In thinking about it a bit more, I think perhaps the turbulator would be most beneficial when placed near the upper edge on the power face (stern side) of the blade, at say 20-30% of the blade chord from the upper edge. If it were placed on the non-power face, lower edge, the drag increase caused by the strip would torque the blade such that the blade incidence is decreased. That would be defeating the purpose, I think, and would do little to assist in achieving the proper blade placement. On the power face, upper edge, it would act like an aircraft spoiler, again creating assymetrical vortex shedding and adding a bit of torque to help the catch of the blade. This way, even if the blade is nearly vertical on entry, the turbulator strip would help the blade "dig". I hope I'm conveying this clearly. A diagram would help. I'll see what I can do.

Nick

: Nick,

: The angled blade causes the vortices to shed predictably on a single side,
: which prevents flutter. In contrast, a vertical blade causes the vortices
: to shed on alternating edges of the blade which promotes flutter. The
: angled blade also has the benefit of causing the blade to bury quickly and
: catches the water very cleanly. Some folks have hypothesized that the
: angled blade helps to enhance lift (the vertical blade is often said to
: enhance drag) although I haven't seen any research to confirm or refute
: this.

: As to ergonomics, well, it is kind of a chicken-and-egg question. If you have
: a traditional West Greenland paddle that is sized to you correctly, then
: only your thumbs and forefingers encircle the paddle shaft. For most
: paddlers, holding the paddle in this manner with your wrist in a neutral
: position will automatically cause the paddle blades to tilt forward
: slightly. Many commercial paddles require all ten fingers to be placed on
: the shaft which encourages a vertical blade at the catch.

: I greatly prefer the "canted" stroke. I get a much more solid grip
: on the water and my top speed is increased. If your stroke with a
: Greenland paddle is characterized by excessive slippage then you will be
: very surprised at how the paddle "bites" using this technique,
: although it does take some practice to master. Maligiaq Padilla learned
: this technique from his Grandfather and noted that it is a common stroke
: in Greenland (although there are other methods). He referred to a stroke
: using a vertical blade at the catch as the "beginner's stroke".

: Greg Stamer