[Paddlewise] The old days- '80s

We had a tight bunch of paddlers back then in the northeast. From Maine to
NJ they were. We ran many trips that we all travelled long distances to
participate in them. 

 

My first boat was a Mariner Escape. My first paddles were Klepper  paddles
about 9 ft long.

 

As a canoeist, I had shoulder problems. The high (left) hand/shoulder in my
canoe stroke would rapidly become inflamed and painful after a few hours of
paddling. I liked kayaking because I could keep my arms down. As long as I
kept my arms down, my shoulders were not a problem.

On the rivers, with my old Phoenix Cascade white water boat I used a 6.5 ft
(200 cm) Iliad, 90 degree offset paddle. As Joe said, you can't use long
paddles with boats built to turn easily. The trick with ww boats is to learn
to paddle in a straight line, with sea kayaks to learn to turn the boats.
White water requires constant rapid turning. There must be no resistance to
turning. I could use a 90 degree paddle because paddling in white water is
intermittent, not constant. 

 

The Iliad has a big blade. I rolled by shifting my grip back to the base of
the rear blade. A group of us went out to a lake several times a week to
practice rolling. We did not miss rolls. The first time I ran a class 5
river (Gauley, WV) the trip leader asked me one question only. Could I roll
my boat? Yes! I went over 5 or 6 times that day-did not fail to roll.
Another fellow broke his boat in half and walked out on the railroad tracks.
Another paddler swam so often he was exhausted and also walked out. A third
paddler swam several hundred yards of the longest set of rapids. That was
scary to watch. River right ended in  a deep "keeper" hole. The swimmer was
fighting like hell to swim to the left side to miss that hole. The current
was taking us all toward that hole. The swimmer made it far enough left. I
can still remember looking down into it as I shot by the edge of it.

 

But sea kayaking requires unrelenting wrist flexing for offset paddles often
resulting in tendonitis. One of my first paddles was a 9 ft klepper paddle.
I marked degrees at 5 degree intervals on the shaft at the ferule. Then I
turned the offset angle until the rotation from left-side stroke to
rightside stroke was just matched by the rotation achieved by lifting my
left hand to my chin when going to the right hand stroke. With only a trace
of wrist rotation, that was 70 degree offset. 

 

I called Werner and asked them to make me some long paddles with 70 degree
offset. I remember it well. They said you can't do that. No one makes
paddles with less than 85 degree offset. Happily, they made what I asked.
And what is acceptable today? Dogma, ever a pain in the ass.

 

I had another paddle, don't remember what it was. Was it a Lightning? I can
remember every paddle I ever had. Except I broke a paddle off Newport, RI
one day while surfing some waves breaking high over a ledge. Poof, two
single blades. I don't remember what that paddle was.  I tried to put my
spare Klepper paddle together, but the ferule was too corroded. I borrowed a
spare paddle from another of our paddlers. Hard to paddle with two long
handle single blade paddles. Didn't have those hand paddles.

 

Dagger boats without rudders are hard to use with a long paddle-no
resistance to turning there. Must use shorter paddles. Dang boats are like
white water boats, but they are good for teaching rolling.

 

My problem with short GP paddles is that when I pull one through the water,
nothing happens. There is no obvious resistance to pull against.

With my long paddles, put blade in water, feel the resistance, set feet,
rotate shoulders/torso, drive boat forward past the paddle blade, blade
holds its position in the water, boat leaps forward. I like that. End of
stroke, opposite blade is in position, I just drop it into the water and
rotate torso the other way-boat leaps forward. It suits me! 

 

In wind I just keep the shaft down. It does not catch the wind from any
angle.

 

Chuck Sutherland
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