Asymmetric blade use

Appreciate the responses to my post re: technique.

I need a bit of help re: proper use of paddle. i bought an “asymmetric”

paddle. I know that the slightly curved side faces rear of boat, in other words I am not using paddle backwards. My question concerns the asymmetry (angle of the blade). I have been out a couple of times and only paid attention paddle not being backward. Does it matter how I hold the paddle in terms of what tip of the blade enters water?



Assume these two lines are the edge of blade / \ do I hold paddle so the blade enters as in the left line or vice versa?



Hope this question makes sense…

asymmetrical blades
Yes, it is possible to hold and use a paddle with asymmetrical blades “upside down”. It will actually work pretty well that way.



Many paddles with asymmetrical blades have a manufacturers name and logo on the non-power faces. If so, hold the paddle so that the print would be right side up to an observer looking at you from the bow of your boat.



If your paddle does not, go to this link and scroll down to the little section on “asymmetrical blade shape”. You want to hold the paddle so that the blade is oriented to the water as shown in the diagram:

http://www.wernerpaddles.com/paddles/design/

Hold it like this
\ \ / /

\ --------/ /

___\ /____/



Ok I’m really not good at this sort of thing but the outside edge of the paddle should be narrower at the bottom than the top. If it supposed to help reduce twisting the paddle and does work some if you use a low angle stroke and do not bury the blade all the way before you start moving the paddle.



If you bury the blade all the way with a proper catch before you start moving, I cannot see how it would make a difference.

paddles used to be rectangular shaped
If you lowered them into the water straight up and down, water would be distributed evenly across the face of the blade. And if you pulled straight back, it would stay that way (see clever diagram).



surface of the water

|| your hull ||



But that’s not how biometrics work. We don’t lower the paddle straight into the water. The shaft is at an angle to the water, and when we put our blade into the water, it goes in at an angle too. The whole idea behind dihedral paddle faces was to try to compensate for that so that when our paddle goes into the water at an angle, water is still distributed evenly across the face of the blade (see clever diagram #2).



surface of the water

/_/ your hull _<br />


Ideally the “water line” across the top of your dipped paddle should be parallel to the line at the lower tip of your paddle blade. Many things are supposed to result from this design. One is reduced “flutter” – the propensity of your paddle blade to develop a mind of its own and dart back and forth in the pull phase.



This isn’t exactly what you were looking for, but I found a video I think you’ll like:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMzQqIiTPsU&feature=plcp

Looks like this holding paddle


_____ … ____

_========/
/



This is fun :slight_smile:

good job
only you forgot one part

_________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________

_Werner
==============/Werner/

paddle
good job

Posted by: bowrudder on Jul-22-12 3:54 PM (EST)

only you forgot one part

_________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________

_Werner
==============/Werner/



Sorry; Mine says ACCENT