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Re: Question
By:Dave Gentry
Date: 12/10/2007, 1:50 pm
In Response To: Question (Jay Babna)

: Why do white water paddlers use feathered paddles?
: I once asked a few of them and none of them had an answer other than that's
: the way they learned to paddle.

I can't answer your question, either. That's exactly the way I learned to paddle, too. I've never even seen an unfeathered whitewater paddle, though I'm sure they are out there. My point was that there were no disadvantages to having a feathered paddle for whitewater use. If there were, or if there were practical advantages for unfeathered paddles, the top guys would, of course, be using unfeathered paddles. They don't care about tradition, etc - they have to use what works best.

: . . .I think there's more feathering because of unanalyzed tradition than
:actual need.

That may well be so in whitewater kayaking, but definitely not in sea kayaking. At least in the racing world, where the scientific method trumps anecdotal evidence. In conjunction with correct form in the forward stroke, racers use feathered (wing) paddles because they are more efficient, offer biomechanical advantages, and they help you go faster. Again, if unfeathered paddles were advantageous, the top guys would be using them.

I am NOT citing my own experience here, I'm just passing on the information imparted to us at a clinic taught by a prominant national team coach. Any racing coach, or serious racer, would say the same.

Messages In This Thread

Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Greg Clopton -- 12/9/2007, 9:41 pm
build & try both
ChuckS -- 12/10/2007, 11:25 pm
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Dave Houser -- 12/10/2007, 8:17 pm
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Bryan Hansel -- 12/10/2007, 11:20 am
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Bill Hamm -- 12/11/2007, 2:28 am
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Gordon Masor -- 12/11/2007, 12:13 am
Hijack!
Dave Gentry -- 12/11/2007, 11:29 am
Re: Hijack!
Alex Ferguson -- 12/11/2007, 4:54 pm
ad nauseam
Dave Gentry -- 12/11/2007, 7:00 pm
Re: ad nauseam
Gordon Masor -- 12/12/2007, 2:53 am
Re: ad nauseam
Bill Hamm -- 12/17/2007, 2:07 am
Historical POV
Reg Lake -- 12/11/2007, 6:20 pm
Re: Hijack!
Mike Savage -- 12/11/2007, 1:48 pm
Re: Hijack!
Dave Gentry -- 12/11/2007, 3:14 pm
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Kris Buttermore -- 12/10/2007, 1:21 pm
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Mike Scarborough -- 12/10/2007, 10:25 am
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
JohnK -- 12/10/2007, 4:59 pm
Kinesiology
Pedro Almeida -- 12/10/2007, 9:29 am
Re: Kinesiology
eric -- 12/10/2007, 9:45 pm
Re: Kinesiology
TOM RAYMOND -- 12/10/2007, 10:17 am
Re: Kinesiology
Mike Savage -- 12/10/2007, 10:41 am
Re: Kinesiology
TOM RAYMOND -- 12/10/2007, 11:48 am
Re: Kinesiology
Mike Savage -- 12/10/2007, 3:17 pm
another example
Pedro Almeida -- 12/10/2007, 9:47 am
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
fred Gasper -- 12/10/2007, 8:51 am
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Mike Savage -- 12/10/2007, 6:18 am
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
Bill Hamm -- 12/10/2007, 3:41 am
Re: Paddle: Feathered vs Unfeathered
JohnK -- 12/10/2007, 2:59 am
A different POV
Dave Gentry -- 12/9/2007, 11:26 pm
Re: A different POV??
Randy Knauff -- 12/10/2007, 1:21 am
Feathering advantage is real
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 12/10/2007, 11:28 am
Re: Feathering advantage is real
Rob Macks / Laughing Loon------WebKitFormBoundaryU -- 12/11/2007, 11:44 am
Re: Feathering advantage is real
Kris Buttermore -- 12/19/2007, 1:59 pm
Not either/or but appropriate both
Randy Knauff -- 12/10/2007, 4:05 pm
Re: Not either/or but appropriate both
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 12/10/2007, 7:30 pm
Yes, a different POV
Dave Gentry -- 12/10/2007, 3:31 am
Question
Jay Babna -- 12/10/2007, 8:39 am
Re: Question
Bill Hamm -- 12/12/2007, 1:46 am
Re: Question
Dave Gentry -- 12/10/2007, 1:50 pm
The Whitewater Perspective------WebKitFormBoundary *LINK*
GlazedDonut------WebKitFormBoundaryCg1JNknuAcMS+s6 -- 12/10/2007, 10:30 pm
Re: The Whitewater Perspective------WebKitFormBoun
Dave Gentry -- 12/10/2007, 11:49 pm
Re: The Whitewater Perspective------WebKitFormBoun
Duane Strosaker -- 12/10/2007, 11:45 pm
Re: Question------WebKitFormBoundaryJred+soBaAm3Im
Jay Babna------WebKitFormBoundaryJred+soBaAm3Imqe -- 12/10/2007, 3:15 pm
Re: Question------WebKitFormBoundaryJred+soBaAm3Im
Kris Buttermore -- 12/10/2007, 4:20 pm
Re: Question------WebKitFormBoundaryJred+soBaAm3Im
Mike Savage -- 12/10/2007, 5:28 pm
Well...
Pedro Almeida -- 12/10/2007, 8:47 am