I believe your assertion about using feathered paddles and sticking with it is in conflict with your later assertion that a person using an unfeathered paddle can use any paddle.
Please consider, why would using an unfeathered paddle allow one to roll with a feathered paddle, but not the opposite?
Drysuit will change your life - at least on late fall/winter/early spring weekends when the water is open and you can get out and paddle. Best piece of gear that I ever bought.
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Seconded and agreed! Nothing extends a paddling season or less time between swims more!!!
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The reason I said that if you use an unfeathered paddle you can use almost any paddle is that almost all paddles available today that are adjustable can be set at a 0Ā° or unfeathered angle. Almost all Greenland paddles are unfeathered. Some older Euro paddles had limited angle adjustments, like 0Ā° or 45Ā° right.
If you paddle a feathered paddle, you might have trouble trying use a paddle that canāt be set to the angle that you are used to. For example going from a paddle feathered at 30Ā° right and then using a Greenland paddle or a Euro paddle that canāt be set to 30Ā° right. If using a feathered paddle that is not the angle that you are used to and not in muscle memory you are more likely to blow a sudden brace or roll.
Feathered paddles, as long as you are used to them, should make no difference as far as rolling, bracing, or everyday paddling. Itās only when you start changing up the feather angle.
Feathered or unfeathered is up to the user. A perfectly valid reason to use a feathered paddle is if that is what you are most comfortable with, not the conditions on any one day.
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If you want to make paddling hard just try paddling with a left handed ww kayak paddle. I had a buddy that got hooked on one of those. Now heās ruined. Heās gotta carry his own spare- so he carries a universal to manage the unusual offset. Because heās got the spare I often donāt carry one. So Iām kinda glad he went left handed with a universal feather angle for a spare.
As far as feather angle and rollingā¦Well thatās just a very big deal for me right now. Changing how the paddle plains near the surface is a big deal when youāre not solid. Anytime I switch paddles I like to try a roll as well. Sometimes it aināt pretty. Taking time to adjust the paddle blade angle before a 2nd attempt.
Then again weāre all between swims.
True, if you donāt practice it on both sides.
Iām not ambidextrous, but I got used to using a feathered paddle in either direction (depending on wind direction - ie: water spray).
If conditions are hazardous (eg surf) I will unfeather them. And - if feathered and I get knocked over - will āfeelā for the blade before rolling.
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