Trying paddles, like boats , before you buy is smart. For a starter , look at Aquabound. Good paddles reasonably priced. Go to an outfitter with a good rep and talk to paddlers who can hopefully let you try theirs.
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I’ll address that later if you’re interested. Paddle selection is your call exclusively, but I can describe whst works for me. Don’t buy a new paddle until you know what you’re trying to fix and have decided on high or low angle. That depends on whether you need immediate power or seek endurance. Low angle can be just as fast, but it’ll tske longer to get there. For example, if you’re riding waves, you want high angle. However, there’s a strong case to made in favor of a Greenland Paddle. Some avid wave riders use them, but advocates suggest they’re better for skull stroke, brace strokes and rolling. I’m not a fan, but I can point you to someone who is.
Aqua Bound are good starters because the design adds stability to your stroke. To me, weight is less important than strength and blade performance. One thing you need to realize is that buying a paddle that serves both high and low angle is not effective. You can press any paddle into service as either, but it will not work well for either purpose. I know somebody who adores cheap aluminum shaft paddles. He actually broke three or four paddles in four years of paddling (beasty man), but be can make a piece of firewood work. I still have every paddle I ever bought, and all are intact.
A paddle is a paddle. They all work. How do you select the right one. Tell a golfer that golf clubs are interchangeable. They all hit the ball. That’s very true.
As they say a picture is worth a thousand words. A video is worth 10,000 words.
I haven’t seen a video that I liked. I’m sure that’s why so many kayakers have false impressions about low angle paddling. Saw too many videos.
Make one
Nobody would watch it. I watched my 12 year old grand daughter paddle past me and it struck me as near perfect, from the paddler box, to the torso rotation, splashless catch and no water lifted at the exit. She can easily paddle 7 miles in rollingbioem water. In a series of random picture I captured of her paddling, not one has water lifing on the exit or a splash with her catch. Kids pay attention adults make excuses.
Post it people will watch it.
Maximizing speed and maximizing efficiency are different goals. Think internal combustion engines - if max efficiency (mpg) is the goal, you’ll drive way different than if max speed is the goal.
In paddling, if moving forward in a straight line is the goal, max efficiency is when a given amount of energy moves the boat forward the greatest possible distance, and that is achieved with a stroke that is parallel to the keel line and as close to it as possible.
It wont load.
You’re combining two thoughts. You bring up engines again. It has nothing to do with hand powering a boat. An engine is a separate thing. You can drag race, top off the tank or recharge the batteties and go on a cross country trip in maximum effcienct mode. You can run the engine non-stop until you get to your destination or run it continuously until it wears out, then replace the engine and go again. How does that compare to human power.
Then you inject that efficiency requires a stroke that parallels the hull. Is that an epiphany, did you read it somewhere or have you tested the theory. What does the general notion that a paddle tracking close to the hull is the winning method. Does it matter about your level of exertion, or is tracking close to the hull the secret everyone needs to go far. I assume tracking close the hull is the secret to going fastest, and it’s also the secret to efficiency. Have tried any other method did that concept come from notes during a paddling class.
It appears you’ve been formally trained on the technique of paddling close to the hull, both frantically to go fast and slow to go far. I don’t question your ability in that, but have you also been trained in any other paddling technique. Have you experimented with low angle paddling. Here’s a question: what paddle do you use, what length and sq in blades and what’s your typical cadence. How fast can paddling close to the hull take you in 8 miles, 15 miles, 30 miles. Can you maintain the same speed over 8 miles as you can in 20 miles, as long as the paddle stays close to the hull. Does it matter how hard you paddle, or will you cover 20 miles faster if you paddle harder, and how hard do you paddle if you want to go further. What does tracking close to the hull have to do with stamina.
When paddling a canoe with a single blade, the bkade tracks close to the hull, yet it typically requires a correcting stroke. If you paddle a stubby white water kayak close to the hull, will it go straight. If you have a skeg or rudder, do you still have to track close to the hull. How about a row boat . . .
The closer to the boat, the less correction you need and the easier it is to correct the yaw caused by the forward stroke during or after the forward stroke.
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Everyone keeps saying that, like it’s the only way they can manage to go straight. That must be in a book somewhere.
Paddling as close to the hull as possible is not to go straight but to minimize the yaw caused by the forward stroke.
With a double blade paddle this is not as important as with a single blade paddle mainly because of the switching paddling sides at a relatively high stroke rate with the double blade paddle.
But the main problem here is that you are trying to convince us that walking is faster than running. That topic is indeed covered in a book somewhere:
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always have been a ‘Jethro Tull’ fan, but didn’t catch the phrase until just a few years ago (quoted in GnarlyDog’s blog (not there anymore)
(We Used to Know - Jethro Tull)
…
We ran the race and the race was won
By running slowly
…
You criticize my technique yet you have no idea of my tracking. I’ve posted tracks where I allow the wind and currents to direct the boat, tracks where I use a rudder and tracks without a rudder, I posted other tracks where I use edging exclusively and ones where I rely only on paddle strokes.
I can tell you the technique, wind direction, and tide by looking at my track. I hear your logic, but cannyou demonstrate the superiority of your technique by posting a chart showing how much straighter you can track by paddling close to the hull rather than sweeping with a 250 cm long paddle that make the boat to waddle like the ducks
Does the close to the hull stroke compensate for conflicting currents, wind that opposes currents. Why these lecturesbon firm and function without detsiks to back up the claim. I don’t doubt you, I just ask you to show me.
I mainly commented on you suggestion that there is no relation between a forward stroke with a single blade paddle in a canoe as close to the hull as possible and going straight.
In a touring kayak there is much more leeway in that respect.
In a whitewater kayak it may be entirely different, and thus the high(er) angle paddling is promoted there.
That isn’t the issue that concerns me. This forum provides an opportunity for members to share tips. My problem is that a shoulder injury prevents me from paddling high angle close to the hull because my left arm can not raise above level. Ive come up with an alternative method that I believe tracks relatively straight. That information could benefit countless paddlers on this site, but the merits of my suggestions are dismissed out of hand without actually witnessing my suggestion. I hear the superiority of another technique, which I actually used until I couldn’t, yet I have no idea if others are recommending bssed on conventional wisdom, a hippie in some fly by night kayaking course offered at the YMCA, or through personal experimentation. All I ask is "where’s the meat!?
I’ve posted ten charts; five use different methods, and the other five show edging exclusively. All are in varied conditions, from side winds, to opposing winds and tides, to concurrent winds and tides. To date, I have not seen one post that demonstrates a chart that has more consistent tracking. A GPS track may be inaccurate, but it doesn’t generate utterly spurious results. I have close to 80 tracks, but have yet to see one example of a demonstration to support the superior technique. Please don’t tell me that such charts don’t exist, because that suggests that the claim can’t be substantiated. That doesn’t mean paddling close to the hull isn’t sound. I only suggest that there are alternatives that work, especially for gimps like me. I don’t mean to pile on you and don’t reject your statement as untrue or false - I paddled close to the hull for years. If I had the option for either method, I would continue my current method, because I think it actually provides far better control. However, what I think means nothing without a comparison. The members of this forum deserve factual data to allow each member to decide on which technique works for them. I’m done with this topic.
Avtually no… In my 40+ years of paddling a paddle is a paddle.
I started WW canoe, then moved to WW Kayak, and the reason we high-angle is where we paddle Creeking, and River running the width of the confluence were we run is often limited and we need to paddle fast in successive quick bursts, and generally real close to the boat. (save for bracing.)
Hence our paddles are short, and the blades are short and wide. because depth matters in the situations where you might only have 4-6 inches of depth of water and a big boulder two feet off to your left.
This is the only place that the paddle differences matter.
I can run a Kastile, high angle just as well as a Ikleos, providing i have 3 foot of depth, and at the same sqIn of blade surface area have the same performance as long as i keep the paddle overall length the same (Tip to Tip) so my swing weight is Same-Same. Same goes for low angle (which is a struggle for me but that because too much muscle memory in high angle.) but I digress, again keeping all other factors the same (and here I’d want a longer paddle shaft.) I’ll get again the same performance.
the simple defining factor for a High Angle blade shape is water depth, shallow and narrow you want wide and short. Deep doesn’t matter one whit.
don’t believe me talk to the C1 paddlers, they use canoe paddles quite high angle, actually near vertical.
Only real matter between paddles is blade surface area. and weather you can get the entire blade in the water all other constraints being equal.
to a point a high angle stroke is less concerned about blade flutter and more concerned with blade buoyancy. Low angle blades are better optimized to reduce flutter and shaft torque. but other than that there’s no real difference. I can make them all do the same thing all day regardless of blade shape or paddling style. Fact is I FAFO alot and yesterday ran both my GP, Whiskey, and Lanai Like they were a canoe paddle, no speed difference. though the GP was the easiest to do with since I could grab the top of the blade like a canoe paddle. All these paddles have the rough same blade Sqin. Speed was 4.5 mph across the board. since your SPM is halved doing this. I also pulled my canoe paddle out and ran 4.8 but that’s because of a much increased surface area so a ton more thrust per stroke.
but J’s right in this. a stick to apply force is a stick, shape doesn’t matter much providing you can get the blade entirely in the water.
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