On Mar 27, 3:56 pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
On Sunday, I heard a spiel from a major paddle maker's rep to the effect that
offsetting the paddle blades 45 degrees makes for the least wrist rotation:
namely none.

If I understood it correctly, the rationale was that if one's body is twisting
properly with each stroke, the blades just come down into the water at the
proper angle without having to rotate the control hand back and forth.
[deletia]
Anybody care to dispute the 45-degree rationale?

I support it, and I'll tell you why. My first WW paddle had an 80
degree offset (old school) which I learned to paddle with. After about
2 years I decided to treat myself to a Werner all-graphite paddle
which I bought at the NOC's Guest Appreciation Festival. I had no idea
what feather this Werner paddle had, only that it was all-graphite
(light!) and about a 202cm length (which I was used to).

I ran the Nantahala and Ocoee rivers with it and I was blown away!
This was the most fantastic paddle I'd ever used! It felt incredibly
good to use. It was light, so light in fact I believed it to be
fragile (which it was not, as several years of hard use bore out.) It
felt like a "natural" fit to me. After I'd been paddling with it and
loving it I discovered it was a 45 degree offset. Once I realized this
I attributed the 45 degree offset as one of the reasons it felt so
"natural" and good to me. I analyzed my paddle stroke and realized the
45 offset put the next paddle blade in the water at almost the perfect
angle without any significant wrist rotation on my part to make it
happen.

I've been a 45 degree paddler ever since! :-)

John Kuthe...