feathering a paddle

Perfect Answer Jack
That was great Jack.



For me, I started that way 40 years ago for some unknown reason. It grew to be habit. Now doing it any other way seems awkward. I paddle whitewater and flat and it’s the same both ways. The only time I change now is when I am in very strong downwind situations in open water. One time we were making over 4mph going down wind with nothing but our paddles out on the Homossasa River. For this we took the feather out.



Which way is better? The way that works best for you.

.
Another popular explanation comes from white water slalom - paddle feathered at 90deg allows to clear gates better.

with my wing
I actually do put just a tiny amount of feather, but leave my wrists mostly fixed. I find it lines up my left side better.



Ryan L.

Not exactly
I don’t feather, maybe I’ll throw in a slight feather up to 15 degrees once in a while. Nor do I care about anyone’s opinion of what I should do here, so I don’t have a dog in this fight.



But to be fair to all sides, wind resistence is not the only argument for feathering. I have heard extremely good paddlers - people who most on this board will never match in a lifetime - argue for feathering because it creates more efficiency. Basically, you get to the power phase more readily. I have seen them paddle and I certainly can’t argue they are wrong - or keep up with them.



People will do what they need to in order to keep their joints safe and get the speed they need. Feather, no feather, bent shaft, straight shaft… as long as the stroke is safe for the person’s joints they’ll be back to paddle another day. That’s really all that matters.

another reason for unfeathered
No on-side or off-side for rolls or braces.



Also, never have understood the rotation issue. With a feathered paddle the stroke on one side is exactly the same as with an unfeathered. One only has to rotate on the other side. So half the stroke is the same whether feathered or unfeathered and only the other half is different (rotated). I think.

80 - 85 Degree Feather Works Best
For me when using my Onno Lever Lock Wing to obtain the best angle of attack for propelling my surfski effortlessly and efficiently. This setting allows me to plant the blade with maximum force at the catch and keep it at a straight up and down vertical position until the boat pivots past it.

The real reasons
Feathered paddles and beliefs that feathered paddles are better have been around a long time. No one really knows why they became the norm. What has also been around a long time are justifications that don’t make any sense, like the wind argument. One argument for feathered paddles that does make sense is wind resistance based on boat movement (what sailors call apparent wind). If you are racing it makes a difference, especially if you adopt 90 degree feather. If you aren’t it is trivial. The main advantage of unfeathered paddles is symmetry. But whatever the case if you are used to a feathered paddle it will take you some time to adjust to an unfeathered paddle. I know since i did that. The reverse is also true. You cannot judge either by going out and paddling around a bit.

Try paddling into the wind.
If you really want to know why you feather your paddle, try paddling straight into, or very close to a very strong wind. It won’t take you long to figure it out. I’ve paddled into winds that would stop you dead if you present a flat blade to the wind. For most mortal beings–myself included–this is only likely to happen on a day when the wind is gusting to high velocity. I don’t think I have to explain why.



That doesn’t mean it’s the only reason to feather. If you paddle with some feather all the time–fine, but when you’re really going to windward in a breeze, you’re going to want to present the edge to the wind.

'they do not apply that to GP paddlers’
I feel like such a fish taking this bait but here goes:



The GP is canted and just isn’t affected by wind the way a euro blade is. Where the GP really shines is in rolling. I’m convinced a great number of paddlers have problems learning to roll on both sides because their euro blades are asymmetrical; feathered.

Try paddling with the wind
at your back or from the side. That is why the wind argument makes no sense. The wind does not always come at you from the front. I have been in side winds that would rip the paddle out of your hand if it was not unfeathered.

Ergonomics of feather???
I see several people here say that the ergonomics of feathered paddles are better.



Let’s for a moment ignore the real positive effects of strong feather in upwind wind or for slalom, or for through the surf use, let’s just focus on ergonomics.



Can anyone tell me why they say any amount of feather is more ergonomic for them compared to non feather? Be specific. And please, don’t include reasons such as I’m used to it or others who have stars in their title do it :wink:

this has been fun
I put up the OP to see how much discussion I could raise on a question with no wrong answer. It has also been educational. Thanks all.



Harry

You have to go back to the 1930s…
When “canoe” (meaning kayak and canoe) slalom racing was first standardized floating buoys were used instead of hanging gates. A 4 second penalty incurred if the paddler’s boat or body touched a buoy. After hanging gates became standard a 2 second penalty was added if a paddle touched a gate. At that point paddlers started using 90 degree offsets to reduce the chances of touching a gate and getting a 2 second penalty. In that context, at that time, a 90 degree offset was “best” and all the top athletes were using that offset. The paddling community forgot about the context and adopted 90 degree offset as the “best” all around offset.



Wrist injuries were common and people started toying with the idea of less than 90 degree offset. A 1979 of study of Olympic paddlers suggested that 60-65 degrees was “best” for the paddlers studied. However, no extensive research was published to support that claim. Since then there have been almost no studies on the biomechanics, kinematics, aerodynamics, or hydrodynamics of the benefits (or lack of benefits) of offset blade angles. The studies that do exist or case studies of a few paddlers, or have inconclusive results.



All of the “evidence” is anecdotal and, in my opinion, it is created and applied after the fact to “justify” using different offset angles. Reducing wind resistance and biomechanics are the most commonly stated reasons for feathered paddles, even though there is no evidence to support those statements. In reality, it doesn’t matter why people use a feathered paddle, as long as it is safe, effective, efficient, and comfortable for them.

Currently there is a market Catch-22
Manufacturers make feathered paddles because consumers predominately purchase feathered paddles. Consumers purchase feathered paddles because manufacturers predominately make feathered paddles.



Over the years the standard feather angles of whitewater paddles have dropped from 90 to 60 to 45 to 30. Currently, most major manufacturers offer 30 degree offset as standard on their whitewater paddles, and some offer other angles as well. Last month Werner made the decision to stop offering 45 offset whitewater paddles as standard (you can still order them as a custom angle). The decision was made because over the span of two weeks this winter Werner’s top four retailers (coincidentally) drastically reduced their orders for 45 degree angle whitewater paddles.

agreed
If one is paddling upwind and the wind is so strong that it may rip the paddle from one’s hands, one has bigger issues. I’ve only been there a few times but lowering my stroke usually minimizes the issue.

because they are “them”, not “you”

culture
Good posts. This becomes cultural: students get into kayaking, take a class, are taught to paddle feathered, grow in experience, become the next generation of teachers and teach their students feathered – sometimes without questioning fundamental beliefs.



A year ago I taught a forward paddling class with Ken Fink. During our discussion I mentioned that I used a wing paddle unfeathered and he was simply flabbergasted and shocked. He did not deny my claim and he respects my skills, but the idea that you HAD to feather in order to paddle a wing with a high stroke (to square the non-controlled hand blade) was so ingrained in his mind, that he no longer questioned it.



I find there are many things that we learn in kayaking 101 that we take as gospel and never question again. For example, when you start to use a GP or a wing you quickly learn to throw away advice that was once commonly taught such as “never let your pushing hand cross the center-line of the kayak”. These ingrained beliefs are difficult to shake and cause confusion because often you don’t even realize that they are part of your thinking (or muscle memory).



Challenging ingrained beliefs, either within yourself, or the paddling community, is not easy. Skills become vested, especially among individuals and organizations that teach and certify them, so change is always a messy, turbulent process. Muscle memory doesn’t like change, so any change feels awkward and strange for a long time.



Having said all this, please don’t think that I am endorsing unfeathered as “the way”. Both feathered and unfeathered have their strengths and weaknesses. A good paddler will understand this and excel with the method they choose.



Greg Stamer

A benefit not listed yet for feathering
I am a high angle paddler that normally does not feather my large blade paddles. When going straight into a head wind the blades develop a lot of spray when raised. In the summer not a big deal, even welcome on a hot day. In the cold, not fun. Feathering at least 60 degrees cuts the ice building spray a lot.

As for the purpose
of feathering, I agree with bowrudder. The wind resistance thing only works if you’re paddling directly into or against the wind. I’m usually not that fortunate.

2nd that
I truly believe that this is an example of “chicken/egg”

I taught a class with Ken Fink as well, my experiences are quite similar to yours.



Here is an article on K4 paddling - http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/other/16543560/awesome-kayak-foursome-do-it-easy/

reading the article is optional, but a cursory examination of picture is mandatory. Additional attention is suggested for paddle blades out of the water.



Now, these are world class paddlers, probably even top world paddlers, even though they are from the bottom. Looking at the picture one could assume that all 4 are at the same phase in paddle stroke, since they are a highly synchronized and successful k4 team. It is safe to assume that all of the paddlers for k4 were chosen for their skills and not good looks. Then, attention is quickly drawn to the paddle that looks a little bit different form others - 3rd from the left. After some flight of fancy one could surmise that the blade appears to be at a different angle to the camera than other blades. Now, some angles can be realy strange when a picture is taken with a wide or ultra wide angle lens, but by geometry constraints a very narrow angle, or long focal range lens was used. Hence, the angle of the top blade is different, and not just by a fraction, and that paddler is good enough for a top k4 team.

Then one says WTF,I guess everything I ever learned on the internet about feather angles must be just plain wrong?

Oh yeah, just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t mean it is the only right thing to do.