Bow Rudder Stroke: Why? Purpose?

Advice
#41

The bow is pinned
How much forward motion is needed to turn that into a moment where the wind takes the stern downwind may vary depending on boat, whether skeg deployed, amount of wind and if you are in waves trying to keep the boat broadside.

But yes, any action that pins the bow and allows the stern to move freely is more likely to result in your being turned into the wind.

#42

I described it as…
starting from a stationary position as opposed to it all being initiated from cruising speed. He turns a circle beginning from stationary, and the first stroke he used is a sweep stroke, followed by the second half of a sweep to turn downwind. In the process he creates some forward speed to allow a rudder to work. I described it this way as it is likely, while at cruising speed, that his initial sweep to turn beam to the wind and half sweep to turn downwind strokes would be modified. As someone below mentions, it can be a very dynamic environment on the water. The slower you’re moving, the more effective a sweep. As you described, the faster you’re moving, the more power you’ll get from a rudder. At cruising speed, or in high winds and chop, his direction may be quite different. He also demonstrates some strokes very deliberately initiating from cruising speed, but this “best way to turn a circle in the wind” was done from stationary. I hope that makes more sense.

#43

stupid question

– Last Updated: Jun-09-09 7:38 PM EST –

learn to paddle










:)

gotcha

#44

Yes

– Last Updated: Jun-10-09 4:36 PM EST –

Keep in mind that, in the draw and the pry, the point isn't to move the paddle but to move the boat. Generally, it's pretty hard not to have the paddle move some. (If you don't manage to move the boat, you ain't doing it right!)

The use of "draw" and "pry" are directly related to the meanings those words have in other contexts. You "draw" things together and you "pry" things apart.

(Note that, in a open-bladed bow rudder, the boat moves in the direction of the paddle.)

The term "rudder" is related to rudders on boats, which vary the angle of the blade to the direction of water flow. Rudders don't work unless there is water flow. Drawing and prying work even when not moving.

The term "hanging draw" is odd because there isn't any drawing being done. It also requires that there is water flow (ie, it requires that the boat is moving through the water).

The "hanging draw" is really a bizarro "rudder" at the mid point of the boat with nearly zero angle to the direction of water flow.

The term came from "hip draw" and "draw on the move" where you pull the boat and paddle together.

(Keep in mind that there can be lots of blending going on.)

Note that "water flow" means water flowing along the hull. This could mean the boat is moving relative to the water or the water is moving relative to the boat.

#45

if the wind gets strong enough
its the only way to point your bow into the wind—if you think you can do it with a stern rudder then you haven’t paddled in a strong enough wind yet.

#46

Duffek clarification…
Those are good links and I just wanted to add one slight clarification.



Duffek (named for famed Czech slalom racer Milo Duffek) = open faced bow draw used primarily for catching eddies with older (longer) kayaks



Modified bow draw = closed faced bow draw which is the primarily used move since most modern whitewater boats have much more spin momentum built into its design and its easier on the shoulders. Also the Duffek scrubs speed while the modified bow draw encourages it.



I would daresay that doing a real Duffek in a sea kayak is probably not the best idea since it would put a lot of strain on your shoulders and you probably don’t want to lose your speed. Most sea kayakers practice and teach closed faced bow draws.

#47

Thanks. This was a very educational
…thread, with a lot of experienced input. I appreciate it. I can see the bow rudder has not only differences in execution, but also differences in how–if ever–it is used.



I will re-read this thread tonight to learn again what you’ve all written. Thank you.

#48

Good addition!
Good addition!

#49

a stern rudder
can stall the boat out when turning into a strong wind—boat will then lee cock and you will not be able to finish the turn (by strong wind I mean over 25 knots and 3+ foot waves)

#50

Amen Brother
That was going to be my exact comment. I love being able to slide right around bends with inched between my boat and root without paddling issues.

#51

SUUUPERB POST Schizman

#52

Open faced…
… just makes me crave gravy…

#53

Try it


I use bow rudders because they pull the bow around (in my boat) very quickly, which can help in narrow/twisty places. (They are also fun to do.) Some boats respond well to bow rudders.



If you know how to do it, you can choose to use it or not. If you don’t know how to do it, you don’t have the choice!

#54

'closed face’
do you mean a pry? closed face would imply the back face would be getting the pressure? you really can’t have a closed face draw. this would be a pry.



or do you just mean less angle than a ‘Duffy Duffeck’?



steve








#55

The wonderful usefulness of the bow draw
The “bow rudder” is more often called a “bow draw,” at least here in the U.S. It utilizes similar hydrodynamic forces as the Duffek, but there are a few technical differences.



First of all, the bow draw is one of the most useful strokes in a paddler’s quiver. It can be done statically or dynamically, and can instantly be turned into several other useful strokes.



Let’s talk about the potential dynamic aspects of it. If you’re pulling into an eddy, you can use the stroke in a static manner, just setting the blade and allowing the movement of the water and the boat to create the necessary forces. However, if you still end up needing to move the bow around a bit more after all the force of movement has been used up, you can initiate a sculling draw motion (http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?808) or a draw with in-water recovery (http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?815) to keep the boat rotating. While this is more of a slalom racing move, it comes in handy in any number of situations. To train yourself to do it, put the paddle blade in the water up near your feet and execute one of the two draw strokes mentioned above, moving the boat around in a circle. The better you get at it, the more you will find it super-handy.



Then there’s the advantage of being able to quickly switch to several other strokes right out of the bow draw. The most obvious one is that you are perfectly set up for a strong forward stroke. The other is that you can move the draw stroke back to turn it into a conventional draw stroke if required. A quick lowering of the off hand and extension of the blade further away from the boat will create a brace.



The bow draw creates a much faster boat response than a stern rudder, and, as several people have mentioned, the dynamics of the boat motion are NOT the same. With a stern rudder (which is, BTW, also called a stern pry, and yes, there is also a stern draw) the cockpit position is shoved away from the turn, to the outside, which DOES slow the boat down more. With a bow draw (rudder), the cockpit is pulled to the inside of a turn, and the result is like a gimbal, where the boat follows efficiently behind.



But don’t just go by words. Practice the exercise I outlined above, and see if you don’t end up using a bow draw frequently, as it is a marvelous stroke.



William Cornett

ACA-certified kayak instructor and former slalom racer