Subject: RE: baidarka Feathered paddles
From: Russ (bcreek@teleport.com)
Date: Fri Feb 25 2000 - 17:23:20 EST
Hi Listers,
Well I'm new to the list but it looks like I came in right in the middle of
the age old debate over feathered versus unfeathered paddles. I've heard
this arguement on beaches and campsites all over the Nortwest now, at The
Trade Association for Sea Kayakers, and at several clinics for surfing, sea
kayaking, and white water.
We can divide ourselves in to these 2 hard core divisions, passionatly
believeing that our own style is THE style or we can seriously look at the
merits of both and adapt them to what suits us best. Oddly, this division
is one that George Dyson predicted back in the early nineties.
I ascertain that it is what you are used to that will be most likely to
perform the best for you in rough or inclement conditions. Paddle, and
build paddles, to your personal preference. I would certainly never refuse
to paddle with anyone who was accomplished paddling flat just because they
did not agree with my feathered style. Nor would I force a feathered paddle
on a beginner who felt more comfortable paddling flat.
There are many reasons Aleut and other Northeren indigineous peoples
carved and used flat paddles. Borrowing their design and feathering it
would make a very unique paddle. Since we can not go back and ask early
paddle makers if they tried this or not, I'm interested as to how this comes
out.
Russ-
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
[mailto:owner-baidarka@lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Harvey Golden
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 9:06 AM
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Subject: Re: baidarka Feathered paddles
----- Original Message -----
From: Dalberg, Tor <Tor.Dalberg@dnv.com>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2000 11:32 PM
Subject: RE: baidarka Feathered paddles
> NOTE:
> Feathered paddles reduces the wind exposed area of the paddle. Thus,
> In paddling towards the wind the resistance then is less. The
> de-stabilising effect of wind is less and the risk of loosing the
> paddle in heavy wind is reduced. So - paddles will be feathered in the
> future.
Tor,
When you are resting in your kayak in high winds, how do you orient your
paddle so as to not have one end blow around? I suppose it can be shoved
under deck-lines, though one blade (if not a bit of both) will clearly catch
the wind and cause weathercocking and/or drift. I suppose you could point
the paddle into the wind so as to not catch wind, though this would
compromise your stability and the use of at least one hand. Maybe one blade
is shoved beneath a deckline, and the other is dragged in the water, much
like Greenland hunters do, though their blade-in-the-water is flat on the
water and will add to the kayak's stability much like an outrigger, whereas
with a feathered blade, it would not.
In extremely gusty conditions, how is a feathered paddle held? One side is
likely to gain lift while the other side dives. How do you find the balance
in such a situation? Fighting such a sudden tendency could lead to an
upset, if not the strong desire to simply let go of the paddle with one or
even both hands. Surf paddling and rolling can lead to the same situation as
in gusty conditions, though exponentially more violently. The one hand left
on your paddle could be the one with sprained wrist.
With a flat-pitched Greenland kayak paddle, there is either a very narrow
blade in the wind (and low resistance) or there is NO blade at all, if the
sliding stroke is used. When resting, the paddle is merely tilted 90
degrees and BOTH blades are feathered to the wind. Again, it can also
function as an outrigger, whereas a feathered blade cannot. Gusty winds do
not present much of a problem at all with flat-pitched blades as both can be
tilted into the wind as needed, without one end getting away.
If paddles will be feathered in the future, count me out!
Harvey
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