I guess I will do one more post to try to explain some of “The Rest of The Story”
It isn’t just about size,cadence . The article ignores entry and exit {how the stroke loads with the body’s ability to deal with the demand for force {muscle position/ extension etc} and the forces exerted on the kayak and those reactions of the kayak. {All are actually part of the package}
Part of the problem is YAW…the waggle of the bow back and forth with each stroke.
With Euro paddles for the yaw reduction, the answer has been to use a high angle stroke. The higher and closer to the boat , the better. The cost is fatigue, so most gravitate to a low angle stroke. to mitigate YAW many like to rely on a rudder or skeg or a hull configuration that resists turning.
which increases hull drag.
With a Greenland paddle and using a canted stroke,{not a flat drag stroke as the article uses} YAW is mitigated by introduction of a rotational force that wants to do the same thing as edging and that is driven against. {so altho the paddle didn’t do more… the YAW was reduced and so added to the efficiency of the entire combination} {when we first teach a new Greenland paddler the canted stroke we tell them to go slow until they get use to it, because it will tip you over until the entire stroke balance is found. {drive against the rotation for stroke power}
To reduce YAW increases efficiency
Both Greenland and Euro paddle strokes gain with a rotational stabbing motion incorporated… moving the paddle into undisturbed green water, and both gain by the movement so the water travels across the blade at an angle thus working on a wider surface and reacting to a wider surface than you see. Because of the length of the Greenland blade sees more gains more from this than that of an Euro. The Greenland blade also allows the flow of the water as it exits the blade to be smoother {better laminar flow}
Noteworthy… is that the article above seems to define efficiency as power. So size does matter and fatigue for a given distance, is also ignored.
Sorry if I got a bit wordy. I just wanted to explain some of what makes the canted stroke , the one to compare to and not otherwise.
@roym fully understand. I’ve been down that road of trying to validate paddling technique. Although I believe my findings, because I was involved, I can’t deny that the skeptics offered valid points. Its hard to convince people of validity unless you control the environment and the variable. At least the critique highlights the shortcomings and gives a solid jump off point. Doesn’t mean the research isn’t valid, it just means the next researcher needs better controls. Now its up to another person to figure out how to overcome the shortcoming of the study. That’s the joy of paddling. I have a lot of work ahead of me for the coming season.
I interpret efficiency as doing more with less effort. Wordy isn’t a problem for me. If you say something with two words or less, you ain’t saying much.
It sounds trite, and I’m not sure if I made this up or read it as a quote, but will learn from disagreeing as long as the information exchanged is valid and those involved have an open mind. This is definity true: you learn more when you lose a argument than when you win one. Ugh, is that like “Its always darkest before dawn.” Nah!
These technical points and counterpoints are mostly above my pay grade. Still, I’m a science person and I learn plenty (I think ). It’s one of the reasons I find these discussions so interesting.
@roym I understand your comments about yaw. I realized that my argument was about being able to eliminate yaw in low angle. That’s actually . . . Clueless. Its really about reducing yaw to a managable level. I dont think about low angle compared to high angle, because I can no longer paddle high consistently due to shoulder damage. However, yaw can be reduced very effectively in low angle by controling the arc of the paddle stroke and by proper edging.
Of course, that depends on the kayak. I learned that I don’t need the skeg or rudder to track straight and dont like them because they jamb, break, add weight, skegs reduce hold capacity, rudders catch the wind when up, cause some degree of drag especially in brackish water seaweed habitats, are of likited value in shallow water, make it harder “for me” to lash down the kayak in certain configurations. Plastic boats are near indestructable even when they slide off the rack, but ropping the boat can trash a $300 rudder and tear paint on a vehicle. Technique is free and once learned it servesforever. However, devices are of plenty value if needed.
I don’t fully understand all the complex discussions about efficiency and which blade has “better” performance. All I know is anecdotal: both my spouse and I, and a friend of ours, after paddling a few trips with a GP, now generally do not want to use a Euro paddle. I just like the way the GP feels way better. I can go as fast with the GP as I can with my Euro, and it’s a lot less fatiguing. I only want my Euro when it’s really challengingly windy. I imagine this might change as I learn more with the GP. I say, give both a good try and decide for yourself which you prefer.
Thank you for the offer. I think I’ll order Brian’s book and wait for the weather to warm a bit so I can work outside/in the garage and give it a go. I just found out that one of my co-workers has a power planer and jig saw that I can borrow, so that will make it a little easier.
In my experience, GPs tend to feel lighter in use than their weight would imply. This is probably due have the blade weight distributed along a larger area and the buoyancy of the blades, which you don’t get with most Euro paddles. It’s not difficult to make wood GPs that are sub-30 ounces, but that seems to be the best compromise between weight and durability. It’s also highly dependent on the wood you use, as WRC can vary considerably in density. It would certainly be possible to use something really light like basswood or even balsa, as long as you’re willing to fiberglass it. Using .75 - 1.5 oz. glass and epoxy doesn’t add much weight, but it increases strength and stiffness pretty dramatically.
No doubt that yaw is controllable in low angle paddling. It can be reduced with appropriate corrective stroke technique, by deploying a skeg, and/or by edging (note that I don’t have 1st hand experience here, but it makes sense).
However, all methods to resist lateral (left/right) motion consume energy that would otherwise translate into forward motion by paddling at a high angle as close to the keel line as possible.
@PaddleDog52, yes. I’d compare it to balancing on a bike or walking a beam. I actually first noticed it this season and believe I mentioned the hull rotation in the form of a question to you during a post. It rotates around the axis. Its become so automatic I can’t really explain it and have to pay attention this season. I believe I’m actually starting the edge before I have to and reversing before its needed. You sense needing to edge and begin to reverse before crossing through thr center. Not sure if its the same, but it must be similar to balancing in an edgey boat. After a while the jerkiness goes away as the balancing becomes second nature. All my trips this year were solo. So I didn’t have anyone to watch the action of the boat.
@Buffalo_Alice, attention to various posts made me focused more on technique this season. This is the first season I paddled only solo, so I didn’t have anyone to actually observe the motions of the boat. It doesn’t take much additional energy compared to how I use to sweep stroke, paddle multiple strokes on one side or offset the paddle. With high winds or winds from certain directions, it takes bolder edging, but its still a great improvement.
Wind seems to be common in recent years. I think that’s because I previously went out earlier in the day around 7:00 am. Now I go closer to noon, which is when I would otherwise be coming back. Since I record wind speeds at the start of a trip and wind usually builds during mid day, it probably just seems to be windier.
@bnystrom, thanks for all your advice on building the Greenland and tuning tools. Although I adapted the hand building process to include machine tools, the process helped me reduce time setup. It also helped me manage the balance and uniformity. The paddle’s point of balance was within 5/8 inch of center, weighing 2.8 lbs. Further trimming easily reduced it by 3 oz (40 oz after the oil finish). For a first attempt, following Paul’s inspiration, I feel the results were remarkable considering it started from a common big store, clearz tight grain pine 2 x 4. Using it proved more technical than I imagined.
Despite the high weight compared to my carbon paddle, I agree and was impressed by how the perceived swing weight felt remarkably low. Much of that weight is probably in the loom. Considering the range and type of motion in the high angle and low angle stroke, I’d think that overall weigh would be more tiring in high angle than low.
Building the paddle took about 5 hours to the 2.8 hour stage. Stiffness of the paddle was not an issue, so it could easily lose another 3 oz, but I don’t want tobrisk compromising the integrity of my first paddle. Athough I don’t plan to use it over my Euro, I do intend to make a shouldered design and one by laminating strips. Thanks again.
No question that wind can be a much bigger factor than most other variables. Dawn and dusk are usually the calm times here. I favor dawn because the motor boaters are still sleeping.
I did as well. Also makes it easier to finding a close parking spot. Wind use to bother me, until I figured out how to better manage it. So now I value that quiet time for coffee and wake up. Besides, birds are too noisy that early in the morning.
I gave it a whirl using Brian’s very helpful book and some videos from Cape Falcon. This is easily a $3,000 paddle if you view it from “your time is worth money!” I have a lot of OCD when it comes to measuring stuff for woodworking, always worried that I’m mis-reading the ruler and, as such, layout took me awhile.
Then I went at it with a spokeshave; my first time using that, so I had to learn how to set it up and use it. I was humming along making good progress, went to the other end of the board and learned that wood has grain! Created a big tear-out that I still have to contend with. Anyhow…made it this far in two weekends. I quit yesterday after using a jig saw to trim basic paddle shape and loom when I realized that it was 70 and sunny outside and I should be outside.
I still have a lot of shaping to do and am not confident in my skills with the block plane so I expect this to look…not nice! But I learned a lot about hand planing wood, the importance of a dust mask and, most importantly, don’t bitch and moan when a professional charges $300 for one of these.
). It’s one of the reasons I find these discussions so interesting.
