Have you ever tried a wing ???
And if yes, have you compared to a GP? I have yet to see a GP "blow by" compared to a wing on a short distance course when used by comparably skilled and fit paddlers in similar boats.
If GP-ers blow by you when you use a wing, something is wrong ...
clyde
Glad to see you are still selling this bill of goods. Still not convinced this view has any validity, but I think about it everytime I paddle now.
Ryan L.
Hmm
None of this pivot-point stuff makes much sense to me. It might be a useful mental model (for you) of what’s going on, but I don’t think it captures much of the physics of paddling.
The GP Paddler I Can Accept
But when a bunch of SUP paddlers pass me by, like they did last weekend, then it’s time to sound the alarm. I guess it’s advancing old age and loss of muscle tissue that’s impacted my ability to keep ahead of them?
you are emabrrasing
Kayak paddlers everywhere with that admission, especially one that has a wing in his hands :).
Ryan L.
It’s Valid Alright
And it is irrefutable.
Rather Humbling Experience
For us kayakers with wing paddles think we’re hotshots until some canoe paddler in a solo outrigger walks right by us, one stroke at a time.
It is the Physics of Paddling
It is just too simple and not complicated. What can be more simple than to stick the blade in the water and pivot pass it? A wing paddle is the perfect lever for moving a kayak forward.
Nonsense
Your concept of paddling is too simplistic. It omits or misstates the relevant fluid physics, and is incorrect. As I said above, it may make a useful mental picture, sort of like imagining the earth is flat - simple, but not accurate.
More nonsense
Sorry, We’re Not Airplanes or Birds
Instead, we paddle the same way insects paddle through the air. And by the way, the last time I checked, Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion, has not been repealed. I also dropped a paper airplane and it did float briefly in the air. Regarding “the earth is flat,” well, I agree with Friedman on this.
You Got It!!
wing lift
A real world test of the lift of a wing can be done by standing in water and sweeping the paddle out parallel to the surface of the water. When it hits the sweet spot there is a definite pull to the surface, more so than an angled euro blade. I suspect the cause of this is the curve of the trailing edge directing water in the opposite direction the paddle wants to go, and the change of momentum of the water backwards is what gives the lift forward.
Peter
Oh brother
"…we paddle the same way insects paddle through the air."
This is too silly to believe - you’ve outdone yourself - I give up.
Go Tell That To Those Cornell Scientists
Who have high speed cameras (10,000 IPS) that show this.
The “Lift” I Prefer Is The One GP
Paddlers have been using with their canted stroke, long before the wing paddle was invented. The lift is generated at the catch using the wing paddle. This, coupled with the straight back “pull,” will have you vaulting forward while standing in the water. More so than simply carving out and leading with the edge of the blade. Try it?
flapping is not paddling
I'm well aware of the Cornell research on flapping flight, and on the subject of vortex dynamics in general. If you actually read the work, you'll find that it supports my view, not yours, as does similar ongoing work at Princeton, Melbourne, MIT, etc.
The vortex dynamics of flapping flight are different than paddling due to the requirement of producing a lifting force to support the body. This strict requirement alters the motion and the flow fields in a fundamental way, i.e. gravity is a major influence. Gravity really only enters paddling via wave generation (cf. the Froude number) and secondary unsteady buoyancy effects through vertical heaving and pitching.
The detailed vortex dynamics of paddling is an open question, and one that I will be addressing in an experimental research project. I hope to see if there are significant differences in the vortex signatures of the various paddle types.
I promise that if it turns out paddling is no different than putting a stick in the mud and shoving yourself forward, I'll reference you in the work.
Good Luck in Your Research
You can bet I’ll pay whatever it costs for the full text and so will everybody. However, I’m just wondering, if flapping isn’t paddling, how are you going to come up with the Strouhal numbers?