Subject: RE: [baidarka] Aleut paddles
From: christy & lew plummer (jayhawk@sos.net)
Date: Wed Aug 27 2003 - 19:55:01 EDT
I understand someone was looking for me. Occasionally this address gets
captured in my Spam list I have just retrieved some of the mail.
Lew
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-baidarka@paddlewise.net [mailto:owner-baidarka@paddlewise.net]On
Behalf Of wolfgang brinck
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 7:47 AM
To: baidarka@paddlewise.net
Subject: Re: [baidarka] Aleut paddles
--- Peter Chopelas <pac@premier1.net> wrote:
> But the mechanic of the paddle is very complex and not intuitively
> obvious,
> and has little commercial value, hence the very broad range of
> paddle
> designs (and no doubt equally broad ranging speculations on how a
> paddle
> works, mostly incorrect in my observation IMPO).
It seems to me that in the days of rowboats, oar design was fairly
standardized for a given hull design. But maybe this was a simpler
problem than paddles since the oar position relative to the boat was
fixed for a given design of boat. And then there were the curraghs
who used oars whose business end looked like two by twos.
>
> Personally, I think spending all the time and effort to optimize
> the hull,
> and ignoring the paddle, is like building a race car and ignoring
> the
> engine. I suspect that there is a much broader range in the
> performance of
> recreational paddles than there is between most modern commercial
> performance hull designs.
>
Part of the problem with optimizing paddle design is the human that
holds it. I have found for instance that a paddle that was perfectly
adequate for a single didn't have enough "bite" on the water when I
was paddling a double. Deck height, hull width, paddler height, arm
length and basic strength of the paddler are all variables that have
to go into the equation of best paddle since all of these affect not
only the angle at which the paddler dips the paddle into the water
but also affects the speed at which the paddler draws the paddle
through the water.
Resistance of the boat-paddler combo to forward motion is another
factor. I would imagine a boat fully loaded for a two week cruise
would have a different optimum paddle than a light single going out
to play in the surf.
Most traditional paddles had additional requirements, e.g. ease of
use in rolling, wind resistance, silence when approaching game, etc.
But I imagine what most recreational paddlers are looking for is a
paddle that is efficient and comfortable for taking an empty boat
around the local water hole for a leisurely two hour jaunt.
> Perhaps someday SK or someone will eventually develop an objective
> test to
> accurately measure the performance of a paddle as used in a sea
> kayak and
> actually publish it. But it has not happened yet, so most still
> grope
> around in the dark about what make a paddle work, and which design
> is best.
>
If you have any ideas what makes for a good paddle, even if not based
on hard evidence, I'd be curious to hear them.
Wolfgang
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