So I’m trying to improve my paddling technique and learn the proper way to do things. While out for an early a.m. paddle today, I tried the “Canadian” recovery stroke. For whatever reason I couldn’t get the boat to correct. What is the trick? Is it just a by product of a 14ft solo in a headwind?
Right now I’m doing just slow flatwater. I figured the Mohawk Solo 14 would be a good boat to learn on. My theory is that if I can paddle it pretty straight with control, then a 16ft should handle better.
That takes a little time to finesse. Don’t give up. Your boat is fine. But try to practice in no wind. The leading edge of the paddle has to be a little down for correction to be effective
Calm water, no wind or current. Start slowly. The old “Go slow to go fast” adage. Take a few slow strokes with your eyes closed and feel the pressure on the blade during recovery. Play with varying degrees of upward lift and varying angles during recovery. Sometimes a little slow play around time with a new corrective stroke will offer more info than simply trying to start off paddling your boat in a perfect straight line across the lake.
When the Canadian stroke comes together for you it will be well worth the time invested. Elegant and efficient.
I don’t know the brand bc the guy who had it before me sanded them down and refinished it. It appears to be a beaver tail design and I have two lengths. 59 1/2 and 53 1/2. I measured the full length, don’t know if that is how you are supposed to measure a paddle.
What seemed to work best for me yesterday was I guess a modified goonie. I would make my stroke, then point thumb down, but instead of pushing away from the boat for correction, I just left the shaft on the gunnel with the blade perpendicular to water very close to the boat. Basically using it as a rudder. I guess there had to be some pushing away, but it was done in a way where it didn’t take my momemtum away as much as a J stroke would. Just moved my “rudder” a little leveraging the shaft on the gunnel and twisting the handle to control the blade. I’m sure there is a name for this, but I don’t know what it is.
Also, I both kneel and sit. I really like kneeling. As I continue to work on getting my knees and legs conditioned to the kneeling position, I will probably kneel more and more. Right now I can go about an hour kneeling before I need to switch to sitting.
One thing that may not be obvious is that the steering correction does not just happen at the end of the stoke, it also happens at the beginning (and maybe even throughout the stroke). Look at the angle of the paddle at the beginning of the stroke in the video…the paddler is gently driving/pulling the boat towards the paddle side so then by the end of the stroke you just need another gentle correction.
You might practice your “onside turn” to get a feel for this. Just take short strokes well ahead of you (lean forward and take 6 inch strokes that finish up by your front thwart) with the blade angled a little bit to pull the bow towards the paddle side. Once you can make the boat turn towards the paddle side it’s pretty easy to then make a complete stroke that makes the boat go straight.
I found out what brand paddle I have. It’s a Caviness Feather Light. Don’t know exactly what model. It appears to be pretty old. 1 thing I noticed is that the edges of the blade are thicker than the paddles I’m seeing in videos. What is the benefit of that? I could very easily sand the edges down thinner.
Not sure where you are located, however if can attend the Midwest Canoe Symposium in Peninsula, Ohio in September, there are plenty of instructors available that can tweak that Canadian stroke as well as present a few other in water recovery strokes, also.
@Adventure357 said:
…I just left the shaft on the gunnel with the blade perpendicular to water very close to the boat. Basically using it as a rudder. I guess there had to be some pushing away, but it was done in a way where it didn’t take my momemtum away as much as a J stroke would.
Just to stir the pot a little, I’ll be the first to say that a well-executed J-stroke doesn’t take away any momentum at all. It’s only real problem, if you can even call it that, is that the maximum cadence that you can attain is a little bit slower than what you can do using a stroke that has no correction at all (like the sit-and-switch stroke). Properly done, the correction phase of the J-stroke only lasts a split-second longer than simply pulling the paddle out of the water after no correction at all. Most people leave the blade in the water and let it drag for a half a second or so (or even longer), but there’s no need for that. Just give the blade a very slight “flip” which blends right into the motion of lifting the blade out of the water.
More stirring of the pot:
Also, if at any time all you wish to do is drag the paddle like a rudder (and it’s perfectly okay at times), you can get a lot more correction while generating a lot less drag by putting the blade farther toward the rear than would be possible when the paddle is at a location where a vertical entry is possible. Less force is needed to alter the boat’s heading when pushing sideways against the boat by means of water flow over a rudder at a location which is as far as possible from the boat’s center point, and along with that, the less force that needs to be generated by the rudder, the less drag is created. Taking this principle to an extreme, if you apply that same ruddering action at the proper location near the boat’s center point (the exact location will vary depending on a few factors), the whole boat moves diagonally and the heading does not change at all.
@Adventure357 said:
I found out what brand paddle I have. It’s a Caviness Feather Light. Don’t know exactly what model. It appears to be pretty old. 1 thing I noticed is that the edges of the blade are thicker than the paddles I’m seeing in videos. What is the benefit of that? I could very easily sand the edges down thinner.
That’s a fine paddle for recreational tandem canoeing, but I might suggest investing in something with a thinner cross-section and lighter weight. You are correct in identifying higher quality paddles in the videos. I can still remember the first time I picked up an Grey Owl Feather and held it my hands. My favorite now is a Red Tail Ottertail in black walnut. It really does make a difference when you are making the return stroke. Just don’t use it to push off !!!
Also, I think I have heard some people call your modified goonie stroke a ‘River J.’
If your thumb is pointing down, it is not a Goon stroke or a stern pry. The Goon stroke/river J/stern pry is executed with the thumb up and is sometimes called a “thumbs up” J stroke.
What you are doing sounds like what I would call a stern rudder, which could be done with the thumb up or down. It is true that the further out to the stern you can get your paddle blade, the more effective the levering force of a stern rudder or stern pry will be. The problem is, if you apply power on the blade all the way to the stern of the boat, you will be pulling the boat down into the water on much of your power phase. You can reduce that tendency by feathering the blade where you would normally end your power stroke, and keep the blade feathered all the way to the stern of the boat.
This works very well for directional control but results in a long, slow stroke that kills paddle cadence, as has already been mentioned.
Although the J stroke is smoother than the “thumbs-up J” power stroke/stern pry combo, I know some flat water paddlers who routinely use the latter in preference to the J, and they seem to give up very little efficiency doing so.
I remember back when Cliff was saying the only way you could make a solo canoe go straight was to use the “solo C” stroke. I’m glad he has moved on from that position.
Don’t worry about the c stroke. It is used for the initial acceleration. One the pivot point moves forward the bow draw part top of the C is no longer needed
I’ve spent just a little time in the Solo 14. Won’t say it won’t work, but I came away with the impression that I wouldn’t paddle it Canadian style or with an animal tail paddle by choice. I get the best results from both when soloing in a recreational tandem with a heel to the onside. The Solo 14 doesn’t need any of that, IME.
That’s a great Solo boat, BTW, for all-around use.
Hey Adventure, if your paddle has thick edges that’s only helpful for durability so if you want to try to reshape it you should try to keep it fat in the middle of the blade and tapering thinner toward the edges…that might make it smoother in the water on your recovery stroke. Cool link and info from pblanc, now I have to look and see which way my thumb is pointing when I paddle.