dont know about designs of kayak paddles
but i am sure it is just a matter of personal pref much like boats… Have you or anyone else used a Kayak paddle to solo with in a canoe… I have good J strokes both sides, so not much of an issue, but i have been thinking of trying it out
double blade paddle in canoes
Historically, both single blade paddles and double blade paddles have been used with both canoes and with kayaks. Presently, some kayakers use single bladed paddles and some canoeists use double blade paddles. A double blade paddle is NOT a kayak paddle; it a paddle with two blades.
More to the point of your question, I started using double blades paddles in a canoe in the 70s. I had be able to keep up with high school football players cranking their tandem canoes on weekend trips (showing the girls how strong they were). I was in a Mad River Explorer and my 6 year old son couldn’t provide much additional propulsion, so I turned to a double blade. Since that time I’ve been using double blades in pack canoes for 20 years.
The advantage of the double blade is its easier control the canoe in wind and it provides better speed than using a ‘J’ stroke style with single blade (never tried hit-n-switch, so I’m not sure where that would stack up for speed). The disadvantages are: Using a double blade with a canoe gets water in the canoe and on you from paddle drip. Can be refreshing on a hot day but not as pleasant on very cold days-I wear waterproof pants.
A double blade for a canoe needs to be longer than a double blade for kayaks. As always there are many variables: width of canoe? your height?, does the canoe have significant tumblehome? Are you planning to sit on the seat, kneel, or sit on bottom?
Without those specifics, I would guess at a length of 240 mm as a starting point for exploration of needed length.
Dave
I’ll take 10 of these 240mm paddles -
n/m
Sure many solo canoeists do
– Last Updated: Mar-10-11 8:50 PM EST –
but I can't quantify exact numbers.
BTW I use a kayak paddle. 230 works for me. I prefer to avoid longer paddles as they generate too much yaw with their longer lever arms. However my solo canoes are all less than 28 inches wide at the paddling station. The length and my stroke matches so that drippage is almost all outside the canoe. Sitting I can keep the blade entirely forward of mid thigh.. I cant do that on the bottom of the boat.
The length depends on a lot of variables. I use a kayak paddle because the mass produced double blades I could find for canoe were too long, klunky,heavy and too big a shaft diameter. What I don't need in long days on the Gulf of Mexico is extra weight to hold up.
Sit and switch is a reasonable alternative..but flying truly solo in big waters I just don't want to risk dropping my paddle during the switch.
thanks guys
appreciate the input, I am 5’ 9" and i paddle a Ranger Otter, about 3’ (35.75") @ middle, solo i paddle from the bow seat reverse style. don’t mind the J stroke method, am an old boyscout, or the switch even though it gets me wet too, not a big deal… I am gonna try the double blade, seems more consistent speed pos and tracking solo, esp if you all have been doing it so long. thanks
Try 230
With your added information, I change my guess of appropriate paddle length to 230 for initial trials. With a higher angle stroke (leftover from single blade days) this length should work. With a very low angle stroke (which my shoulder tells me to use) my Aleut, at about 240, works in the Rapidfire. If 230 is too short then try a 240. I keep a sponge on the bottom near the center and squeeze it out every 20 min. or so to minimize the collected water in the bottom from paddle drips.
There is one other consideration if you are getting older-my starting SS last Sept. told me I am in spite of my ego trying to tell me I’m still in my late 20s. A paddle with a slightly flexible shaft reduces the stress on the body in 4-6 hour paddles. There is no reason composite shafts can’t be made slightly flexible-I was a pole vault coach in a former life and those composite poles are engineered to really bend. While they may exist, I have yet to see (slightly) flexable shaft composite double blade paddles. Therefore, I make and buy wood shaft paddles and test them for flexibility. I put one tip on the ground and see if the shaft flexes slightly when I press on the center. If I want more flex I take out a spokeshave. Too much flex isn’t desirable, just a little in the shaft to reduce the stress on your body when paddling.
For the engineers who are reading this, no, I haven’t run experiments to prove this last assertion or define the exact amount of flex that is ideal. My consultant, a rebuilt right shoulder, collects and stores “data” on shoulder stress on every paddle and reviews this data on cumulative stress with me after every paddle.
Dave
dave
cool and thanks again… great info, i will put it to the best use poss. and ill start with the 230…