The efficiency of bent vs. straight shaft paddles

[Odyssey]

Ha, I can't wait for the shout out SHIRTS AND SKINS! Tribalism can be fun sometimes. Sometimes.

 

[gumpus]

Well, since we’re talking about folks using the bent shaft paddle incorrectly, I’ll throw out there that my father to this day, knowing full well how a bent shaft is supposed to be used, still says he prefers to use it the wrong way. To hear him tell it, he prefers the stronger “catch” phase he gets with this method, despite the extra losses from “lifting” water in the later portion of the stroke. I imagine there is some benefit to the catch the way he does it, but the rest may be more ingrained stubbornness on his part than anything.

If you look at Fig 7 in the file that Glenn linked below your post the simulations from varying blade angle from -30 degrees to +30 only impacted boat speed by about 3% (!) so maybe using a bent shaft backwards isn't as big a deal.as it seems. Regarding a more firm catch the top of page 3 shows that the paddle drag force that drives the boat is based on the angle of attack of the blade and is highest when the paddle blade is vertical.. so the catch may be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15% stronger using a 12 degree bent backwards.

Maybe he just does it because he knows it pisses you off.

 

[ABT]

Maybe he just does it because he knows it pisses you off.

That is always a very real, maybe even likely, possibility

so the catch may be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15% stronger using a 12 degree bent backwards.

I certainly can’t go back now and tell him he might have a point, he’s insufferable when he thinks he’s right. Thankfully that’s a trait he didn’t pass on (and if you hear my wife snorting in the background I assure you it’s entirely unrelated)…

 

[Alan Gage]

If you look at Fig 7 in the file that Glenn linked below your post the simulations from varying blade angle from -30 degrees to +30 only impacted boat speed by about 3% (!) so maybe using a bent shaft backwards isn't as big a deal.as it seems. Regarding a more firm catch the top of page 3 shows that the paddle drag force that drives the boat is based on the angle of attack of the blade and is highest when the paddle blade is vertical.. so the catch may be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15% stronger using a 12 degree bent backwards.

I tried it tonight. It was terribly uncomfortable. I might play around with it some more just to see if I can come up with a stroke that doesn't feel terrible but it was a much bigger difference than I expected.

6% decrease in boat speed at the same heart rate with a much higher perceived effort.

What happens when you paddle a bent shaft backwards?

I'd been thinking about trying it but after gumpus mentioned it too I had to give it a shot. If you look at Fig 7 in the file that Glenn linked below your post the simulations from varying blade angle from -30 degrees to +30 only impacted boat speed by about 3% (!) so maybe using a bent shaft...

www.canoetripping.net

Alan