[Paddlewise] Paddle flutter

John Gibbs wrote:  "After a couple of weeks' paddling ... I received
shipment of an Eddyline Midswift paddle. It's nice and light, and I like
the blade size, but I notice a fairly pronouced flutter..." I don't
pretend to be an expert on this, but here's what I heard about paddle
flutter from a U.S. national whitewater slalom kayak team member:
(Assuming the paddle is not defective in design or manufacture,) the
primary cause of paddle flutter is cavitation, i.e. the formation and
separation of bubbles at the back of the blade as it is drawn through the
water. Lightweight, thin blades tend to be more prone to flutter than
thicker, heavier blades. Cavitation reduces the efficiency of the paddle
stroke, so racers try to reduce cavitation as much as possible. The
technique that they practice involves, at the beginning of the
stroke, emphasizing sliding the blade into the water along its
axis ("spearing the fish"). My own, limited experience bears this out.
When the entire stroke is one long drawing motion, there is pronounced
flutter in any of the lightweight paddles that I have used over the
years; when I emphasize a sliding/stabbing blade entry, transitioning to
a pulling effort as the blade becomes fully immersed , flutter becomes
negligible. If I again experience flutter, typically when exerting
maximum effort, it's a signal that my stroke has deteriorated and I need
to make a technical adjustment. Mike VandammGreenbelt, Maryland USA(If
anyone can tell me how to prevent Hotmail from eliminating paragraph
breaks in my posts to this list, please send advice to
mvandamm_at_hotmail.com.)  

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