What do you want from your bow paddler?

Advice
#21

I’ve got to jump in here. I was coming on here to learn how to paddle in a kneeling position during the winter, in a dry suit, while still keeping my feet warm. However, I got distracted by this headline and said, “Hey, that sounds familiar, that sounds like my friend that I just paddled with this weekend” and lo and behold, it was. This is a good question, because I, the stern paddler in this scenario, have also been thrown into a bow paddling situation two years ago and deemed myself incompetent.

My experience is moderate. I’ve paddled up to class 3 as a stern paddler on the Ontonagon River. I’ve done a lot of 5-7 day flatwater trips in BWCWA, the UP of Michigan and in swamps in the south (FL, GA, SC). Last year, we took two canoes on Lake Superior from Hatties Cove to Michipicoten, Ontario over the course of 9 days. Big trips, but I still don’t consider myself an expert. Good in the stern, but not an expert paddler and I would like to hear some advice on this as well. Flexibility is important, such as this example of two stern paddlers being in the same boat, while my regular bow paddler takes a spin in the solo boat.

For context, we were paddling the Pine River in Michigan. As a paddler, I like to hug the mid-river, to slightly inshore line. Not racing, just enjoying a chill paddle with lots of sightseeing.

For recreational paddlers, who aren’t racing, but who want to be competent, fairly skilled, what do you want from you bow paddler? I do think this is a great question. On flat water, my wife says “I’m the motor, I switch sides when I need to and you adjust.” I get that. But stern paddlers on rivers tend to want to steer from the bow when put in that position and I’d love to hear a discussion on that.

Thanks, Tundrawalker, for bringing this up. Because if our roles had been switched, I would have been asking the same.

Equipaje

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#22

Yes, the terminology can be confusing. The canoe stroke I call a Duffek has been called many things including bow draw, static draw, stationary draw, running bow draw, bow cut, running bow cut, turning high brace, post, plant, bow rudder, and I’m sure a few others I have forgotten.

Milo Duffek got the idea for the bow turning stroke that bears his name from watching draws done by native canoe paddlers and he used the technique first in C1 slalom racing, with a single bladed paddle. He was a C1 slalom racer before he adopted the stroke to kayak racing with a double bladed paddle.

So you can say that the Duffek was a canoe stroke before it ever became a kayak stroke.

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#23

There are things that the bow paddler can do better or more easily, and things that the stern paddler can do better or more easily.

The general course on flat water or easy moving water is somewhat more easily maintained by the stern paddler looking down the whole length of the canoe like an archer looking down the shaft of a drawn arrow. Turns, as opposed to quick cuts, are generally more easily initiated from the stern without slowing the momentum as much. The angle of a forward ferry (upstream ferry) is much more easily controlled from the stern. Likewise, the angle when front surfing a wave is more easily controlled from the stern. When paddling “sit and switch”, or “Minnesota switch” style the stern paddler typically calls the “huts” because they can better judge the exact heading of the canoe. And when paddling traditional style, the stern paddler needs to maintain heading using some type of correction (J stroke, Canadian, pitch stroke, river J, etc) because their paddle blade is farther from the pivot point of the canoe than the bow paddler’s, and many bow turning strokes also result in a loss of forward momentum.

The bow paddler is in a much better position to see many downstream features or obstacles, especially those close to the bow of the boat, and is therefore in a better position to react to them quickly. The bow paddler can also markedly tighten the radius of a turn, into a narrow eddy say, by using an appropriate stroke. If it is necessary to run the boat through a narrow slot or chute, the bow paddler can make last split-second adjustments in alignment of the bow that the stern paddler is not in a position to make. By using a complementary stroke to what the stern paddler is using, the bow paddler can help a long canoe pivot in place, say by executing a lateral draw while the stern executes a lateral draw on the opposite side, or by executing a back stroke or reverse sweep while the stern executes a forward stroke or sweep on the opposite side. This can be useful for turning the boat in a tight spot. In order to move the canoe directly abeam also usually requires the bow paddler’s input. Whenever the boat is traveling backwards or more slowly than the current, the bow paddler is in a better position to steer. So on a back ferry (or a back surf if they are really good) it is the bow paddler that sets and controls the angle.

So who gets to be “captain”. Whenever possible the general course or line through a rapid should be agreed upon in advance. This might happen while the tandem team scouts a rapid, either from shore or from the boat after catching an eddy. Other times a brief conversation suffices, such as “See the big rock up ahead? Lets go to the left of it.” But if an obstacle like a dead head stump or rock comes up suddenly right in front of the boat, the bow paddler must react instantly and the stern needs to follow the bow’s lead, as has been described by others. Having one paddler trying to go to one side of an obstacle and the other the opposite is no bueno, but it does happen.

Paddling bow in a whitewater canoe can be a little spooky because the bow paddler can’t see what the stern paddler is doing. And the canoe is usually narrower at the bow station allowing for less knee spread so even when kneeling the bow paddler often feels a little less stable. If the stern paddler suddenly heels the canoe, in order to set up for an eddy turn say, it can come as a surprise to the bow paddler if the intention is unannounced. Controlling the boat angle on a back ferry or while “setting” into an eddy is really tricky because the bow paddler usually has to look back over their shoulder down the length of the boat to properly control the angle.

But if you are paddling in my boat I get to be the captain whether I am in the front or the back. Because it’s my boat.

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#24

Knowing left from right is a good start.

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#25

A couple of years ago I met the guy who runs the fish hatchery on the East Fork of the Carson River near home. He was a paddlehead from PA and we talked about running a canoe from the fish hatchery to town. We used his old beater aluminum canoe. I paddled the bow and had a wonderful time in some technical whitewater. He was one of the most experienced paddlers I have ever run a river with. We actually did not need to talk much at all. We ran everything clean except for running into some willows on the outside of a turn after the hard stuff.

We had to make four carries around diversion dams which explains why the run has never been popular. But it was one of the best days of paddling of my whole life which started in summer camp in 1960. I learned more about paddling in the bow than any other trip. If you have spent your life paddling in the stern, make sure you paddle in the bow sometimes.

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#26

If a person likes to paddle a lot, doesn’t go “on strike” if it rains or gets a little chilly, likes to camp, isn’t likely to need emergency medical attention, can swim, and has a sense of humor, I figure all the rest will fall into place by and by. No hurries.
Before I got my first solo I spent plenty of years soloing tandems. Still do it if I have a load to carry or want extra buoyancy for big waves. I can get by with or without a bow paddler, though in a headwind it is nice to have ballast up front. Its even better still if they can provide some extra horsepower.

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#27

Actually, I’d prefer to be the bow paddler - paddles more like a solo and (at least in moving water) does as much to control the boat as the stern. Also gets you closer to the action…

#28

Exactly! My voyageur in five finger rapids, YT:

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#29

like I said before, willingness to bail is also desired. Judging by your surf, bailing required. Usually though the water puddles up closer to one individual or another so that determines who does the bailing.

#30

I’ve certainly done my share of bailing from the bow. But note the mandatory spray cover installed up to and around each paddler in my photos above. That keeps virtually all of the water out when plowing through the large standing waves in the brief stretch of Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon. Otherwise the river is relatively calm and we remove the cover, except that when it gets cold at “night”, it is nice to have body warmth retained around our legs under cover.

#31

In whitewater open canoe downriver racing ACA rules prohibit spray covers, decks or deck plates longer than 36", or any bailers apart from simple scoops or sponges. Sufficient flotation to keep the boat plus a 25lb weight from sinking is required, but flotation is limited to a 10 ft length of the boat and bags may not rise above the gunwales so as to deflect water.

I have participated in a few downriver races and placed third in the solo open boat class of a Southeast Regional race on the Class II-III Nantahala river a few years ago. The two paddlers ahead of me were the two most experienced downriver open boat racers in the Southeast region.

The main thing I learned was that I didn’t know much about the strategy of downriver open boat racing. Of course, where and when corners can be cut enters in, but without spray covers or automatic bailing devices a big part of the strategy is knowing when it is best to stay in the main, fast current of a wave train at the cost of taking on water, and when it is better to cheat the waves by staying in the slower water to one side. And how much water do you accept in the boat before you bail, since water in the boat degrades performance but getting rid of it takes time and slows downriver progress.

But one thing that was completely unappreciated by me was that one never waits for calm water to bail. If you do so in a solo canoe the boat comes to a virtual stop. You bail in an “easy” rapid in which you can adequately control the boat with one hand on the paddle while you bail with the other. That way the boat is at least still moving as you empty it.

In a tandem canoe whichever paddler can best control the boat single handed should allow the other partner to bail if you want to maintain forward momentum.

#32

This is a excellent example of a great bow person. I have and paddle a 26 ft North Canoe from the stern. I am also a canoe instructor and know the value of a bow paddler that can pick a safe route set a stroke cadence and communicate through actions a shared path.:canoe:

#33

David, is that you from the MCA? This is marcus from racing. long time no see, if its you. Hope you’re well. Im out in California now and havent been home this year. Hope the MCA is going well

#34

One word: consistency.

Don’t do anything sudden/weird/unexpected! :sunglasses::call_me_hand:t4:

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#35

pblanc,

Unlike whitewater ACA rules, rules for the Yukon races (not ACA sanctioned), rules for the race require either spray covers, or extra flotation secured in canoes. With all the other required equipment and food, there is generally no room for bulky floatation bags.

I had always figured that you always want to be in water that is actively moving downriver before pausing to do anything, such as bailing, or taking a break to eat. It makes no sense to stop in dead water, but to be in moving water of the kind where you are still under control and in no danger of swamping or capsizing. The beauty of paddling in a voyageur canoe (minimum of 6 paddlers) is you can sit out one at a time for a short time to do whatever is necessary without losing significant distance or much speed.

#36

On the Nantahala River I mentioned there is at least fairly good downstream current for the entire 8 mile run and I certainly never eddied out to bail. But I later learned that it is best to bail in an actual rapid so as to maximize downstream progress while bailing.

This is one reason that OC-2s are faster in downriver races than OC-1s. Apart from having more horsepower, OC-2s allow one partner to bail while the other maintains downstream momentum as best possible.

These days a lot of recreational whitewater open boaters have electric bilge pumps in their boats. You can switch it on at the top of a rapid that you anticipate will put water in the boat and it bails for you as you paddle. Although it is certainly possible to get water in the canoe a lot faster than the pump can get it out.

#37

#1 Steady powerful forward strokes hour after hour, mile after mile.
#2 Smooth quick switches on command
#3 Ability to spot obstacles under the surface
#4 Ability to tolerate long stretches paddling on one side
#5 For C-4 Bow, a really strong draw and bow rudder

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#38

#1 I strive to normally maintain a consistent 60 SPM including for up to the maximum allowed 18 hours/day during the Yukon 1000 mile race with sprints up to 80 SPM as needed. All strokes are well coordinated with good catch and power to the hip with feathered air recovery.

#2 As long as the stern (or other) hut caller is loud enough in wind and other noise (over others talking, for example), I switch in a snap. If the hut call comes midway during the power stroke, I will complete the stroke first, then switch. My stern paddler knows this and knows when to call a smoothly coordinated hut.

#3 Depending on water clarity, call out obstacles as soon as possible, and implement initial counter measures, as necessary and if possible. Proper route planning should minimize most potential (but can’t guarantee all) problems.

#4 For C-4, or C6/7 (voyageur), my favorite part of the entire Adirondack 90 miler is the very twisty winding Brown’s Tract as bow paddler. We often out maneuver most other boats and I have my own techniques for fairly passing. We are rarely if ever passed by any other boats. When I started doing this, I sometimes carried a heavy strong wood paddle to do a “bow jamb” which would spin the bow around the bends quickly. However, I don’t dare do it with an expensive light carbon paddle. Now my setup to bends is an initial entry path angle to efficiently and rapidly turn with draws and bow rudders to accomplish what is needed.

#39

This is my favorite part of the 90 miler even in a C2! I’ve done it from both the bow and stern, and the bow is more fun. It’s amazing how many boats you can pass here with an aggressive bow paddler. I’ve switched to a spare paddle in Brown’s Tract before, rather than put so much stress on my ZRE.