I agree with high angle paddlers that a 240 cm Camano is probably at least 20 cm (or 3.9 inches) longer per side for high angle paddlin. g. Primarily because the blade not only has to plunge 3.9 inches deeper to get a comfortable catch, but it has to withdrawn at the end of the stroke to clear the water before it drops (the paddle is 94.5 inches) to the catch. The additional length complicates the exit, because it must travel further to clear the water (the complication is it tends to lift and fling water, which weighs two lbs per pint). It diesnt matter to me how anybody paddles, and high angle seems most prevalent.
My 12 year old grand daughter mimics my stroke, down to the paddler’s box. If you watch people, you will mimic faithfully. Not to denigrate the popularity of high angle approach, but rather than simply accepting it as kayak doctrine, take the kayak outbof the picture. I previously suggested a double bladed snow shovel held like a paddle and feather the blades if you prefer. The shovel can have any size blades or handle length. Change the angle to suit, then shovel some smow and let it fall of the blade. Would you shovel snow like that? Does it give you a mechanical advantage? If it works in a kayak and it feels good, keep doing it.
I can tell you flatly that a 230 cm paddle will not work for ME! Use what you like, but it will not work for me, because I have to reach. If you have to reach, you’re wasting time and energy. By using a longer paddle. I increase the duration of my power stroke, but unlike with the high angle stroke, there is not reset lag with a properly executed low angle stroke. Put a 98 inch pole in your hands and suspend it (my deck is 16 inches, minus 3 inches (+/-) draught of the boat) at 13 inches off the ground. Dip it until it touches the ground. Then try it with a 7 ft pole. The shorter length places the off side tip higher in the air, which reduces cadence. Cadence is how a longer pole with a smaller blade makes up fir a loss of blade area. Someones perception means nothing unless you can quantify it with some measuring device. You can not push physical output beyond aerobic capacity. Pushing .5 mph over your threshold can last maybe 60 seconds before your metabolism kicks the hormones into high gear to clear out the CO2 that acidifies the blood and cuts performance even more. You body fights to clear the toxins or you will disorient and die. Look it up in a medical book. Better yet, go and do it. The effect can be measured with a heart rate monitor, by watching a drop off in speed (which I posted with spikes followed by a red line tracking the decline. Maybe that’s just me. Maybe someone else has a different physiology. Going aberobic is your body kicking into high gear to preserve your life.
Count your cadence with your favorite paddle. Increase your speed until you you can’t carry on a conversation without pausing to catch your breath. You just went anerobic. Keep pushing at that rate and your speed will drop off. I estimate it falls for three time as long as your gain (that’s just a wild guess), but you can see the effect. That isn’t intentional, its automatic because I ran out of steam. Each time I peak, that’s one or two minutes of depleted energy that will take 24 to 48 hours to recover. Don’t believe me? That doesn’t matter to me. My logs are specific to me, but they demonstrate actual conditions and results. Anyone can either accept or challengeand make their own charts to validate progress.
You don’t need power to go fast. You can do it with improving your paddling effficiency. Stop blunting the water with the paddle at the catch (splashing off the front of the blade. Stop lifting water at the exit because it adds up to to 3 tons, 2 lbs at a time.
There can be a difference between a paddle ferling better and one performing better.
When I finish my torso rotation at the end of the power stroke, the next cycle has the blade poised directly over the catch point. For me, that’s a 250 cm paddle. The blade drops inches to the water rather than 7 or 8 ft. A 250 cm paddle reaches 3.93 inches further. A 240 cm paddle reaches 2 inches further than a 230 cm paddle. if you’re using a 220 cm paddle for low angle, that must look comical, but if you like it, do it.
Trading a 220 cm low angle paddle for a 210 high angle paddle has les to do with high/low paddle as much as paddle length. Using a 210 cm paddle of any style for low angle is just not practical. My 240 cm Camano felt good. It took a year before I really appreciated the difference. Using a paddle with greater dihedral feels better, but feeling better doesn’t necessarily equate to higher performance. Larger blades don’t equate to faster "average speeds. You will get higher spikes, but it may result in lower averages overall. Nobody EVER talks about the benefit of staying on glide. How much energy does it take to make up for a 3 second paddling pause. How can you know if you don’t have a speedometer. Everything you do from the moment you swing the first power arc is depleting energy stores. If you paddle 100 yards and float, why are you even reading this.
I have sepsis induced arthritis in my left shoulder joint that is missing the tendons thst hold it up. I hear kayakers bragging about the after action Ibuprofen surge. I take nothing, because I have no pain. I figured out how to go faster with less effort. Is it faster than somebody paddling high angle with a big blade? I think its faster, but people don’t back the assertions up with data. Most paddlers don’t know their cadence. Count cadence to 60, then look at the GPS clock. I typically hit 72, unless I push and it tops around 80 spm. Why would anyone think a 99.7 sq in paddle at 72 to 80 spm would be slower than a 107 sq in paddle at 50 to 60 spm. Or a 95 sq in Shuna or 94.5 Cyprus woukd be faster still. That is delusional, unless the cadence goes up, but I can’t top 80 spm, even with a smaller sq in blade. I could go up, but then my endurance would suffer. I had too much time in a bike saddle and kayak seat to believe hyperbolic claims.
) are the same - it doesn’t take the differences between paddlers into account. Quite reasonably, those with shoulder, hip, or other physical considerations may necessarily need to deliver energy to the paddle blades differently than those without.