Re: [Paddlewise] rolling and sculling brace with wooden paddles

On 30 Aug 2004 at 19:14, K. Rasmussen wrote:

> A couple of years ago I was at a pool practice and happened to try a
> friend's homemade wooden paddle to do some sculls and braces.  I was
> amazed to discover what a huge advantage it was over a fiberglass
> paddle.  I don't have a bit of difficulty using a fiberglass paddle to
> roll or scull, but the wooden one floated and developed lift, and
> tended to zip effortlessly to the surface.

The relatively thicker edges of wooden paddle blades make them a 
little less prone to dive than thin composite paddle blades.  
However, I've never found a paddle of any type that is inherently 
likely to climb to the surface.

Greenland-style paddles (GP) are good for sculling, since they tend 
to be self-orienting.  You can get the paddle to scull without diving 
without forcing the blade to take a leading-edge-up configuration as 
you would with a standard composite blade.  That's about as close to 
moving effortlessly to the surface as I can imagine.

My own experiments with paddles I've made reveals a slightly better 
sculling behavior with rounded surface GPs than with flatter surfaced 
ones.  That is the cross section of the blade is shaped more like a 
lentil than a sausage.

Mike
***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************