My new paddle
Submitted by pjeaje on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 12:54
Just thought I'd share this...
I just got my 'new' paddle. Well sort of... the angle was all wrong for me so I had paddle cut in half and this little insert thing that allows me to freely adjust the blade angle/offset and the length of the paddle... it's awesome. I found that i need an angle of 60 rather than 72 which was my old angle (it's a huge difference).
I'm 6ft on the dot and I'm liking 214cm length at the moment on my spirit racing ski on the river :)
cheers
Pete
Custom Darryl Long special
I'm lucky enough to be on my second custom-built Darryl Long paddle. He builds them tough to withstand rock bashing etc in the Avon. I love the thing, and use it in all conditions and just about all boats.
It's got extra-thick reinforced ends for rock hammering, really rigid shaft and blade for maximum thrust, and a more 'boxy' looking scoop shape for good 'grip' on the white water. The offset between blade is quite low (?65 degrees).
I find it quite difficult to pick up anyone else's paddle and use it. And as a general comment on wing vs flat blade, I feel like I'm paddling with a shovel when I use a flat blade.
paddles
Yay PJ! What kind is it?
Mine is either 55 or 60 degrees, I forget which, and I quite like that too.
Plastic/graphite paddle from Spirit
When I bought my second hand Spirit racing ski the guy also had a paddle with it, It was a fibreglass shaft and a plastic/graphite blade from Spirit (so they told me at the shop). Saved myself $$ by not having to buy a whole new paddle. All I need now is time to use it! (6 year old boys do SOO much!)
cheap paddles
I used to use those plastic/graphite blades (S2000) and broke about one a year. The Legend composite paddle I have now has done four avons, WW in Tasmania, countless marathons, sprints and daily training
S2000
I've got one of them as well, and I've trashed a blade at least once a year every year. They're obviously cheaper to replace than the fully comp blades on my good paddle, but it still adds up.
How do you 'trash' a paddle?
Serious question...
Where does it break? what is the weak point? What in your opinion makes it break?
Breaks
As Fiasco said, near the root of the blade is the normal spot.
Most of mine have been by bracing on an unseen submerged rock, but a couple of have been from getting a blade trapped in rocks/stumps. My Solution composite paddle broke in the middle of the trailing edge of one blade, so maybe that design has a different weak point....or just a bad manufacturing job on that item.
Never snapped any part of a shaft, always blades, and always on the river.
Paddle snapping
Food for thought on the back pressure causing the break, never thought of that, but it makes lots of sense.
My 'old' paddle snapped at the neck of the blade too, although it was very poor quality. It happened in the middle of the Canning River near Deep water point and guess who didn't take his mobile phone with him that day! 5 hours later i got home.
Me thinks I need to save up for a good 'strong' paddle... Any suggestions on a cost/quality trade off? Oh and can they be chopped in half and have the adjusting 'thingy' inserted?
thanks
how-to; trashing a paddle
Neear the root of the blade. Almost certainly (in my case) from back pressure- big save brace strokes, including off the bottom/off rocks. the shape is very strong in the forward direction but collapses when pushed from behind. In 05 i broke two in quick succession (deadly mistake and Bells) -both from big back strokes against the bottom of the river.
Plastic 'composite' paddles
My old Spirit plastic paddles probably 'S2000s' used to break right near the connection of the blade and the shaft. I used to use them in the surf (not really designed for that). Lean on them hard, pop goes the blade ... why am I now swimming? I am pretty sure they use a stronger nylon-carbon 'composite' or something now.
Finn do a nice 'cheap' nylon-composite (don't know actual material). I use one as a spare break-down. Looks like a stronger flange near the shaft. I like it for a relatively cheapie.
Don't underestimate the value of a cheaper paddle ... cheaper if it does not make it through the valley with you!
degrees
i gradually adjusted mine, to stop plopping. i really believed it improved my not-falling-outness and i watched my blade entry and it seemed to be nice and perpendicular to the direction of travel. i was down t o45 degrees.
Then i got in a k2 with someone better than me. he put me back to the standard angle. It was hard, for about 2 days then i got used to it and have been there ever since.
the flatter angle cut down the wrist rotation. In fact, my passive (left0 hand didn't move on the grip.
Now I am happy at the standard angle
Equipment or Technique
So in order to achieve the most optimum stroke, i.e. speed for effort, is it better to adjust the blade angle to your style/technique or adjust your style/technique to suit blade angle. Reading Fiascos post it seems that it is the latter. If that is the case, a "standard angle" is based upon the paddler having correct and therefore optimum technique - so better to get some technique lessons rather than experiment with differing paddle angles. Or am I oversimplfying something that is not quite so black and white?
e/t
i think a bit of both. maybe get a couple of lessons before sawing up your paddle
Paddle holding genes
Surely it would have something to do with the genes... i used to play a lot of tennis and there were 2 distinct ways to hold a racket according to the angle of the handle. It had everything to to do with "how you were born"... a bit like lefties.