I've heard the "for wind" rational for feathered paddles but I don't believe it.
What wind resistance feathered paddles reduce is -only- from the bow (or stern). They are -worse- for beam winds.
The real reason (I believe) for feathering paddles is to reduce wrist strain. You can see this by watching the wrist of your control hand when you using the non-control-side blade.
As you lift the control hand to plant the blade (on the other side), the feathered blade automatically/naturally rolls to a more vertical orientation. (This is assuming you are allowing the paddle shaft to slip/rotate in the non-control hand.)
With an unfeathered paddle, you have to flex your wrist to get the blade vertical.
Note that a larger feathering angle is required for a higher angle stroke. If the stroke angle is low, you don't need much (or any) feathering.
One way of dealing with beam winds with a feathered paddle is to use a shallower stroke.
Note, too, that white water isn't all water. It often has lots of air in it. Having a larger blade (like on a Euro paddle) works better in white water because it can grab more water mass in aerated water.
Greenland paddles are a bit counter-intuitive (it's a bit surprising that they work as well as they do). As far as I can tell, the GP are better suited for cruising rather than accelerating.
Keep in mind that there's a spectrum of performance. It's not that one paddle only works in one situation and not another.
Not really Upwind you are fighting the wind blowing against your boat and your body, probably not reaching any sort of hull speed effect, and can benefit from any reduced effort feathering provides. Downwind is easier anyway, regardless of feather, and speed may be more limited by the hull itself.
It took just one half-mile passage upwind in a stiff breeze years ago to convince me feathered was better for that situation. It was the first time I had really given it a serious try. Been doing feathered for the many years since. About 65 degrees fixed with my one-piece Mitchell paddle and I never even think about it feeling unnatural somehow. No wrist, elbow, or shoulder issues.
As to the crosswind effects on the paddle, absolutely. But, not enough to offset the benefit, for me anyway.
Some of what you were told is plain wrong. For most of the rest of it, the issue is that people expect "binary" explanations and the world is much for fuzzy. Clearly, greenland paddles work (very well) and Euro (feathered or not) also work very well. Humans are also quite adept at compensating for the deficiencies of their tools (and arguing that the tool they are used to using is the "best" one!).
And, as should be obvious, the requirements of white water are not the same as for sea kayaking.
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Feathering angle depends on stroke angle (that's kind of obvious).
A higher stroke angle means a larger feathering angle.
A (very) low stroke angle requires no feathering at all.
Of course, one's stroke angle isn't always the same (which means one should choose a feathering angle suited for your typical stroke angle).
And what is done for white-water isn't necessarily helpful for long distance/endurance paddling. Usually, white water paddling doesn't require paddling for long amounts of time (it's more like sprinting than running marathons). What works for white-water might not work very well for sea kayaking.
If you use a feathered paddle, the wrist of the control hand should not need to bend (except a bit for minor adjustments).
The wrist of the non-control hand doesn't bend either because the paddle shaft is allowed to slip/rotate in that hand.
With a non-feathered paddle (with a high angle stroke especially), one either has to flex the control-hand wrist or let the paddle shaft rotate/slip in the control hand (or paddle with a non vertical blade).
Feathered paddling is not symmetrical. The fact that racers using wing paddles typically used them feathered is some indication that being symmetric is not necessary.
The point of feathering is to reduce the need to flex your wrists. But you have to use the right technique to achieve that.
vertical paddle, no feather, no problem "With an unfeathered paddle, you have to flex your wrist to get the blade vertical."
I disagree. I use a GP or a wing unfeathered with no issue at all, even with a high vertical paddle. You simply alternate control hands, wrists stay neutral.
Yes, alternating control hands would allow you to use an unfeathered paddle vertically without flexing your wrists.
Still, the point of feathering is to avoid wrist flex -and- avoiding/minimizing wrist flex is an important goal.
Anyway, while it can be done, it doesn't appear that using unfeathered wing paddles in races is at all common.
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gstamer: "The common mantra for feathering used to be that it provided some mysterious sort of "mechanical advantage", which I have never heard fully explained."
Depends on your Style or Technique I understand what you’re talking about, but the next time you’re out on your surfski and wing paddle, try doing that in over 20 knot winds using a parallel (straight back)stroke instead of a lateral one. Even in flat water, the blade that’s out of the water will mess up my “catch” by wavering and twisting around in the air as I punch straight ahead unfeathered. Plus, after exit, the blade position or power face for the next stroke, on the opposite side (right side for example), is facing away from the boat instead of backwards. Sorry, for me, the feathered wing paddle is more efficient in a K-1 and surfski. But when I paddle my Scupper, it doesn’t matter, for I enjoy paddling it with my 230 cm San Juan paddle unfeathered.
“The real reason (I believe) for feathering paddles is to reduce wrist strain. You can see this by watching the wrist of your control hand when you using the non-control-side blade.”
“Some authorities think using a feathered paddle might increase a paddler’s chances of developing tendinitis. Informal research indicates that improper paddling technique is probably the biggest cause of wrist problems.”
I tend to agree with the statement that technique is mostly at fault, but will add that a death grip on the paddle is probably just as likely a cause of injury as bad technique.
Even when I paddle feathered, I don’t have a control hand and never saw the logic for same. For me, the hand on the “pull” side of the stroke is the control hand.
Since my “push” hand doesn’t grasp the paddle (I just let the paddle rest between thumb and forefinger with a relaxed hand), I don’t really have a grip on the paddle except in rough conditions. I find that rotation at the waist on each stroke enables me to plant the paddle without cocking the wrist, regardless of paddle angle. The one time the wrist must flex is during low braces/stern rudder, but that is unavoidable with any paddle, feathered or not.
Your mileage may vary, but this is what works for me.
"Humm. All the reading material I have here suggests that feathering the paddle increases wrist injuries and causes tendinitis because the "control hand" must adjust for each stroke."
The link you provided actually indicates that feathering is a problem because people aren't doing it correctly. Note that the link is -recommending- using a feathered blade!
If your feather angle matches your stroke angle, you -don't- need to flex the wrist of the control hand.
(A little bit of wrist flex once in a while isn't a problem.)
"I tend to agree with the statement that technique is mostly at fault, but will add that a death grip on the paddle is probably just as likely a cause of injury as bad technique. "
A "death grip" IS a failure of technique. That's actually a big part of why people flex their wrists too much.
"Even when I paddle feathered, I don't have a control hand and never saw the logic for same. For me, the hand on the "pull" side of the stroke is the control hand."
One reason to keep one hand as the control is that alternating can cause the paddle to get out of alignment. That is, one might have to work harder to realign the paddle with alternating hands.
Wrist issues "Note that the link is -recommending- using a feathered blade!"
I did note that and, for some, this may well work. I find it doesn’t work for me.
“If your feather angle matches your stroke angle, you -don’t- need to flex the wrist of the control hand.”
This is true, but an unfeathered paddle is, according to most literature I’ve read, less likely to produce injuries. Again, having not incurred such injuries from paddling (although the mouse on my desk can’t make that claim), I can’t really speak except to point folks to Hutchinson and others who write on the subject.
“(A little bit of wrist flex once in a while isn’t a problem.)”
Agreed and is, at times, unavoidable.
“A “death grip” IS a failure of technique. That’s actually a big part of why people flex their wrists too much.”
A strong grip on the paddle can be caused by a variety of factors. When in the surf zone, for example, I sometimes find myself holding the paddler more tightly due to adrenaline/excitement and the force of the surf. A sustained heavy grip, I agree, falls into the category of bad technique. I can imagine situations where the conditions are close to the ability envelope of the paddler and the paddler sustains an overuse injury from the stress of the situation. I’m not sure that I’d label this as bad “technique” as much as loss of comfort.
“One reason to keep one hand as the control is that alternating can cause the paddle to get out of alignment. That is, one might have to work harder to realign the paddle with alternating hands.”
I’ve just never had an issue with this and I’m still not sure that I fully grasp how an alignment problem would occur. I used to play a lot of baseball and heard announcers say that Yogi Berra claimed that he never threw a ball without his fingers aligned with the seams on the ball. I thought to myself, “Of course he didn’t. Nobody does.” They then spent five minutes discussing how amazing this was. I just seem to find setting up the blade for the next stroke just as second nature as I did finding the seams on the baseball when taking it out of the glove. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing, I guess.
Symmetry I was not talking about symmetry in the sense of wrist bending. I meant high and low braces, rolls, etc. are performed the same way on both sides.
"I did note that and, for some, this may well work. I find it doesn't work for me."
I don't have any problem with people choosing to use an unfeathered paddle.
"This is true, but an unfeathered paddle is, according to most literature I've read, less likely to produce injuries. Again, having not incurred such injuries from paddling (although the mouse on my desk can't make that claim), I can't really speak except to point folks to Hutchinson and others who write on the subject."
Since I have no idea what literature you are looking at, it's hard for me to comment on it. I suspect they indicate (as the link you provided did) that the wrist injury is a result of bad technique.
"A strong grip on the paddle can be caused by a variety of factors. When in the surf zone, for example, I sometimes find myself holding the paddler more tightly due to adrenaline/excitement and the force of the surf. A sustained heavy grip, I agree, falls into the category of bad technique. I can imagine situations where the conditions are close to the ability envelope of the paddler and the paddler sustains an overuse injury from the stress of the situation. I'm not sure that I'd label this as bad "technique" as much as loss of comfort."
This wouldn't be an "over use" injury unless the paddler routinely paddled in such conditions. And you'd be using the same "strong grip" and flexing your wrists with an unfeathered paddle in this situation too. (That is, the wrist strain issue is the same for both paddle set-ups.)
"I've just never had an issue with this and I'm still not sure that I fully grasp how an alignment problem would occur. I used to play a lot of baseball and heard announcers say that Yogi Berra claimed that he never threw a ball without his fingers aligned with the seams on the ball. I thought to myself, "Of course he didn't. Nobody does." They then spent five minutes discussing how amazing this was. I just seem to find setting up the blade for the next stroke just as second nature as I did finding the seams on the baseball when taking it out of the glove. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing, I guess."
Baseballs have seams. Paddles do not (generally). Either your paddle has a surface feature that lets your "muscle memory" realign the blade or you are looking at it. If you use a right control hand, you avoid needing to realign the blade in the first place.
Why called "feathered" The use of the term “feathered” is interesting.
Generally, the term “feathered” refers to aligning a flat object with the wind direction. Propeller airplane engines allow the propeller blades to be angled to feather them (related to travel speed or to reduce drag from a non-working engine).
I believe that the wind-alignment of feathered paddle blades is -not- really the goal or intent. I believe it’s to reduce the need to flex wrists. That is, the wind-alignment was a -coincidence-.
I suspect the “wind-alignment” rationale/argument was made “after the fact” because it looked like an “obvious” benefit.