hard to think how paddle can lock in water. Video left me wondering it looked fairly locked .
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At speed, we are lifting the boat out of the water and pulling it through the stroke. Itâs like a pole vault on liquid. Yes, the blade is mostly locked in place when it is planted. Even though water is fluid, it can take on solid like characteristics. Think of belly flopping a 100 foot dive.
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Are you sure?
I have been taught that the boat sinks (heave) deeper into the water with speed and the common forward stroke contributes to that, especially when pushing more than pulling.
And that is also why there are also angled forward double blades or bent-shaft single blade paddles that reduce that effect.
Thatâs what I was I taught. Watching the power phase of the stroke, Iâve always observed the boat lift out of the water slightly. Iâve never seen it dive when the blade is in the water phase. More specifically, the idea is to pull the boat towards the paddle at the point it is locked n the water. Mind you, Iâm not talking about the average relaxed paddler, Iâm referring to Olympians and athletes.
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Difficult to see because the boat is also pitching thus I cannot judge the net effect.
Logic somehow tells me that when your pulling arm is pointing downward, you are also pulling yourself downward overall.
@kanoniem other videos explain the same thing mountainpaddler is describing. The bosts are roughly 17 ft by 20 inches and weigh 26 lbs; the hull is designed to lift with each stroke and minimize the bow wave that pulls most displacement boat into a trough; the seat swivels to the faciitate the rotation; the high cadence takes advantage how water can be like concrete as thr paddle strikes and lifts the boat.
Compare it to a 170 Tempest: 17 ft x 22 weighing 57 lbs. The 31 lbs additional weight of the boat alone displaces 3 gallons and 3 quarts additional water (talk about drag and additional weight to LIFT and accelerate).
The impressive performance is aided by the boat design, low weight and long narrow hull, the athleticism of the paddle, the high cadence doesnât give the paddle much time to react to the âbelly flop slapâ.
If you watch the videos, you can see the boat lift. Next time you go out in a boat like a CD Solstice GTS, 17â 7" x 22" weighing 48 to 52 lbs, try the technique on thecway to your next camping trip with 60 lbs of camping gear. HOO HOO! That would be like pitting your Escalade against a Hellcat.
The key to propulsion is to LOCK your paddle. The more âeffectivelyâ, with the key word being âeffectiveâ, the more efficient your power transfer will be. How you do that each paddlerâs secret. No doubt the Olympic model is superior.
Itâs good to see somebody can do that
I see more pitching in stead of lift (if that is the same as heave), but that is perhaps my bias.
When poling a canoe, I can make the boat lift because the pole has solid resistance from the bottom and I am then more or less hanging on the pole.
With my (lightweight) kayak and a too long paddle it sometimes feels I am `liftingâ the boat but it could well be pitching.
What I do understand from John Winters is that boats sink with speed.
I canât paddle like these guys 172 SPM but I do try to minimize pogo and yaw effect when going fast.
To quote Dylan:
But it ainât me, babe No, no, no, it ainât me, babe It ainât me youâre lookinâ for, babe
@kanoniem you make a valid point, especially when considering that what goes up, must come down. The question is: does the advantage of lifting the boat compensate for the resulting plunge.
A sea kayak designed to handle rough conditions and carry cargo is no match for the âFastest Kayakâ - different paddling technique altogether. An additional 31 lbs ballast might very well sink that racer. Iâm curious to see the speed averages from a race course extended to a full mile, 3 miles, 10 miles, and 30 miles. That doesnât diminish the accomplishment of an Olympic athlete, but it surely would put the feat in perspective for those who have fat boats, diminished capacity and have less time for training and conditioning. My curiousity is at what point that paddling technique no longer proves effective.
Too often the topic of speed among kayakers elicits the suggestion to upgrade the boat, change paddles, use a rudder . . . how about just trying to improve the efficiency of the stroke, rather than resorting to karate screams, which ironically do help.
I can only trust that the science explained in the video is accurate, otherwise, the winner wouldnât be the fastest. Unless the narrator is offering false information, but that seems unlikely.
In the meantime, Iâm still on my own trying to figure out how to lock a small square in blade on each stroke to go faster. Ironically, the most common sentiment is that speed isnât everything. No debate there; I just want to be able to compensate for my age and disabilities, while protecting my body from further damage, so I can accomoplish what I did when I was 61 years old. Thatâs enough for me, because u
You can only exceed the hull speed of pf a displacement hull by a few tenths mph. Racing hulls are for racing and are not true displacement hulls. Besides, Iâm not sure Iâd want to go 11 mph in a kayak without a seat belt.
@kanoniem regarding boats sinking with speed, you are partially correct. The effect of the bow wave and water returning after the passage of the hull displaces the water causes a valley. The wave builds in front and the back. The energy to climb the bow wave grows exponentially as the bow climbs and falls back.
The effect is most notable in a power boat getting up to speed. The bow initially climbs as the stern sinks to where it appears to be near the water line. Then it transitions to planing speed, sometimes helped by fins on the motor, longer planing boxes, repositioning the angle of the motor. That results in it skimming the top. Most planing hulls have a sharp entry and a flat stern.
I admit I like to paddle fast, at least as fast as I can,
also because I think it can make you a better paddler,
and the advantage of being able to paddle fast for me is
that it enables me to make better headway against a strong wind
or upstream when ferrying.
If I couldnât make a decent headway againts the wind,
I would paddle a lot less where I live.
Nevertheless when it is about paddling technique, I always wonder
whether we have to be able to run well to walk efficient.
Most touring paddlers just do not have the torso rotation available
that is used by Sprint paddlers and the like.
And what I do know from some of those,
is that they (later) have some serious back problems 
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you can only go so far with a inefficient hull. Glide is important also.
all hulls displace or they wouldnât float.
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" roughly 17 ft by 20 inches and weigh 26 lbs;"
Even narrowerâmost are 16+ inches wide. They are unbelievably tippy
I agree wholeheartedly.
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Good stroke will only take you so far. You need everything.
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Thanks
@PaddleDog52 does a boat that weighs 31 pounds more displace 3.73 gallons more water, and does that add additional âwetted surfaceâ or am I on a different topic? Or is my present location confusing me?