Subject: Re: baidarka Feathered paddles
From: James Mitchell (mariner@seanet.com)
Date: Tue Feb 29 2000 - 23:40:59 EST
I have a good and treasured friend who keeps asking me, "Why do you paddle?"
He is trying to teach me, trying to get at that intangible element of
paddling, that inside essence that we feel when we pull water. Then, to
translate that essence into the blade. You would know him by name. Since he
has been paddling longer than I have been alive, I just listen and learn. I
do love his question, it stays with me on the water.
Thanks to all who have jumped into this latest discussion of paddles!
----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Curtis <ron@roncurtis.com>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 8:40 AM
Subject: Re: baidarka Feathered paddles
Wow John. On my way to the hardware store to buy my shovel!!
All of the paddle information, thank you everyone. Truly an inspiration to
build many paddles and then some more.
Ron Curtis
---------------------
----------
>From: "735769" <735769@ican.net>
>To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
>Subject: Re: baidarka Feathered paddles
>Date: Tue, Feb 29, 2000, 7:50 AM
>
> Russ wrote;
>
> (SNIP)
>
>>
>> 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.
>
> Brand writes about a feathered Greenland paddle in Volume Two of his
Little
> Kayak Book. The paddle has a bit of history. Apparently Derek Hutchinson
> borrowed it from a museum for study but kept it because the museum failed
to
> care for it properly. He gave it to John Brand and John made drawings of
its
> shape. A person could easily make a replica from John's drawings. John
> estimates the paddle dates from the late 18th century. I talked with John
> and he said he felt the twist was intentional and not the result of the
wood
> twisting on its own.
>
> The debate about twist VS no twist has raged for many, many years and I
> think the problem stems hardening of the attitudes. As Wolf so succinctly
> summed up, the needs and objectives of modern paddlers (and the different
> disciplines) differ significantly from those of the Inuit. Twisted paddles
> have become "standard" in competition (sprint and whitewater) and that
slops
> over into recreational paddling for better or worse. I believe
biomechanical
> studies show the twisted paddles do provide more power. That does not mean
> the twisted paddle would work better for recreational paddlers although it
> might particularly if the twisted paddles used for recreation had similar
> areas,lift, and drag characteristics.
>
> I made a two piece high aspect ratio paddle that I could "twist" by
rotating
> it in the shaft socket. I didn't like it much so used it untwisted.
>
> We can determine the characteristics of a paddle (its drag, lift, weight,
> moment of inertia etc.) but we have no way of determining in any
scientific
> way how those characteristics get perceived by the paddler. Paddlers make
> the mistake of concluding that one paddle or paddle type must "be better"
> than others based on subjective opinion and casual assumptions. In the
> absence of objective data the only valid conclusion they can only say
which
> paddle or paddle type they "like".
>
> We often see talented paddlers doing wonderful things with a paddle and
> assume that the wonderful about the paddle. I have a video of Pat Moore
> (arguably the finest freestyle canoeist in North America) paddling a canoe
> with a shovel. After seeing him, you might want to rush right out and buy
a
> shovel. I doubt if one percent of canoe paddlers could do what he did
> regardless of the paddle they use. Does that tell you anything about the
> paddle?
>
> For every paddle characteristic people will have a reasons for liking the
> opposing poles of the spectrum.
>
> Cheers,
>
> John Winters
> Redwing Designs
> Web site address, http://home.ican.net/~735769
>
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