RE: [Paddlewise] Paddle length

Matt - you are so right on the importance of using the GP with a slight (or
somewhat more than slight) angle of 'twist'. Searching for an analogy, I am
reminded of how a tennis beginner hits a stroke with the racquet face
vertical, while a better style imparts a slight tilt to the face (to promote
top-spin) and also compensates for this tilt - to avoid driving the ball
into the bottom of the net ;-)

 

The top edge of the GP blade (in the water) should be nearer the bow by
perhaps an inch, compared with the bottom edge. Listening to an early
recording of Maligiaq, I was surprised at the amount of variation (in the
degree of twist) that he indicated was a purely personal preference.
Whatever works for you, obviously.

 

As my technique has advanced to being unconscious, I am still aware that my
'angle of twist' can vary quickly - even mid-stroke - to give me more
righting moment in clapotis. It's the opposite of a brace, in that I am able
to pull up on the water (mid-stroke), because I've twisted the blade
slightly (like a sub's bow fins when diving). Of course, if I need to push
down at that point, that also is possible. The bracing effect (pushing down
a bit, mid-stroke) is common to a euro blade in rough water, but I don't
remember being able to use the momentary pull-up action. Probably my bad
memory ;-)

 

All of us (teaching ourselves to use a GP) got rid of the gross leaf-flutter
action within a couple of weeks - using the twist. What remained (and
puzzled the hell out of us) was a form of very audible growl. A very
occasional effect. Imagine paddling over a gravel bar, 8" under the water,
and scraping over it with your paddle blade mid-stroke. It would give a sort
of growling crunch that you would hear as well as feel. When that happened
to us, in the middle of deep water, it was a shock and a puzzle. It must be
a form of cavitation - akin to the bad things that happen to a mis-sized
prop on a power boat. It happens most on a GP when you put in some extra
effort - accelerating hard. Making the paddle longer makes it go away. With
the 2500mm, it never happens. When I had a hernia stitched up, two years
ago, I made myself revert to my first paddle (2300) for a month - to reduce
the strain on my abdomen. Towards the end of the recuperation, I was getting
the growl back - so I don't think (could easily be wrong) that it's
something you can tune out with improved technique alone.

 

My understanding (from the museums and the books) is that the Inuit who were
most concerned with speed were those from the big mid-arctic river deltas.
They chased caribou swimming at 6 knots and had to catch up as well. Their
boats were extra long and so were their paddles - at least a metre longer
than mine - but well under 3" blade width.

 

Perhaps they were just a very odd body shape ;-)

 

Best Regards

Paul




 

From: MATT MARINER BROZE [mailto:marinerkayaks_at_msn.com] 
Sent: Saturday, 18 July 2009 08:18
To: crjungers_at_gmail.com; pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz
Cc: Paddlewise
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Paddle length

 

Narrower the paddle the higher the flutter rate and the less likely you will
know where you paddle blade will be at any given time. It is sort of a
falling leaf effect. Some blades of the same width flutter less radically
than others and that is due to the blade shape and dihedral on the power
face. Also a bigger loom will give the paddler a little better control of
the flutter. I have huge hands and I do just fine with the narrow shafts (as
even the thin walled graphite shafts on the standard size loom tend to be.
the trick is using the paddle in such a way you hardly have to grip it but
rather just push with the ball of your open hand and pull with your hooked
fingers. This will cure wrist problems too since you won't be bending your
wrist to follow the shaft angle change that happens during the stroke. The
cure for flutter (and too tight a grip with any paddle) is to use the paddle
with a wing like stroke. With a GP paddle angle the top of the blade forward
so it dives down some as it enters the water and you are pulling on it and
then reverses itself and climbs out ot the water toward the end of the
stroke (at the first half of a flutter as it reaches its deepest point).
Glide down, a single flutter at the stopping point, and glide back up and
out. As long as you get the paddle on a glide path to the side (from the
point of view of the paddle) as you are pulling it shouldn't flutter. With a
vertical wing paddle like stroke using a Euro blade you get a lot of the
benefits of the wing stroke including no flutter (without having that god
awful splashy water throwing wing blade that is poor at stern draws, low
braces, duffeks, bow draws, and skulling support strokes).
 

  _____  

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:10:20 -0700
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Paddle length
From: crjungers_at_gmail.com
To: pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz
CC: marinerkayaks_at_msn.com; paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net

On Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 7:48 AM, Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz> wrote:


My first paddle was 2300mm (96.1") and when I went longer I added 100mm to
each end - to give 2500 (98.4"). There was nothing magic (or engineered)
about the 100mm, I just decided to make it 'significantly' longer and then
trim it back until I found a 'sweet spot.' I've never trimmed it back and
all my subsequent paddles (lighter ones, stronger ones, hollow ones, splits
- I've played around some) have remained at that length.


Yikes!!! That is one long paddle. But it's interesting that I have an old
book about the arctic and there is one photo taken (I believe) in eastern
Canada with several Inuit kayaks in a line towing a whale and using VERY
long paddles. The photo was taken from a ridge above and to the side of the
paddlers and the paddles are clearly GPs and the length is striking. So
perhaps you have rediscovered something here.

So do I understand that you folks also struggled with flutter issues?

If I had a spare $400 I'd buy one of the graphite GPs or drive to California
and beg Strosaker to let me try one of his graphite blades. I keep going
back to his web page about the construction and to Chuck Holst's pages about
the wooden GPs and trying to figure out where I went wrong (with the
flutter).

I have one more almost perfect cedar 2x4 as a blank for a new paddle. It's
8' long so I could experiment with something longer.

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net <http://www.nwkayaking.net/> 
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