wrote: >>>>>>Too short a paddle in touring reduces the power of not only your bracing, but more importantly, your sweep strokes. During a sweep stroke, a shorter paddle has less leverage and the reduced reach also places the effort closer to the turning (rotational) point of the boat.<<<< I find I can make my 220 paddle into the equivalent of a 260 cm or longer paddle temporarily to gain leverage by simply shifting my hand position when I want a broad sweep. If the wind is high this has the secondary advantage of vastly reducing the leverage (length of lever-arm) the wind has to wrest the upper blade from my control while doing the broad sweep. So it seems easy for me to make a short paddle long when I need it but much more difficult to make the long paddle short during the vast majority of times when that is an advantage. Harold wrote: >>>>>>>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).<<<< If you were paddling in a light fluid like air I would agree with this (and I prefer small to medium sized blades to cut the wind force acting on me). This seems to be logical and just "common sense", however I think it is wrong, in a heavy fluid like water, once the blade area is big enough that it hardly moves in the water as the kayak is drawn past it, it wouldn't make the leverage hardly any greater if you tripled the blade area. Both the standard and huge blades would still do essentially the same thing, hardly move at all through the water as the kayak was drawn past. Those big blades would be hell in the wind though. Therefore, paddle length is by far the biggest factor determining the strain placed on ones muscles and joints during a stroke taken in water (while overcoming the same drag). A disadvantage of the longer paddle is that with the blade further from the kayak each stroke has a greater percentage of ones energy use in turning rather than propelling the kayak ahead. Another is that with the blade further from ones hands one has a lot less control over that more distant blade. While the brace may have more leverage with a longer paddle it will also take longer for one to start to brace (which I think will more than compensate) and the shorter paddle will give you better control of the blade for things like sculling braces. Paddling deeper to get the long paddle to not turn you so much has been suggested and may seem logical but in practice it is fraught with difficulties. It is hard to withdraw a deep blade for a quick slap brace, the upper blade is lifted higher and more into a stronger wind gradient and the shaft underwater is pushing in the wrong direction and working against your forward propulsion because the pivot point (of the shaft) during the stroke is now under water. Harold wrote: >>>>>>>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. <<<<<< This is true if you use an unfeathered paddle and don't practice "low hand control" with it. In that case you must lift your arms at the elbows, as most unfeathered paddlers do, (to take out the 45 degree rotation your paddle naturally goes through during switching sides before a stroke as you lift your hand --that is pivoting around your elbow--if the elbow is held at your side). This is why unfeathered paddlers tend to see so much advantage in a low stroke and feathered paddlers don't see many benefits to it. Lifting the elbows is just not a problem with feathered paddles, which naturally keep your elbows at your sides even with a high angle stroke. If you also use a shorter, smaller bladed paddle you will be lifting less blade weight, less high, thus saving a little more energy with each stroke. Harold wrote: >>>>>See Matt Broze's excellent instruction on this subject at the Mariner site (www.marinerkayaks.com). I use Matt's low-hand control technique in surf and WW or during those few and brief times when I'll switch to feathered use in a touring kayak; it works.<<<<<<< Thanks for the plug, but we strongly recommend a seasoned paddler stick with one feather or the other and don't switch to meet the conditions of the time. Switching destroys your reflex brace (once you have developed one--and you are unlikely too develop one if you do keep switching around). This is because you must think which way you are paddling before bracing. I advocate new paddlers play around with both feathered and unfeathered, left and right feathered, and different feather angles early on in their paddling careers but then decide on one way and stick to it when learning bracing, rolls and rough water skills. The only reason to switch later is if you have some problem that switching alleviates and then you should learn a new reflex brace and stick with the change. John Dowd reports having to switch back to feathered paddling (which he had not done in 20 years) when he was paddling a tippy surf ski in Hawaii's surf. He had learned his reflex braces paddling feathered as a youth and then he paddled stable Klepper doubles for the next 20 years (after switching to end his wrist problems). This was before "low hand control". His experience (and influential book) have had a lot to do with the impression that unfeathered paddling is THE solution to wrist problems. John Fereira wrote about what he learned fro Derek H.: >>>>>Specifically, if your technique results in keeping your wrists for repeatedly bending to the limit of their range of motion you're not going to have problems with your wrists. One way to do that is to bend your elbow on your control arm as well as bending your wrist. If both joints bend, neither has to bend as much. Using a shorter paddle, doesn't by itself, keep one from cocking their wrist to it's maximum range of motion. It's the technique of using a vertical paddle stroke that does that.<<<<<< Gee, one of the few things I can agree with Derek on. I disagree with bending both wrists a little to share the strain though. (Was that Derek's solution or yours?) A bent wrist is a weak wrist. The pulling wrist should be straight, but loose, like a rope. The pushing hand should line the wrist up with the elbow and the paddle shaft and then push straight in line with the forearm like a straight punch. Any bends in the system will take energy and strain to maintain and will most likely be the weak link in the system too and limit your power potential. Opening the upper hand during the stroke lets the paddle rotate as well as prevents the wrist from having to bend side to side to follow the changing angle of the paddle shaft. In other words the joint in the system should be the hand paddle connection and not your wrist. It could be in a cast without hurting your stroke. This is true for either feathered or unfeathered paddling. Try it now before you get wrist problems. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** 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 - 21:19:03 PDT
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