Joe P. wrote: >>>>>A WW paddle needs to be shorter for two reasons. First of all, a WW kayak is much shorter than a SK and has more pronounced rocker. The paddler must paddle close to the side, vertically, to keep the boat going straight. A long paddle forces a stroke far enough away that the boat is turning instead. Too, with a long shaft doing a vertical stroke is an awkward position and perhaps risky since your arms are extended above your head. Secondly, you are likely paddling among rocks or other features that a long paddle will be striking. That could knock you over or damage the paddle. It could also prevent you from making the stroke you need to. My WW paddle is 202 cm, but I use other paddles up to 240 cm in length. They work better in different water situations and also for different boats. So paddle length, as mentioned by others, is partly determined by the rest of your equipment as well as personal predilections. <<<<<<<< I don't disagree with anything Joe wrote above (except for the number of reasons a WW paddle needs to be shorter). But I think the main reason the WW paddle needs to be shorter is because the WW kayak is being stopped and started a lot so it needs a short paddle to have the low gear ratio advantageous for doing those quick starts and stops. I was only making the point that a WW paddler doesn't seem to need a long paddle to brace effectively and that, in fact, a long paddle would be a disadvantage even for just bracing because it is slower, more awkward, and the blade is too far away from the hands to control well in turbulence. I wasn't suggesting that a WW paddler might benefit from a longer paddle or that there weren't other good reasons to use a short paddle (as Joe's response seems to imply). A 240cm paddle or something close is certainly needed in the back of a very wide double kayak (and the front paddler's paddle can't be too much sorter and keep the same stroke rate). Long paddles have there place, but I don't think a relatively narrow single kayak is that place. *************************************************************************** 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 Wed Jul 21 2010 - 13:59:00 PDT
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