Paddling advice for long, flat, skinny boats

lowangle al said:

When it comes to paddle length, the shorter the paddle I use the quicker my fore arms tire from correction strokes. I would think that a longer paddle will be a benefit in turning a boat with a flat keel because of the added leverage. I also find that I get more power with a longer paddle compared to a shorter one with the same shaped blade. I also think that with a shorter paddle I need to keep up a faster cadence to maintain speed and I don't always want to paddle with a fast cadence.

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The Advantage wasn't intended to be a canoe that requires correction strokes, it was designed to go straight and fast with a bent shaft paddle. The offside yaw that results from hit-and-switch paddling is inherent to the stroke, to keep yaw at a minimum requires good technique. And the Advantage turns but you have to give it some room.

I find that maintaining the same speed at a slower cadence using a longer paddle and a longer stroke isn't as efficient; I end up having to either add correction (J-stroke) and/or switch sides after fewer strokes. My preference is to maintain a higher cadence with more strokes per side. Or, I just slow down.

There're lots of variables when determining paddle length. The boat, seat hight, blade shape, the paddler, paddling style, conditions and even mood, among other things. Sometimes I prefer a shorter paddle, sometimes not. I always have two paddles of different lengths with me.

I just got a 50” bent by Bending Branches. Nice, and the rock guard edge should delay the onset of ragged edges, which my ZRE had. But, it’s heavier than the ZRE by 6 ozs. I’m working on the Advantage, so I haven’t tried it out yet.

The canoe shop in Annapolis doesn’t sell ZRE. Does Zaveral have dealers or are they a direct order outfit?

How do your paddles get "ragged edges"? Whitewater with lots of rocks? One of my major rules not be violated when teaching newbies about how to care for their equipment, is the paddle blade never touches earth (rocks, dirt, or sand). Not while out of water and not on the bottom when in water. Similar rule as never grounding your canoe on the shore when landing and never "bridging" a canoe by loading it with gear out of water while not fully floating.

yknpdlr said:

One of my major rules not be violated when teaching newbies about how to care for their equipment, is the paddle blade never touches earth (rocks, dirt, or sand). Not while out of water and not on the bottom when in water.

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Easier said than done when trying to ascend a river over a gravel bar in 5" of water.

I've used my carbon paddles as poles many times and I've also done plenty of repairs and reinforcing to them over the years. It's just part of the game.

Alan

Alan Gage said:

Easier said than done when trying to ascend a river over a gravel bar in 5" of water.

I've used my carbon paddles as poles many times and I've also done plenty of repairs and reinforcing to them over the years. It's just part of the game.

Alan

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If I knew or suspected I was going to be traveling in such waters, then I would bring a dedicated sacrificial old paddle just for that purpose. Or maybe a stick would serve the purpose just as well. I like to keep my paddles, and my canoes, as pristine as possible. With some 30 years of paddling, my collection of half straight wood recreational, half bent carbon racing paddles are all still in undamaged shape. One very old BB and one Foxworx wood stand alone, if I ever needed to abuse them.

With one exception, when i traversed the Adirondacks, on a long diagonal SW to NE route, I bought a hybrid carbon/kevlar Hornbeck (Pete's very first canoe of that experimental model out of the shop), with the idea I could paddle it through rough spots during a hot dry July week with minimal damage if I was careful enough. I did use a good, but relatively inexpensive Werner double blade, as is necessary in a Hornbeck. But especially on the lower Saranac River, the shallow water drizzled through multiple boulder fields, even though I carried for many miles around the worst segments. At the end, the bottom of that former shiny black beauty looked like a T-Rex had clawed it, leaving long white streaks on the hull. Pete later repaired a couple of areas of crushed cheeks at no charge, but could not fix the scratches short of using a black sharpie.

Yeah, I usually make sure my spare paddle is wood with some kind of hardened tip, so I can use it to push off the bottom with minimal damage if necessary. But stuff happens when we don't expect it. So far, I've managed to keep my carbon paddles undamaged, but I don't believe that will last forever.

Bottom scratches are inevitable around here if you use your boat much at all.

I guess I'll add to the thread drift...
All of the paddles that I build have Phenolic tips, they hold up well to the abuse that I subject them to. Pushing off, rock garden scrapes, beaver dam support.
Some of my paddles are over 30 years old and still in good shape, the tips at least.
I suppose if I wanted even tougher paddle tips, I could laminate up some Dynel pieces, those would outlast me!!

yknpdlr said:

How do your paddles get "ragged edges"? Whitewater with lots of rocks? One of my major rules not be violated when teaching newbies about how to care for their equipment, is the paddle blade never touches earth (rocks, dirt, or sand). Not while out of water and not on the bottom when in water. Similar rule as never grounding your canoe on the shore when landing and never "bridging" a canoe by loading it with gear out of water while not fully floating.

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I started out like that many decades ago, but it did not take all that long in real wilderness situations to let that go. If I have been coddling my paddles for hours through rapidly alternating deep and shallow waters, I give up and push off with my paddle. I go faster with less effort.

I admire you very much, yknpdlr. You are clearly physical strong and atheletic with lots of endurance. God bless you. But for this weak sister, I take all the help I can get from the tools I use.

Plus, there's always the rock you didn't see. Needing a tarp setup on a beach without any trees or driftwood - and a paddle goes into the sand. Etc, etc. And I can't carry enough paddles to have the ones I need for paddling plus metal ones for such other uses.

i have heard that some people, after they had just purchased a new car, will intentionally key the side of their own car, so they later won't worry about eventual dings and scratches. True or not, I do not know. I am definitely not among that camp. I like to keep my equipment in good shape from the beginning.

Ii won’t say that I have never accidentally struck a surprise rock with my paddles, or stuck a paddle in sandy gravel or a mucky bottom. But I do all I can to avoid doing so with any force. Intentionally pushing off on a submerged log is not beyond me either. My straight wood paddles have sharp feather edge blades and tips without dings and I keep them that way. The edges of my selection of carbon race paddles are all thin and sharp. When standing on shore with paddle in hand, The blade rests on top of my foot, never on the ground as.a crutch to lean on. I instantly correct a student if I ever see that.

My paddling is mainly done in large deep water bodies of open lakes or local slow moving rivers. I am not a white water rocky river paddler at all. I may or may not know the subsurface topography and solid hazards where I go but I learn it quickly in water that I frequent for easy recreation or race training. As a primary bow paddler in multi seat boats, In unknown water, first time on any River, the Yukon for example, there may be shallow gravel shoals to negotiate around or through, and I would rather put my foot out than my paddle through much of that. On repeated races I know well (ADK 90 miler especially, and now on the Yukon as well), I wan my team sitting behind me exactly what track we need to follow to avoid all the subsurface hazards I have previously memoriized. For the big stuff, I research and study our intended route to paddle efficiently, fast, and safely.

In my limited experience the best ways to damage a carbon paddle are by stepping on it, slamming it in a car door, or hitting a rock hard in the body of the blade (I've folded 2 carbon paddles this way). ZRE's are solid carbon fiber for at least 1/2" from the tip and the edge can chip but that's all. I've pushed off hard with various carbon paddles and never had a problem. Not trying to argue with yknpdlr, just sharing my experience.

Chip said:

I just got a 50” bent by Bending Branches. Nice, and the rock guard edge should delay the onset of ragged edges, which my ZRE had. But, it’s heavier than the ZRE by 6 ozs. I’m working on the Advantage, so I haven’t tried it out yet.

The canoe shop in Annapolis doesn’t sell ZRE. Does Zaveral have dealers or are they a direct order outfit?

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If you do buy another carbon paddle I recommend GRBnewmandesigns over Zav. I think the quality is identical and the GRB is significantly less expensive. Personally I prefer the GRB's. Both can be ordered uncut with grip unattached if you want to play around to get the length just right.