Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 17:41:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen@imagelan.com>
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Subject: Re: [baidarka] Paddles
In-Reply-To: <3.0.32.19980722161626.00909400@bnldag.ags.bnl.gov>
On Wed, 22 Jul 1998, Bill Leonhardt wrote:
> Gene Smith wrote:
> >Anybody know of any hydrodynamic studies of paddles - both single and
> >double? Some recent paddling has convinced me that there is a point where
> >paddling harder adds a great deal more to energy expended than it does to
> >thrust.
You will also have to pay careful attention to the hull speed of the boat
you are paddling and the depth of the water as both are critical to how
much effort it takes to paddle a boat. Sea Kayaker magazine regularly
publishes information on speed versus resistance curves for the boats it
reviews.
>> I'm curious to know if any studies have been done to try and
> >pinpoint the area of maximum paddling efficiency. I'd also like to know
> >more about the paddle designs of indigenous peoples - they seem often to be
> >very different than the shapes I am used to seeing in modern use. Any
> >clues?
If anyone finds anything I would love to see the results. One of my paddling
cronies is supposedly wiring a canoe paddle to get precise results of the
force over the entire surface of the paddle blade during a stroke. I don't
know what the state of this project is. He's got some "smart skin" that
will give precise pressure readings over the entire surface of the paddle.
> Right now, as we speak, there is a raging debate/discussion regarding
> paddle design on the Paddlewise listserv.
That minor war is just over the design of greenland paddles. I mentioned
Aleut paddles and that comment appears to have been lost in the noise.
Specs for traditional paddles are frequently included in the diagrams in
Zimmerly's Qajaq book.
kirk