Cape Fear. Thanks. Yes.
Alanoleson, my husband was left-handed. Neither of us found any use for thinking of a hand as controlling.
@string said:
Me too. I guess we’re not great thinkers.
me three, for heavens sake, been paddling around 35 years, feathered (right & left), unfeathered, euro, wing, greenland (not so much), and couldn’t tell you anything about a control hand (hey, get your mind out of the gutter).
It probably says more about why I can do but not teach.
@raisins said:
It probably says more about why I can do but not teach.
You teach well because you skip all the extra talk and just go for what’s not working after observing.
I briefly flirted with feather (or was that Heather?) for a short time when I first started out. I quickly found that it did me no good and have paddled neutral ever since. Reading this thread I’m glad to have done so because it seems way too complicated.
Sparky
When my husband and I started things were loosening up, but in general folks still got started off with some feather. With the advice that if it didn’t work for you try reducing/removing it.
What got both Jim and I to no feather was starting to learn rolling, seemed to simplify things not to have to to adjust the paddle side to side.
Subsequent to that the emphasis on high angle paddling dominated. And more people messing with Greenland or Alook paddles. To feather or not got very optional in many circles.
@Sparky961 said:
I briefly flirted with feather (or was that Heather?) for a short time when I first started out. I quickly found that it did me no good and have paddled neutral ever since. Reading this thread I’m glad to have done so because it seems way too complicated.
I did the same. A paddle was one of the first things I bought for myself instead of using equipment from the club. The very reason was that the club paddles had fixed feather, and I wanted to paddle unfeathered.
However, I have after some years discovered that paddling unfeathered with an euro paddle makes my catch sort of sloppy. I do not twist the paddle enough before the catch, after taking the other blade out of the water. I still get a paddle stroke, but it is less efficient.
When I paddle feathered, my catch on the right side of the boat will automatically have the correct twist (at least if I used the correct amount of feather). So here I will get a good catch and an efficient stroke. And on my left side, I will be forced to think about twisting the paddle so much that I get the same quality of catch on both sides of the boat.
So paddling feathered from time to time can in my opinion be good for avoiding to get sloppy.
Hey 12t, Not only will you not have wrist issues with the Greenland paddle, you also don’t have to think about the right side being up or the power face being right. All these feathering words… unnecessary.
Here’s another little detail that some paddlers including myself might have a difference of opinion. I’ve read paddle ads that pointed out that their paddle shaft was oval shaped to fit your hand more comfortably. I’ve always thought that it is oval shaped so that you can sense with your hand that the blade is indexed correctly to enter the water. Whether, or not the oval feels better is secondary–or so goes my thinking. I’ve never broached the subject with a manufacturer. Anyway, I’m very happy that my paddles have oval shafts (in the hand areas).
The oval shaft may help some. The feel of having some water under your blade, or behind it for forward paddling, is more tangible to me.
If you look at your closed hand, it tends to be oval shaped.
String, I get that. But my most tactile feeling with the paddle to solve a paddling problem, upside down or right side up, is how well my blade is grabbing water. Whether the shaft is round or oval is not noticeable compared to the feeling of water supporting the blade.
@magooch said:
Here’s another little detail that some paddlers including myself might have a difference of opinion. I’ve read paddle ads that pointed out that their paddle shaft was oval shaped to fit your hand more comfortably. I’ve always thought that it is oval shaped so that you can sense with your hand that the blade is indexed correctly to enter the water. Whether, or not the oval feels better is secondary–or so goes my thinking. I’ve never broached the subject with a manufacturer. Anyway, I’m very happy that my paddles have oval shafts (in the hand areas).
Thanks for the thought. Don’t think our paddles are oval (Werner something) but I find myself checking the orientation of the blade as it enters the water-- mostly when I’m not moving through the water at a rate I would be expecting. Hafta check tomorrow. Hoping to go out around 7- 8AM for our first morning paddle ever.
Coffee still comes first!
Well being a novice, I’d never thought my little question would stimulate such and in-depth discussion. Thanks all.
My wrist was still sore the middle of this week from an all-day lesson I had two weeks ago. Then I tried to play volleyball at a corporate picture outing and off course punged the wrist that was still sore within 90 seconds of playing and it got really sore when I bend it. But I went out for two hours of practice yesterday anyway, no feather and concentrated on a looser grip with both hands. Zero, zero, zero, problems with the wrist (that’s still sore) from paddling. So I’m going to stick with that strategy for a bit. I may try feathering again at some point as a learning experience but for now, I like non-feathering as it seems to place less stress on my wrist.
Thanks again all for the thoughtful and informative discussion.
-l2t
12t You may bump into advice to feather in order to produce a more powerful stroke. It is surely worth trying as long as you can do it without unduly stressing your wrist. Losing the death grip is the first step, and most people starting out need to lighten up there.
The part about feeling, or sensing when the shaft is right for the blade to enter the water is mostly for when you are feathered. This eliminates the need to possibly glance at the blade to be sure you aren’t about to dive the blade.
@Yooper16 said:
Don’t think our paddles are oval (Werner something)
They are probably egg shaped rather than oval. At least both my Werners are. You can feel a little bump, approximately under your 2nd knuckle when the hand is in the correct position.
@Allan Olesen said:
@Yooper16 said:
Don’t think our paddles are oval (Werner something)
They are probably egg shaped rather than oval. At least both my Werners are. You can feel a little bump, approximately under your 2nd knuckle when the hand is in the correct position.
You woulda thought that after questioning what shape our paddles are -round, oval or whatever- that I would have checked.
Nope, never even gave it a thought to do so. But you probably are right, as it doesn’t feel round but doesn’t look oval.
Thanks!
Its another beautiful morning in “da UP” 