Re: [Paddlewise] paddle sizing heresy

From: James Tibensky <jtibensky_at_msn.com>
Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 16:31:31 -0500
Maybe I'm missing something with my silly examples, but here goes again.

Sit alongside the water, not in a boat but on solid ground, and make a 
paddling motion with a toothpick. The toothpick slips easily through the 
water with no noticeable resistance.  Try it with a popsicle stick.  Then a 
ping pong paddle.  Then an Inuit style blade.  They all slip through the 
water, as will whatever paddle you're using.  The bigger the surface area of 
the "blade" [I sholdn't call a toothpick a blade], the less slip and the 
more resistance.  But they all slip, for Pete's sake.  If a blade didn't 
slip in the water when paddling a kayak, there wouldn't be any cavitation, 
would there??  And there would be no need to dig deep.

And we would go just as fast in concrete as we do in H2O.

I think.


Jim Tibensky

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Received on Fri May 11 2001 - 14:32:15 PDT

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