Subject: RE: baidarka Aleut Paddle was: R: paddling styles
From: Patrick Campbell (patrick@laurelglen.com)
Date: Thu Jan 11 2001 - 12:24:20 EST
I've been following this discussion from afar and I'm intrigued. Where
could I get a paddle such as you describe (I don't have time to make one).
Cheers, Patrick
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-baidarka@ns1.intelenet.net
[mailto:owner-baidarka@ns1.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of James Mitchell
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 8:27 PM
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Subject: Re: baidarka Aleut Paddle was: R: paddling styles
Ummh, would you believe both? The power face is the ridged face, but the
paddle will work well in low gear if held backwards. If your paddle flutters
heavily, try reversing it when starting up and then switching to the power
face once your boat is near cruise speed.
Every time I look again at these paddles, I become more impressed with the
complexity. Had a major breakthrough this weekend in realising the flutter
impact of the distance between the back of the loom and the front of the
power face.
Try this: stick a piece of scrap wood under your fingers when you grip your
paddle. Hold the paddle loosely, and feel the flutter with and without the
wood. Learn anything? That distance from where your hands pull the loom
aftward and where the power face pushes on the water is CRITICAL in
controlling flutter.
I made a mistake in a bunch of paddles. I left too much wood on the back
side. The back of the paddle (non-power face) has too high a ridge, too
much wood behind the power face. The result is to move the power face too
far forward ahead of the loom. That creates the kind of "caster" that Lew
was talking about, which we feel as flutter.
Tom, I am not sure that the ridge is for strength. I think the blade is
plenty strong without it. But what I THINK it is doing is directing the
flow of water around the power face, organizing the flow so it is consistent
and predictable. This will also impact flutter.
Pull your paddle through, and watch the swirls of water behind the blade.
There should be two whirlpools generated off the sides of the blades,
coiling toward each other. Now notice how those whirlpools shift around
behind the blade, searching for a place of least resistance to the flow.
What if, instead of a flat surface, you had another "power ridge" for those
whirlpools to encounter? The power ridge on the BACK side organizes the
flow, further stabilizing the paddle. Wanna see? Turn your paddle around
backwards, and watch the whirlpools.
Again, I do not think the ridge is for strength. I think it is for control.
Notice on the single blades, almost all of them have ridges on both sides.
I think a double paddle with ridges on both sides would have an advantage in
flutter characteristics and power, however I think it would also be at a
disadvantage for sculling braces and other maneuvers where the flat or
slightly rounded back side is needed.
But go try it yourself. Tell me what you think!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Wainright" <wainair@yahoo.com>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: baidarka Aleut Paddle was: R: paddling styles
> Hey Gerald
> There seems to be two logics of the proper way to hold
> this style of paddle. One, like modern paddles, you
> hold it so the smooth side is the power face, as the
> ridge on the back is just for reinforcement. And the
> other being, on this style of paddle, to have the
> ridged side as the power face because the slope on the
> blade is at 90 degrees further back in the stoke
> providing more power. I don't know which one is right.
> I'm rather new to alot of this too, but maybe JamesM.
> ,Lew and or Douglas Ingram would know, what with their
> added experience with paddles?
> Great picture though. That boat looks like what I hope
> mine will look like once I've skinned it in the next
> month or so. Tom
> --- GUM@exmail.de wrote:
> > Hello Tom,
> >
> > as I was using such a boat and paddle for the first
> > time and considering that I
> > am normally associated with greenland paddles this
> > could be, but I think, the
> > rigded part of the blade is the powerface, isn't it?
> >
> > Gerald
> >
> >
> > I could be wrong, but are you not holding the paddle
> > backwards? That is,is the power face of the
> > blade
> > facing forward? Tom.
> >
> >
> > Gerald Maroske
> > GUM@exmail.de
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