Rolling with a wing paddle

For those of you using a wing paddle out there - can you tell me whether you are using a C-2-C roll or some hybrid sweep roll? I am getting introduced to the Rapier 20 now - and know a roll is in my very near future! (as I HATE to bail out)



Heading to my local lake this afternoon to get some practice in - so any wing-paddle rolling tips are welcome. Thanks.

Have you seen the Kayak Roll DVD?
I just bought it and I feel it explains the mechanics of one particular way to roll in great deal of detail. That roll should be perfect for the Wing paddle. Go get a copy if you can. I have a very reliable roll in the conditions I paddle but it is not yet as precise and effortless in “combat” situations as I’d like. Found that DVD quite helpful in emphasizing lots of details, some of which I did not necessarily think about. The troubleshooting and teaching sections are also useful, especially to someone who already rolls…



Just make sure you have good contact with your braces - until I padded-up my Rapier in the right places, I could not really roll it well as I would move about too much. Especially relevant if you have a squishier seat than the original (e.g. Bumfortable or another foam seat, like I did).



Back to your roll question: the wing works better with some slicing motion vs. just a C2C kind of motion alone (makes sense - it’s a wing so use its lifting prowes by slicing through the water as opposed to pushing water with it). While my Rapier allowed me almost a full layback, it has a decent amount of freeboard, so lazy layback rolls did not work anywhere nearly as well as they work for me in something like a WS Zephyr for instance. Seems like a quick slicing/sweeping roll with not too much layback works well in the Rapier with the wing.



All that said, I never really felt 100% comfortable rolling the Rapier 18 when tired and in conditions that would make me capsize in the first place. More practice would have cured that, but without proper otfitting for rolling, I did not put the effort into it so I never quite “tamed” its rolling aspects -;( Never such issues with the Z, which I can roll in pretty much anything I would dare to paddle…

Got it…
Thanks, Kocho. I bought that DVD about 4-5 years ago and like the way it taught mechanics along with the great underwater footage and troubleshooting sections.



I have never been comfortable with a C-2-C roll as it seems reliant on timing of paddle/hip snap more than the other rolling techniques. I am familiar with the “screw roll” but wasn’t sure if the wing would want to dive with that cupped power face.



I will let you know how it goes…



Scott

both work
Both c2c and sweep work quite well.



I prefer the sweep, it is more graceful and technical in my opinion.

If …
you haven’t already discovered this, rolling with a wing is quite amazing. The extra lift it gives is incredible. It will help you to succeed with a shaky roll and bad form. A sweep works just as well as a C2C.

don’t know what I use
My roll works on both sides and is easy. Don’t know what it is called but it starts with the paddle parallel to the hull and the body tucked forward. Just the slightest sweep of the blade closer to the bow and a little tuck and flick and I’m up. That said, there’s no use for it on the ski or k1 since you fall out of those if you go over. Plus, if I fall off (or ever brace to stay in) I lost the race. Better not to get off balance in the slightest in the first place.

Above + please don’t push off the bottom

only a back deck rol is imho a bad idea:

How did it go?
N/m

extended
I do an extended sweep roll with my unfeathered wing so I know exactly the orientation of the blade. Lots of support from the wing.

Thanks for all the responses!!
…and the winner is…



both the C-2-C and modified sweep/screw roll. Either worked brilliantly and my only problem was too much hip flick as I window-shaded several times. That 17" wide round hull had just as little primary/secondary coming up as it had going down! Yikes… Had to learn to “put on the brakes” with a brace on the opposite side when coming up.



Thanks again, all!!

Great! Now, try it in …
… waves and full winter gear to see if it still works -:wink: Mine did not work all the time in those conditions, while working pretty well in calm waters in the R. Hope yours is better and works all the time. Maybe you won’t need the Taran after all - the R20 will leave that in the dust anyway -:wink:

.
I found with very skinny hull, a screw roll works better because it’s not so much of a all-or-nothing roll.



It offers a better feed back of where the hull is (up side down or right side up) so you know when to STOP the hipsnap!



Also, keeping the head down (as should be) helps to resist window-shading a bit.