I've been paddling for 40 years now, grew up with canoes, touring kayaks have been the norm for the last ten years with canoes for fishing and photography. Always preferred canoes but the efficacy of a good sea kayak on large windy lakes could not be argued.
Started back to the canoes as primary craft a couple years ago and lovin' it. May be an ageing thing but I like the peaceful aspect of paddling an open boat with a single blade. I'm leaving the big crossings and 30 mile days to the younger folks now - I'll take the long way around and explore the nooks and crannies along the way.
In all my canoein' days I had never tried a bent shaft paddle. Couldn't imagine tryin' to control a boat with one, figured they were for the go-fast crowd and they just looked funny
Friends finally convinced me to try one and I ordered a discounted BB Special to minimize my investment in what I thought would surely be an experimental folly.
I've been paddling with it for three days now in a Wenonah Wilderness and it appears I have a bit of boot leather to chew upon. That funny lookin' short stick really works! danged if I wasn't just cruisin' along at a noticeably faster clip and using less energy. That's always a nice thing for a 60 year old paddler
J-strokin' is fine albeit more subtle, draw strokes and rudder strokes work once one becomes accustomed to a different upper hand orientation. Not as powerful but certainly effective enough for normal paddling.
Cross strokes are a different story. They're going to take a little more learnin' and, yes, I did manage to trap the paddle on a cross draw recovery and flip my butt into the water. Always surprises me just how fast that happens
The bent shaft will never replace my straight shaft in many scenarios but its going to play a much larger role in my paddling reality than I had expected. I know I'm not telling any of you bent shaft users anything new but I'm still rather amazed with the weird paddle and feelin' a little foolish for having not tried one sooner.
Now I believe I'd like to have one of those cool lightweight bent shafts for my lake trippin"
Pleasant waters to ya.
Started back to the canoes as primary craft a couple years ago and lovin' it. May be an ageing thing but I like the peaceful aspect of paddling an open boat with a single blade. I'm leaving the big crossings and 30 mile days to the younger folks now - I'll take the long way around and explore the nooks and crannies along the way.
In all my canoein' days I had never tried a bent shaft paddle. Couldn't imagine tryin' to control a boat with one, figured they were for the go-fast crowd and they just looked funny
Friends finally convinced me to try one and I ordered a discounted BB Special to minimize my investment in what I thought would surely be an experimental folly.
I've been paddling with it for three days now in a Wenonah Wilderness and it appears I have a bit of boot leather to chew upon. That funny lookin' short stick really works! danged if I wasn't just cruisin' along at a noticeably faster clip and using less energy. That's always a nice thing for a 60 year old paddler
J-strokin' is fine albeit more subtle, draw strokes and rudder strokes work once one becomes accustomed to a different upper hand orientation. Not as powerful but certainly effective enough for normal paddling.
Cross strokes are a different story. They're going to take a little more learnin' and, yes, I did manage to trap the paddle on a cross draw recovery and flip my butt into the water. Always surprises me just how fast that happens
The bent shaft will never replace my straight shaft in many scenarios but its going to play a much larger role in my paddling reality than I had expected. I know I'm not telling any of you bent shaft users anything new but I'm still rather amazed with the weird paddle and feelin' a little foolish for having not tried one sooner.
Now I believe I'd like to have one of those cool lightweight bent shafts for my lake trippin"
Pleasant waters to ya.
