At 11:48 AM -0500 5/21/01, Dennis, Becky & Natalie wrote: >Nick Schade wrote: > >> <This is what makes the discussion so confusing. Anybody can do a test >> like yours and it would seem that you have answered the paddle >> efficiency question. But unless you do some test which measure how >> much energy each of you expended to create the force to make you go >> that fast, you still don't know anything about the efficiency.> > >Nick: point taken (the italicized text above) but that's why I emphasized the >other paddler's higher level of fitness (he rock climbs, skis, runs, >does weights >and is 8 years or so younger). It is unimaginable that I can apply >as much energy >to the paddle (my Greenland paddle) as he can (his Euro Lendal) >given he trains so >much harder than I do. But we do need some science applied here and >some on the >water tests. Who will do that? > It is imaginable that you can apply as much energy, it is just not likely you can keep it up as long. But more to the point, all you "measured" was how much force you can apply, not how much energy. And if you were at hull speed, the fact that he might be able to apply more force is of little consequence since the boat was just using up any additional energy he expended making a nice big wave without really going much faster. He would have to work much harder to get just a little bit faster. If you are both going about as fast as the boat can practically go, the efficiency of the paddle is lost in the inefficiency of the boat. If you really want to see who can apply more force, tie your sterns together and have a tug-of-war. But this is still only a force test. You don't need to apply the force efficiently to generate more thrust. Being stronger is usually sufficient. Measuring energy expenditure is more complicated, and any estimates based on how the paddle feels will probably be inaccurate. However, if you can paddle for a longer time with a given paddle I don't see any reason to go back to the one that didn't work as well for you. Nick -- Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 659-8847 *************************************************************************** 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 Mon May 21 2001 - 12:42:51 PDT
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