"Michael Daly" wrote in
:


On 9-Mar-2006, "Rick" wrote:

Feathered paddles require a lot of wrist rotation, another reason not
to use them, especially on multi-day or extended trips. A little
tendinitis goes a long way.

Only if the feather is not selected to suit the paddling style. Large
feather angles will require large wrist rotation.

I'm going to disagree with both of you here. Specifically, that a *lot* of
wrist rotation is *required* to use a feathered paddle. While I *will*
agree that performing an offside high brace can be difficult with rotating
the control hand wrist, for a normal forward stroke I don't believe it is
required. When I first learned how to paddle I was told that when taking a
stroke on the off-side that bending the wrist backwards would produce the
proper blade angle. However, I've subsequently learned that I can get
exactly the same blade angle by bending my control arm elbow.

In the context of this thread, the question is whether sea kayaking, and
specifically the use of a feathered paddle can cause wrist injuries. I am
suggesting that, yes, repeated bending of the wrist to it's maximum range of
motion likely will cause injury, but if one drops their elbow a bit and
bends their wrist a small amount, paddling with a feathered paddle won't
inherently cause wrist injuries. That is; it's not the paddle that causes
injuries, it's how one uses it.

I also suggested that the torque a strong wind sea kayakers commonly
encounter on open water can put quite a bit on ones wrists, but as Brian
pointed out, learning how to paddle with a loose grip can alleviate a lot of
that. As Bill suggested, many paddles do flutter (even my unfeathered
Greenland paddle) but a loose grip can help there as well.

Unfeathered paddles, contrary to popular misconception, require wrist
rotation. However, it is small and opposite that required for a large
feather angles.

I use both feathered and unfeathered paddles (former a Lendal
Archipelago w/ bent shaft set to approx 30 degree feather; latter a
Greenland-style paddle). If I get into a serious wind, I switch to my
spare storm paddle with a sliding stroke. Regardless of paddle, I
don't notice the problems that most people complain about. Matching
the paddle to the technique seems to solve them.

Mike