I’ve tried paddling with the blades feathered a couple of times, just couldn’t get used to it. Is there any real benefit? I seem to paddle just fine with both blades lined up. I typically paddle lakes, 5-10 miles depending on how much time I have that day.
I started with the blades lined up many years ago and then tried feathered and liked it better
Now it seems uncomfortable if I try it with them lined up…
What ever you are most comfortable with is the way to go.
The only slight advantage to feathered “might be” on a very high windy day
@JackL said:
I started with the blades lined up many years ago and then tried feathered and liked it better
Did it take you long to adjust? I gave up after about ten minutes, because I kept slapping the blades against the water. I probably should have tried longer.
The only slight advantage to feathered “might be” on a very high windy day
I’ve heard that, too, but IMO if the wind is high enough that I can feel it actually pushing my paddle, maybe I should think about getting off the water, lol.
The main advantage of feathered is that it teaches/forces you to rotate the shaft correctly before the catch.
When you row unfeathered and lift one blade out of the water, the other blade is not at the correct angle for the catch. So you will have to bend your wrist backward to align the blade for the catch. Or - which is probably what most of us do when we row unfeathered - just make the catch without fully adjusting the blade angle and accept that we don’t get full bite. This situation will be exactly the same for both blades, so you will not feel any difference between the blades.
When you row feathered for right hand control, with the amount of feather adjusted to fit your paddling style, the right blade will catch the water at a good angle, and you will get good bite without you having to rotate the shaft after lifting the left blade out of the water. The left blade, on the other hand (haha), will now catch the water at a really bad angle and get bad bite. The difference in bite is unacceptable, so you will automatically feel forced to rotate the shaft before you put the left blade in. Consequently, you get good bite with both blades.
Never liked feathered paddling. I tried it a few times and decided the advantages of unfeathered were the way for me. I think everyone should give both ways a fair shot when starting out but you’re likely to find out quickly which feels right for you.
@Sparky961 said:
the advantages of unfeathered were the way for me.
Interesting. What do you consider to be the advantage of the unfeathered configuration (that I currently use)?
@Allan Olesen said:
The main advantage of feathered is that it teaches/forces you to rotate the shaft correctly before the catch.When you row unfeathered and lift one blade out of the water, the other blade is not at the correct angle for the catch. So you will have to bend your wrist backward to align the blade for the catch. Or - which is probably what most of us do when we row unfeathered - just make the catch without fully adjusting the blade angle and accept that we don’t get full bite. This situation will be exactly the same for both blades, so you will not feel any difference between the blades.
When you row feathered for right hand control, with the amount of feather adjusted to fit your paddling style, the right blade will catch the water at a good angle, and you will get good bite without you having to rotate the shaft after lifting the left blade out of the water. The left blade, on the other hand (haha), will now catch the water at a really bad angle and get bad bite. The difference in bite is unacceptable, so you will automatically feel forced to rotate the shaft before you put the left blade in. Consequently, you get good bite with both blades.
Which way do you think is easier on the wrists? I try to rotate them as little as possible, the way I currently row.
- Rolling and bracing are more natural. You don’t need to train your brain to avoid slicing one or the other blade to the bottom.
- Using your paddle as an outrigger for entry/exit both blades sit flat.
- Stowing your paddle temporarily under deck rigging front and back when leaving the boat is easier because it’s flat.
- The two custom paddles I purchased only have one hole, so I don’t have to fuss with finding the correct hole when joining halves.
There might be more but those are what come to mind at the moment.
Someone could probably counter my list with the advantages of feathered but if it turns into an argument, it’s absolutely unwinnable by either side.
I find a paddle with the blades at least a little offset to be easier on the wrists than a completely un-feathered one, but this might be different for different folks.
In whitewater, or when trying to paddle out through big surf, a paddle with a lot of offset can be advantageous because the blade in the air can slice through waves with less resistance than an un-feathered paddle.
Feathered kayak paddles came from European slalom racing. Whitewater kayaking pretty much evolved from whitewater slalom. Highly feathered blades were advantageous because with the blade in the air more closely parallel to the long axis of the boat, gate touches with the upper blade were less likely.
The business about feathered paddles being better in the wind is pretty much bogus. For every wind direction in which a feathered blade is advantageous, there is at least one other, and often two, for which feathered blades are detrimental. Highly feathered blades are particularly bad for those using a high angle stroke in strong crosswinds. The feathered upper blade catch a lot of wind.
My Greenland paddle isn’t feathered (obviously) nor is my Euro. I’ve read that using a feather in strong headwinds is helpful for some, but I’d be using my GP in such conditions.
Did try paddling feathered but it felt unnatural and sloppy.
Seems to be personal preference as some coaches at the symposiums I’ve attended use a feather and others don’t.
If your wrists hurt, by all means experiment with various feather degrees. If not, as Jack said, go with what’s most comfortable for you.
@pblanc said:
The business about feathered paddles being better in the wind is pretty much bogus. For every wind direction in which a feathered blade is advantageous, there is at least one other, and often two, for which feathered blades are detrimental. Highly feathered blades are particularly bad for those using a high angle stroke in strong crosswinds. The feathered upper blade catch a lot of wind.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this fleshed out quite so well. You do hear the “better in wind” argument a LOT. When I was trying out feather I did experience a lot of what you’re describing. I tend to prefer a higher angle stroke, so maybe this is part of the reason it never felt right for me.
Also, note that I don’t do any whitewater paddling or big surf, so the advantages pointed out in these situations would provide no benefit for me. I’m into Great Lakes multi-day touring and day paddles both on the lakes and in slower rivers.
Now the big question…
Right feather or left feather?
@grayhawk said:
Now the big question…
Right feather or left feather?
both (actually, I guess, all 3, un, R, L)
@StakedPlainExplorer said:
Which way do you think is easier on the wrists? I try to rotate them as little as possible, the way I currently row.
This probably differs from person to person.
With an unfeathered paddle, you have to rotate both wrists equally to get a perfect catch at both sides. Or you can rotate less and get an unperfect catch. I think that most of us when paddling unfeathered will rotate our lower wrist and let the paddle shaft slide in the upper hand. Or rotate both wrists simultaneously.
With a right feathered paddle, you have to rotate twice the amount of the optimal rotation with an unfeathered paddle. But only when you make the catch with your left blade. The way it is taught, you should always do this with your upper (in this case the right) hand and let the shaft slide in your lower hand.
So there is quite some difference to the angles and to which hand does what, when. I think you will have to try both feathered and unfeathered out. And if your right wrist for some reason is more sensitive, try paddling with a left feathered paddle, so you do all the rotation with your left wrist.
…or try out a greenland paddle. When you use a GP, especially with forward canting, it is quite gentle on the wrists.
I paddle a right hand 60 degree feather with my Euro. I find it natural and easy on the wrist. I mostly paddle with a one piece wooden GP these days which can’t be feathered, but doesn’t need to be because it acts somewhat like a wing going through the water and is angled anyway on the catch not requiring much if any bending of the wrist.
I thought this was about baby geese.
I guess if you never paddle into the wind, you might not realize exactly why feathering is a benefit. When I first got started paddling, I thought that the ability to adjust the feather was just personal preference. I noticed that some people were feathered all the time and some not. Anyway, one day I was just out paddling and the wind came up and I mean it came up. I had to paddle right into the wind to get back to the launch site. I had the paddle unfeathered which was what I preferred and a very strong gust of wind caught the upper blade and almost tore it out of my hands. The light went on as if the wind god was saying, “this is why they make the paddle adjustable.”
Because of where I paddle a lot, I often do paddle into the wind and having the paddle feathered saves a lot of energy. Unless the wind is particularly strong, I normally feather at 60 degrees. If the wind is into the strong category, I feather at 75 degrees, but that depends on which boat and which paddle I’m using.
I am right handed, but for some strange reason, I learned to use my left hand as the control hand. I tried to change, but it didn’t feel right, so I just go with what works. Oddly, after paddling feathered for an extended time, it sometimes feels unnatural to go flat with the blades. But flat is the way I keep the blades when not going to windward. They also stay flat with crosswinds.
I started unfeathered, switched to a slight degree of feather for one season, and thought it was OK though not an improvement. At the start of the next year, I paddled with it feathered, changed to unfeathered after a few minutes, and decided that unfeathered still felt more natural to me. I went back to that and have stayed with it ever since.
This is like the Ford or Chevy discussion. Do the one you like, ignore the other.