Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 15:00:32 -0400
Message-Id: <l0311070bb1e24a31a0b0@[205.216.99.25]>
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
From: "Craig O'Donnell" <dadadata@friend.ly.net>
Subject: [baidarka] Paddle Prefs & Noise
It's great to have a forum to swap paddle ideas and info.
By the way, in general the more noise something makes in the water (rudder,
daggerboard, paddle etc) the more drag you are developing, since that noise
is excess energy being xferred to the water. When sailing I often listen
for the sound of board and rudder.
I prefer a longer rather than shorter paddle and like to keep my arms low.
It makes no sense to hold your arms high and expend effort against gravity.
Blades are roughly based on Marc Pettingill's "Widgeon". He balanced his
blades to eliminate flutter as much as possible and to optimize immersion.
I like the blade to be a little overbalanved with more area below the shaft
as I find a slight "backward" tilt at the end of the stroke makes it easier
to get a clean exit from the water. My personal pref.
They are long and narrow and plain flat pieces of 3mm plywood reinforced
with a little carbon fiber.
I also use a very small shaft comparatively (it's a bamboo perhaps 1 inch
dia; I'd have to go measure it).
It would seem that there are two ways to paddle a boat.
1. Chop "down" into the water with a slight fore-aft angle to the blade. In
this case the flat plate or foil (blade) develops a spurt of lift and pulls
th boat forward. Try it. You can get going pretty well in flat water by
this "chopping down" motion.
2. "Stirring" the water, ie, immersing the blade and pulling aft, which
corresponds to using drag to drive a sailboat downwind. It doesn't matter
to the blade whether it's moving and the water is stationary or it's
stationary and the water is moving. <--- requisite Zen moment. I've read
descriptions of this re Nat. American Indian practice where the blade is
not even removed from the water but turned sideways and pulled back
forward. I've also seen it done. I'm not very adept at it tho I've tried a
few times. This would be a single-paddle technique.
I guess the most efficient paddling stroke is a combo of the two, where a
chopping entry gives lift and then a short push follows. My guess
(unsupported by anything except experience) is that the chop is more
efficient in that you expend less energy overall to move the boat. This
also seems to square with many tales of old salts' rowing technique where
the strokes are described as "short and choppy". I don't row but I can
picture chopping down with the blades angled and then pulling back quickly
to "spurt" a rowing boat -- not racing shell -- along.
Craig O'Donnell
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_________________________________
-- Professor of Boatology
-- Junkomologist
-- Macintosh kinda guy
Friend of Wanda the Wonder Cat, 1991-1997.
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