Agreed. I’ve found using a paddle designed for a high angle stroke to be helpful (I use a Shuna).
Also agreed, but more resistance doesn’t necessarily mean greater efficiency or speed. Imagine reaching way out (as far from the keel line as you can and still fully immerse the blade) - your stroke would form a wide shallow arc and you’d feel a lot of resistance, but the result would not be an efficient conversion of paddler energy into forward motion of the boat.
I am using a comparable Braca Hurricane 60 paddle blade.
But what kayakers call a “high angle stroke” is pretty low for me as a former canoeist…
With a double blade paddle I am now at around 45-60 degrees angle where I used to paddle with an almost 90 degrees angle when using a single blade paddle.
That’s the theory, but with a double blade paddle I can paddle as fast with both techniques but with less effort when moving the blade outward a bit (not a wide shallow arc of course but subtle). The ‘theory’ of a wing blade is based on that idea, probably because you can use the rotation of your body better.
We are on the same page. I most frequently paddle a canoe (Northstar Magic) with a double blade (Werner Shuna). Although I have not estimated the angles, I’m quite sure mine is closer to vertical when I use a single blade.
@kanoniem you raised a very good point. The widely accepted superiority of Wing paddle for speed shows that a paddle line close to the hull is nothing more than preference. That same paddle track can be used in low angle paddling to great benefit. Criticism of low angle paddling convinces me that few kayakers understand proper technique. The description of the paddle arc, catching at toes and other terms is a give away. Dipping hands in the water, bending, reaching, pushing, pulling and all the contortions sounds like a workout on the rings in a gymnastics event.
@kanoniem seems to be a dicotomy about paddle length when discussing double blades for canoes and kayaks. Whereas long paddles for a kayak are frowned upon by most kayakers, it seems that a double sided paddle for a canoe would have to be at least 10 cm (3.9 inches or 2 inches per side) longer for a canoe. The reason is the difference in seat height, which is near the waterline for a kayak and several inches higher if seated or kneeling in a canoe. Some of the speeds posted by a few canoers is impressive and surprises me, because I previously didn’t think canoes that capable. It shows that a single bladed paddle is well suited to the canoe design, if the paddler knows how to use it.
I’m at a loss to understand the use of a double bladed paddle in a canoe. Although I use a 250 cm Kalliste low angle paddle in a 24 to 24.5 inch wide kayak, I can’t imagine it being adequate to reach an effective low angle catch from the seated height, considering the width of a typical canoe. My curiosity is stirred when so many consider a 250 cm kayak paddle to be unreasonably long; I wonder if those same opinions are consistent when applied to a canoe: Is a 250 cm double sided canoe paddle unreasonably long?
I’m no fan of high angle paddling because I think it ruined my shoulder, and I didn’t even try to bring the blade as close to the keel line as most suggest. The joint articulation from such technique is stressful, and the height that such a paddling style places the off side blade above the water hampers cadence. If you were able to add 25 strokes per minute to a cadence of 50 strokes per minute, by using a lower angle to bring the blade closer to the water . . .
A reaction that low angle paddling makes your boat waddle like a duck, indicates that you don’t understand how to paddle properly at low angle. You can think that you do, but you don’t. Study the wing paddle stroke and adapt the blade track to low angle technique. Otherwise, just keep doing what you’re doing if it makes you happy.
If anyone is experiencing shoulder pain and popping pain killers after a trip, you might want to analyze your technique.
Regarding the hands touching the water during the paddling cycle, I’d consider one of two possibilities. You’re either built like a garden gnome or you’re over reaching for no good reason.
Wing paddle has to move away from the hull to work like an airplane wing creating lift. My understanding but I never used one.
Yes, it catches near the boat and roughly follows the first part of the arc but departs on a tangent away from the boat as it aproaches the apex of the arc. If the stroke holds through the arc, it becomes a sweep stroke. A Euro paddle can follow the same track for efficient power and a straighter course than how most kayakers apparently paddle, which is why their boat waddles - they’re making repetative sweep stroke. One advantage of the wing style paddle stroke is that it slices up and out of the water at the exit. It sheds water, but doesn’t lift it.
Something to realize is that a pint of water weighs about one pound. Count the cumulative weight of lifting one pint 60 times each minute, every hour. Hard thirsty work, eh, what?
A paddle blade like this:
also has to move away from the hull a bit to create some lift.
The wing paddle blade is just designed to do a better job in that respect.
My lack of experience with wing paddles will be obvious, but I’ll ask anyway:
Why would you want to create lift?
Lift can be used to pull yourself forward with your paddle.
A wing paddle blade just does a better job in that respect than other blade shapes with the right paddling technique of course.
In practice this may give you the opportunity to go faster easier.
That center seam creates dihedral, to help water run off the trailing edges of the blade. You can also see that feature on Indigenous paddles like the Alutes.
The center ridge helps to part the water and balance the blade as water sheds more evenly from each half of the blade. A greater dihedral angle improves stability, but offers less resistance because the water slides of easily.
A typical Greenland paddle should be held at a cant to help shed water from the lower trailing edge. That reduces flutter.
The Euro is an efficient design that combines light weight to strength and a large surface area for greater resistance. Dihedral stabilizes the blade to keep it perpendicular to the water which improves the paddle’s pulling power that moves the boat forward (remember, the paddle should remain relatively stationary while the boat moves).
So why have dihedral on a paddle if the point is to have the paddle remain stationary. I believe moderately priced paddles are designed to accommodate less efficient paddle technique. Comparing the low angle Werner Camano (100.7 sq in) and the low angle Kalliste (99.7 sq in) was virtually indistinguishable, until I learned to take advantage of the Kalliste’s superior blade shape. After a few seasons of using the Kalliste, the difference in feel, maximum speed, and average speed was measurable. Ironically, I can’t see a measurable speed difference between a 240 cm and 250 cm Kalliste. All Euro paddles are not the same, because all paddlers are not the same. High angle paddles are less affected by the way a paddle shaft inserts into the back of the blade like a “shovel back”.
The red Camano paddle has that style of connection. In the high angle stroke, that back might actually enhance stability in a tip first high angle stroke however, in a low angle stroke, the black Kalliste is streamlined so it enters smoothly with less turbulence and bubbles that diminish the resistance. Less dihedral on the Kalliste means that form and consistency of the stroke makes it less forgiving. Yet by tracing the wing stroke, I believe the spoon shape contributed a degree of stability lost by less dihedral. I tried a 220 or 230 Ikelos, which is the same design but wider. I liked the feel, but the wider blade induces more torques than the Kalliste, which fatigues the hands over long distances. My very low angle of attack (hands follow the contour and barely clear the kayak deck) requires a long shaft. Since I lock my arms in the paddler’s box, a wider grip changes the fulcrum point. Power comes from torso rotation. Power is built incrementally to reduce stress and the high cadence keeps the glide. To be efficient over time requires focus and proper form, but the effect can be measured by a flat line with shallower speed spikes and less fatigue.
You need to be your own judge of paddles, based on your strength, technique, and whether you seek a paddle that’s better in sprints, waves, distances, or a casual outing. Don’t buy a new paddle unless you can identify some objectionable feature of the paddle you are presently using - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The My goal is greater speed with less effort. High angle paddles offer more power at the expense of anaerobic energy usage. Low angle is better suited for long distances. If you keep your hands as low as possible and mimic the power cycle of the Wing paddler, you can reduce the lag between exit and catch to reduce fluctuations in speed from falling off glide. Higher speeds are possible without higher exertion, if you accelerate gradually.
@Buffalo_Alice, the lift generated by a wing paddle isnt mych, but from what I read, it may be around 3%. When paddling at speeds of only 6 mph, that means an average increase of close to .2 mph.
Lift is not only created by an airplane wing, a fore and aft sail powered boat can travel up to around 45° to the wind, because the sail acts as a wing with the jib directing the airflow like leading edge slats. A parachute is also a crude wing, and the modern square models are very effective wings.
I believe the motion through the water creates a degree of resistance that allows the paddler to pull the boat forward. Additionally, the movement of water over the wing’s “airfoil” shape and the right angle of attack generates a small amount of lift; which pulls the paddle forward? Although I can’t attest to the physics, I do believe that mimicking the wing paddle stroke helps to increase the efficiency of the low angle technique. However, I’m not certain the effect is as much a result of lift as it is from improved efficiency in the way the exit sheds water rather than lifting it.
As a side note, according to the wing paddle blade 'inventors’ Stefan Lindeberg & Leif Hakansson, the ‘wing’ paddling technique came before the ‘wing’ paddle. So they just adapted the blade shape for Sprint paddling to a shape that creates more resistance (by more lift) when using this technique (exaggerated body rotation).
My so called 'euro ’ blade does the same but much less so.
Good to know. I believe that based on my experiments with the technique. @szihn posted some paddling videos. The first video showed using pressure on the foot pegs to accentuate the hip rotation. That’s interesting. Although I dont endorse using using footpegs while pushing and pulling on the paddle to increase speed. My experimentation shows that just causes the blade to slip and wastes energy. It does increase speed, but at a great expenditure of energy, like going into afterburner in a jet engine, or jackrabbit starts at a traffic light.
For most people a correctly done forward stroke with a high angle Euro paddle and using hip rotation keeps the blade close to the side of the kayak through the entire stroke.
With a wing paddle, that is really designed to be used as a high angle paddle but often isn’t, the paddle naturally moves at an outward angle from the catch, again using hip rotation.
Contrary to many people’s belief, the wing paddle does not move forward in a forward stroke, but it uses the lift generated by its shape to reduce slippage more than a euro or Greenland paddle.
Greg Barton does a very nice explanation about the paddle blade moving out and the wing paddle blade design taking advantage of that:
Although I follow his suggestion regarding grip width and catch close and exit away from the boat, the concept of the paddle creating lift is counter-intuitive to me. For short sprints, the energy wasted in the paddle slipping isn’t missed. Compare that to tires spinning in a dragster, it’s almost an acceptable compromise - so “IF” the paddle slips, thevidea of it creating lift is beneficial. Still, I wonder how much that lift actually contributes to speed (3%, or .1 to .3 mph) maybe?!
There’s a big difference between burning all the fuel reserves in a one or two gallon fuel tank for a 1/4 race. Its another matter to burn fuel wastefully over a 500 mile course. Similarly, it makes no sense for a jet to stay in afterburner on a 500 mile trip, unless speed is critical.
Hand powering a kayak has to consider the energy source for the duration of a trip. The romance of the athleticism, the science, the formulas and theories sound convincing on paper because trained professional athletes hammer down a straigh line with water flinging all over the place is romanticized in headlines, but do the math. I can hanmer away anaerobically for about 30 minutes. If I manage to keep it up at a rate of 5 mph, that my energy is depleted within 2 miles. So do the math at 6 or 7 mph, or base it on 45 minutes of energy reserves. How do you change that stroke to cover just 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 or 30 miles.
Paddlers who race have a more refined physical condition than the average bear. If you want to emulate that level of performance, you better be slapping water like you would be punishing a speed bag and be doing it at least three times a week.
Before anyone new to kayaking dreams of emulating these paddling tactics, do the math.
Indeed, I am now at a stage where I suspect that most touring kayak paddlers would perhaps be best off with a high aspect ratio paddle blade (so-called Greenland paddle).
I got a little curious about this discussion and wing paddles and came across this, it may be of interest to some readers:
Yes, that is a good article, except for the notion that
“An effective wing paddling stroke is a little different from a flat-blade stroke”
where a flat paddle blade is often not flat but slightly curved and is then used about the same way a wing paddle blade is used. The wing paddle blade just works better for this kind of paddlling forward.
