I’m hoping for the best, but expecting it to give me problems for sure. All I can do is try and see how it goes. The weather is bad right now, maybe Thurs or Friday I can go rent one for a day. Local shop rents them for around $40 a day. I do have a good little bit of info though. Today my wife reminded me that while in 2015 on vacation in Montana, we did go down the Flathead river in one of those big guided rafts with like 6 other people in it. Like a 2hr float. We all had single blade paddles and I paddled. Neither of us remember me crying about my shoulder or anything after. So I got that going for me. It’s weird how some stuff hurts it and some doesn’t.
The race thing is really about just doing that whole 130 mile bayou at one time. The support/logistics structure would all be in place. Just a fun thing. I’m into the endurance distance stuff. I primarily raced Enduros on the dirt bike. Now, I could totally see myself competing in the future, but not so serious right off the bat. I’m more into the exploring part of paddling right now. Just want to get out and see some stuff and cover some water.
Of course that is how the dirt bike racing started…“I just want to go ride some trails and check out the woods” LOL! Within 2 years I was traveling all over the South racing 20 times a year. Ha.
As luck would have it, my local paddle shop has a Wenowah 13’ Fusion solo kevlar canoe for rent. $49 So tomorrow afternoon I’ll be on the water paddling for a few hours. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes.
Well I went for the test paddle. Spent about an hour paddling. Hated the Wenonah Fusion. Too small. I’m 6’1 230#, Felt like I was on a SOT Kayak. Seat was too low for me. I used both a single blade and a 250cm double blade. Double blade definitely was easier to control the boat, although the paddle was too short in length I believe. I got fairly wet from the water dripping down the paddle shaft. Not a big deal, but it annoyed me. I guess a proper fitted paddle and some instruction would hopefully eliminate that.
My natural stroke tended to be high angle. I tried the low angle bc I could feel my shoulder didn’t like the high angle. Low angle might have been ok with the correct sized paddle. Single blade felt ok on the shoulder, but I lack the skills to control the boat with it… I’ll see how the shoulder feels tomorrow. I can definitely tell I did something to make it hurt a bit. As far as boats go, for sure I can cross any solo canoe under 14ft off the list.
The Fusion looks like a really wide and short canoe. I have friends who own a Wenonah Vagabond which is slightly narrower, and they use a 260cm double blade paddle.
I bet you would like a Placid Boatworks Rapidfire or a Swift Keewaydin 14 or 15. Before I decided to stick with a kayak, those were some choices I was looking at for paddle touring. I think folks paddle race both of those canoes. They are both pack canoes, so you sit low in the canoe and use a double blade kayak paddle. Sort of like a canoe and a kayak had a baby.
Was going to go put my Tempest 170 in the water today since the temp is in the 60’s. I watched a few rolling videos incase I was brave enough to try it. While watching, I couldn’t help but think that way the shoulder/control arm appears to be used during rolling, will cause problems for a paddler w/ a torn rotator cuff. Using my paddle I did the motion in the air, not good. Looks like I will need to just bail and climb back in.
Definitely will be restricted to flatwater cruising until the rotator cuff situation gets sorted out.
an Angel roll on the unaffected side, with the loose arm left along the body, a forward sweep with the unaffected side as the outward one and the other {affected side} tucked close to the belly, a screw roll with the elbows tucked tight to the ribs and the paddle used and an extension of the shoulders and not extended. {hands right by the shoulders, not extended} Forward sculling…hands and paddle as an extension and in line with the shoulders. these are a few you should be able to do. {use either a Greenland paddle or an un-feathered Euro to cut the warble} Shotgun roll would also work…but I think the Angel roll would be more useful in a real world situation.
even a simple lay-back standard Greenland roll would work, if You kept your elbows tucked and use your paddle as an extension of your shoulder line {hands only move out to the side and not up, over the shoulder line. Most rolls are accomplished more by the proper body movement rather than paddle movement.
Best Wishes
Roy
After rotator cuff surgery I have had no problems with paddling or with repeated Standard Greenland rolls in training, either with a Greenland or Euro paddle. This is with a rotator cuff that still cannot tolerate using a saw or resuming playing fiddle. I use as short a paddle as will work with whichever kayak I’m paddling. I also select a paddle with small blades. Both these practices are the equivalent of being in a low gear, so kayak speed through the water depends on increasing one’s cadence (stroke rate per minute) to compensate. This is kinder on my shoulder. We change down gear when cycling up a hill so as to reduce leg strain, and this is a similar technique.
The recovery from my rotator cuff surgery was far, far less of a problem than my total knee replacement.
Nick.
@nickcrowhurst said:
After rotator cuff surgery I have had no problems with paddling or with repeated Standard Greenland rolls in training, either with a Greenland or Euro paddle. This is with a rotator cuff that still cannot tolerate using a saw or resuming playing fiddle. I use as short a paddle as will work with whichever kayak I’m paddling. I also select a paddle with small blades. Both these practices are the equivalent of being in a low gear, so kayak speed through the water depends on increasing one’s cadence (stroke rate per minute) to compensate. This is kinder on my shoulder. We change down gear when cycling up a hill so as to reduce leg strain, and this is a similar technique.
The recovery from my rotator cuff surgery was far, far less of a problem than my total knee replacement.
Nick.
Wow. Rotator cuff easier recovery than knee? My Dr told me the complete opposite.
My knee recovery was horrible, in fact I’m still in the recovery phase 2 1/2 years later. Of course it was a huge trauma injury that almost caused me to lose my lower leg.
Dude, just keep hoping the epoxy and fiberglass repairs on the rest of that body surfing board continue to hold up. You really did a number on yourself.
The shoulder is a knotty issue, and rather than try anything as difficult for the shoulder as a roll, you are some steps you should take to test that damaged wing:
low braces (better to stop a capsize than learn to roll)
test a high brace where your hands never elevate above the chin, and your elbows stay tucked under your shoulder (a lot of rolls are, essentially nothing more than an extended duration high brace where you provide the force instead of the wave)
hip snaps, particularly for you, as you don’t want the upper body to do a lot of work in a roll. While supported is best (you can do this while holding on to a dock or person). Make sure you have good contact with the boat and practice bringing the hip toward your ear. This pushes the boat down and under your butt and you will feel it bob up once it is supporting your body weight once again.
make sure you are limber enough to lay on the back deck comfortably (if your choice of roll requires same). After all your injuries, it may require some adaptation of position to execute some types of roll.
Yeah, the knee replacement (for me, anyway) has limited some range of motion and I have to put my right leg in first whenever I recover or enter the boat. Aside from that, I was cycling to work within a few weeks afterward. You probably had so much other damage that recovery is going to take a lot longer. Some injuries linger for a long time (I dislocated an ankle 20+ years ago and it will still give me a reminder every now and then) and may never recover to one’s satisfaction.
Baby steps until you find the stresses the shoulder can or cannot safely withstand.
One problem in paddling with an injury is that the body is off-kilter now. It might try to compensate (without your knowing it), possibly enough so that you think everything is good enough.
Then something happens–an unexpected force hits you (wave, strong eddyline, collision with a rock, etc)–and your off-kilter body cannot handle the tweak from a new direction.
You are much more vulnerable to more injury when you are already compromised.
If PT has not recovered the shoulder, it’s time for surgery. Then more PT and strengthening exercises, then lessons, noncompetitive practice…strenuous activity, especially strenuous unfamiliar activity, should wait till after these.
Nick’s suggestion to paddle with a short paddle is good. Over the years I kept reducing the length of my paddles. It does promote more torso rotation, and it is easier on the shoulders. I won’t bore you with the list of injuries I’ve done to hip, both ankles, foot, lower back, ribs, neck, both shoulders, and wrist. From bicycling, hiking, slipping on ice, paddling, and from learning to (STARTING to learn, actually) ride a motorcycle. No matter what part or activity, continuing when the injury is not healed tends to lead to more injury.