Re: [Paddlewise] paddle sizing

From: John Fereira <jaf30_at_cornell.edu>
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 17:29:28 -0400
At 08:55 AM 5/12/2001 -0500, Dennis, Becky & Natalie wrote:
>Is a "hanging draw" a static draw while the boat is in motion, or is it a
>sculling draw?  And what do you do with it?
It's the former.  It is a static stroke (that is, once the blade is in 
position it isn't
moved).  The paddle shaft should be near vertical and close to the hull.  The
blade should be just behind the hip and ever so slightly angled such that the
leading edge is just a bit outside the trailing edge.  The upper body should
be rotated toward the side with the paddle in the water.  The boat should 
travel
sideways.  It can be a tricky stroke to master because too much blade angle
causes the paddle to move away from the hull and cause the boat to turn.  Too
little blade angle and the leading edge will turn toward the hull and the blade
will start to move *under* the boat.  If you don't react quickly it's easy to
capsize and you're not in a good bracing position.

I often use it when I am paddling up to a dock and want to come up 
parallel.  It's
not really an aggressive stroke.  If you need to move the boat sideways quickly
(ie. to avoid an obstacle) while on the move, a "draw on the move" is better.
Basically,  you reach out to the side with a fairly vertical shaft and the 
power
face toward the hull and parallel to it, and draw the blade straight toward 
the boat vigoursly. 

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Received on Sat May 12 2001 - 14:31:32 PDT

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