Brian Nystrom wrote:
Wm Watt wrote:

The canoe paddle serves as both paddle and rudder. Kayak paddles don't
do the rudder job well.

Why not? It seems to me that a kayak paddle should be easier to use as a
rudder since you can rudder on either side without having to shift the
paddle in your hands. Kayakers use various types of rudder strokes all
the time, though kayaks can also be directed using leans and sweeps
which are probably more difficult in a canoe.

A kayak paddle will allow you to extert more force at the cost of more
effort. It's the same canoe and nothing is free.

True, but a kayak paddle is more efficient, since there is less time for
the boat to decelerate between strokes, so you do gain a bit of speed at
no cost.

On my recent trip/experiment, I found that directional adjustment was
instinctive using either type blade. The only exception to this is
when you crossed modes. It felt awkward and ineffective when you tried
a blade specific stroke using the wrong type of blade. Canoe strokes
did not work well with a kayak paddle. I suspect this is more mental
than physical (a blade is a blade after all - though there are length
and grip differences). The instinctive part just disappeared. With
sufficient practice, perhaps this would resolve itself.

Blakely
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Blakely LaCroix
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

"The best adventure is yet to come"