On Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 10:42 AM, MATT MARINER BROZE <marinerkayaks_at_msn.com>wrote: > What limits are there > to making and using a longer paddle if longer is better? How about a 100 > foot > long paddle? Can we agree that there is an optimal length for any given > paddler and kayak? > I think that any "optimal" length would also have to include variations for use and not just paddler and kayak. A paddle for surfing would not be the same as a paddle for sprinting or a paddle for covering long distances efficiently and effectively. What happens if we are able to produce a zero mass paddle? How does this affect our ideas about how long a paddle "should" be? Well I can think of a couple simple ways just off hand. Even at zero mass a very long paddle would not be suitable for surfing or white water because of the greater chances for contacting the bottom, rocks, trees, etc. and the necessity to keep the paddle blades clear of higher nearby waves. But it might be entirely different for a paddler trying to simply cover distance. With zero mass it seems to me that the single most important limiting factor would be the paddler's ability to overcome the water resistance multiplied by the length of the lever arm. A strong paddler with slow-twitch muscle structure would be far more likely to find a very long paddle useful. But I bet it would annoy the crap out of someone with fast-twitch muscles. As someone here said a few posts back, we seem to be approaching zero mass paddles with the new technologies; and the mass at the end of the stick is the most important part. With the right paddle blades, the right mass, and the right type of muscles I can't see why a very long paddle might not prove to be a good idea for some paddlers desiring to cover ground quickly. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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 Fri Jul 23 2010 - 11:29:55 PDT
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