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Thoughts on double bladed paddles from a somewhat experienced double blader.

During a recent two week trip paddling bow in my buddy’s Wenonah MN2 I had my first experience with a double blade. I was using my straight single blade and he was using his double blade. I found the slight side-to-side rocking of the canoe he caused disconcerting and then just plain bothersome after the first day. And my sense was we weren’t any faster than when he used his single blade.
 
During a recent two week trip paddling bow in my buddy’s Wenonah MN2 I had my first experience with a double blade. I was using my straight single blade and he was using his double blade. I found the slight side-to-side rocking of the canoe he caused disconcerting and then just plain bothersome after the first day. And my sense was we weren’t any faster than when he used his single blade.

Reason #4,754 for paddling solo. :)

Alan
 
That's interesting Steve, I never thought of using a double blade for a pole, does it hold up in the long run?

LOL. Nothing compares to a pole for going upstream. ;) In fact, I routinely outrun double bladers even when I can't reach the bottom.

I'll have to ask if anyone wants to try pushing off the bottom with their double, and see if they can keep up. ;)
I actually started poling swamps with my 250cm double blade before I got a pole. I still use the double to pole sometimes on back country trips when I don't have a pole. I wouldn't do it in a rocky creek or strong moving water, but my double has held up really well to pushing in muck and logs. I like its versatility, esp in the backcountry with a lot of portages and lake crossings. Paddling standing up also works well with the double, though its not particularly efficient there are times when it's handy (or just good to stretch).

And, I can use my double blade to get a line over branches to hang my food sack at camp - 250cm plus nearly the height of my reach, and no throwing and bouncing weights off the tree trunk and risking a snaggly snafu. I can't reach nearly as high with a 60in single blade (though of course the 12ft pole beats all!)

And, no Steve, I will not be engaging in any poling races where you have a pole and I'm poling with a double blade. But I imagine you'd beat me even if we both had poles.
 
People are constantly surprised at how well a 12' pole works as the paddle. But part of the trick is that while standing you can have a lot of pole in the water simply by bending more at the knees, and the power portion of the stroke can be longer than that of a seated double paddler without inducing as much yaw.

But if you think your double paddle gets you wet, that's nothing compared to using both ends of the pole. ;)
 
Chillin at Smith Lake this evening. Found a tiny spot of National Forest shoreline to claim. This
Is a huge Mountain Reservoir that used to have miles and miles of undeveloped shoreline but these days finding a remote campsite is tough. Tried the 250-265 DB for a while today into a 5-10 mph headwind. iDK, I seem to still get significant water in the boat and on me if I dig in and try to get up any speed. Doing the wide shallow piddle paddle didn’t seem to get me anywhere. Went back to the beavertail. Maybe I’m doin it wrong.
IMG_0443.jpeg
 
Ah yes, referred to as animal tails in some circles, the beavertail paddle still is a very good choice for the average tripper who doesn’t count peaks or heart rates.
 
The reality is that there is not a lot of actual difference between an OtterTail and a BeaverTail

For lake use I believe you are correct. For rivers with shallow sections where the whole paddle blade can’t be fully submerged, the beaver tail has a pretty big advantage with the width carried further down the blade. Of course, an even shorter, wider, and ideally more gravel resistant paddle would be the best choice there, but I have often taken both and switched between a beaver tail in the deep sections and a different paddle for the shallow swift sections. Occasionally though I’m daydreaming and don’t switch fast enough so you gotta use whatcha got, which is why I don’t own an otter tail, although they look lovely to use.
 
I'll add an additional advantage of long blade wood paddles, otter, voyageur and the like, especially if they are finished with thin knife slicing edges. If when cruising you favor the Canadian/Northwoods correction stroke, as do I, with underwater recovery, these paddles are what will give the best performance and joy. Although you can do a b*st*rdized Canadian with a bent, it is awkward at best and not fun for the long haul.
 
I've mentioned this before. The long blade does a pretty good imitation of a sailboat keel when paddling broadside to the wind. The most efficient deep keels are long and narrow, like a sailplane wing. My gut tells me (having compared but not measured scientifically) that this carries over to canoe paddles when used in those conditions. But mostly, I like having the ridiculously long blade option - and a beavertail of similar dimensions would be unwieldy, I think.
 
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