Some questions and comments about going FAST.....

Im no expert but I have some input on #3.
I have a very thin, semi-swept, low profile rudder I designed for myself for time trials. Over a distance of 5K (flat water) I have a a faster time by almost a minute and a half. I also let a teammate use my boat and he records a 70-80 second decrease in his 5K time. Ive also let a friend borrow the rudder and he beat guys who have beat him in the past with his stock rudder. Not exactly scientific but it seems plausible that its the reduced drag.

#2 Mon, 08/11/2008 - 6:30am

If NASA designed a suit to wear during races that would reduce drag from the air on your body would everyone start wearing those and start beating world records?

When it comes to speed and drag, there are certainly more variables than just the rudder. Here are some things I'd say are contributing factors to speed:

- Paddling technique - kind of an "of course" point. Proper technique that propels you forward with the least amount of wasted (negative) body motion is going to give you the biggest speed increases.

- Hull Weight - It makes sense that if you are paddling correctly the less weight you have to propel, the faster you should go and the easier it will be to keep speed going over distance.

- Body Weight - If your muscles are not able to pull your own body weight efficiently you will be slow. Add your weight and the weight of the hull and compare that to your own pulling power. Speed comes from the surplus of pulling power minus the weight. A heavier paddler will need more strength to "overcome" his own weight and have the endurance necessary to continue pulling his own weight.

- Surface Area VS Wind - The surface area of the canoe, the ama and the paddler are all "sails" to the wind. The wind will catch whatever it can. Side wind on a canoe and ama are very real points of drag. The amount of surface area you as a paddler have is also a big point of drag (what I said about a NASA suit applies to this. Although joking, what you wear is also a contributing factor to surface area and drag.)

- Rudder/Rudder Use - long rudders have more drag. Wide rudders have more drag. USING the rudder CREATES drag.

- Paddles - A long paddle can add leverage (power applicaton), but can also cause a late exit from the water. A late exit can cause drag (and you might be pulling the boat down by applying power toward the end of the stroke/exit and increasing the wetted surface, thereby increasing drag). A longer paddle can also compromise the shoulder usage and tire out your smaller muscles, thereby making it harder to keep your speed up. Also too short of a paddle can compromise your body position and cause you to lean too much causing a lot of weight being thrown around (see above about wasted body movements).

There are a lot of factors that go into getting speed, minimizing drag and improving efficiency. Paddling better is probably the cheapest though!

#8 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 8:12am

Body weight does help in the wind because the wind cannot push a heavier paddler as easily as it can a lighter one, but still larger surface area doesn't help any.

I guess what I meant about the longer paddle was that it is easier to bring back the blade really far. The main reason I believe for this is that the leverage from the longer paddle tends to make one believe that you can still pull strong at the end of the stroke (because it feels like you still have a solid pull). The problem is that the solid pull at the end of the stroke brings the boat down and kills your glide.

Long up front. Short in the back. Initiate the exit when your shoulders square up with the boat.

#12 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 12:17pm

I think most paddlers would agree that shorter paddles are now more popular. One if the best investments you can make is a GPS that gives real time speed...I think that what 'feels' strong and powerful is not always 'fast', whether OC1 or OC6. Technique is way more important than fitness/strength...especially at first. I'm sure many can talk story about working their hardest and being passed by another crew or another OC1 where the other guy(s) didn't seem to be working very hard at all...and the when you upped your effort to stay with them, the worse it got! I call it having to 'muscle' the boat rather than working for the glide.

One of the key elements in a smooth, efficient stroke is to have the paddle out at the knee, or just a hair behind it. The Tahitians teach that your elbow should finish at your side, not flared or angeled out. When your elbow is at your torso, your shoulders are square to the canoe, the blade is still vertical (not angeled back or starting to pull the kanu down) and it should be starting to come out of the water, The release is smooth and relaxed; you can actually hear the gurgle if you pull too far back or catch the ater on your exit.

#14 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 1:19pm

Gee I never thought info or feedback would hinder paddling better, but I guess you could just have the steersman look at the speed and let you all know when it was clicking; you could vary stroke rate, or power or even seats and or paddles to see what really works, as opposed to what just feels faster.
(I'm envisioning all 6 trying to look at their wrist mounted Garmns in rythm, I think that WOULD foul you up...)

I wonder has anyone ever used one of those Tempo Trainers that swimmers put under their caps or goggle flaps that sound a beep at the cadence you desire to teach strokers tempo?

#16 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 2:24pm

Shaun, have you read this article by my good paddling friend Leo Young, a human movement Professor.

http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com/2006/07/long-or-short-you-decide.html

He's a tall guy and top OC paddler. He also holds the world record for indoor Erg Concept 2 Paddling and has a very successful gym equipment manufacturing business. http://www.calgym.com.au

Definitely someone worth taking advice from. I do.
Cheers Rambo

Leo's Resume
Leo Young - Managing Director

(B. App. Sci. [Sport Sci.], B.Bus., Grad. Dip. Clin. Nutr., C.S.C.S)

Leo has 30 years experience in the fitness industry, including fitness centre establishment and management, staff training and consultancy, as well as gymnasium equipment design. Leo has also successfully coached some of Australia's finest Olympic and world class athletes in a wide variety of sports. He has personally competed at international / national level in several sports and currently holds multiple open world records in indoor rowing, canoeing and kayaking. Leo was formally the "Director of Education and Consultancy Services" for Fitlink Australia and is in high demand as a lecturer at fitness industry conventions. He is also the co-author of the textbook "Fitness -a systematic approach", widely used in Fitness Leader training courses nationally.

#18 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 11:44pm

Shawn - Again, im new also but do you paddle with anyone? Or mostly solo? I paddled for several months solo when I was brand spankin new. I made gains mainly because I was so new. But when I started paddling with a group and started chasing guys on a regular basis I really started making gains. Ive caught a few of them! The faster the guys are that im chasing, the faster I seem to go.

#20 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 11:55pm

rambo,

i don't have a wacky blade but i compared a straight shaft blade side by side, and the ttops and blades were at the same position- with the difference being in the shaft. (this is different than the comparison you did, where you compared the blades while holding it the same way)

i thought the whole point of the wacky shaft was to get the bottom wrist at a more neutral anatomical postion at the same blade position...

if you bend your wrist the same way as a straight shaft then it makes sense that the wacky would be further out... but the question is: do you want that?

then again, maybe that could be an alternate but equally beneficial use for the design.

#24 Wed, 08/13/2008 - 5:33am

Datcho said .... i thought the whole point of the wacky shaft was to get the bottom wrist at a more neutral anatomical postion at the same blade position…

It is the main reason for the Whacky, the hand position, but the blade still enters the water flatter and further back than a normal single bend (of the same length), so a longer blade (ala Tahitian) keeps the entry point in the same place.

I'll post a photo and show what i mean.

All i'm trying to point out, is when you order a Whacky, go with a longer length that way it can be easily cut down to suit.

Cheers Rambo

#26 Wed, 08/13/2008 - 12:33pm

What happens to the angle of the keone if you grab it with your top hand and put it in the angle that you would start your stroke, My guess is is pulls back in line and the blade angles line up, as well as the tee tops.

The idea of the wacky is to neutralize the wrist which it has obviously done in the photo, But based on where you have the Keone grip the wrist will also have the neutral position, I would doubt that if you take the same photo, but add the left hand to he top grip you will get different results

Also leaning back in the photo will create different results, Position yourself sitting down and simulate proper stroke position,

#28 Wed, 08/13/2008 - 6:19pm

Rambo,

I have a 50" Lono "whacky shaft" that I bought as my one of my first paddles to use with my OC-1. Now, I found out I feel better using 49" size paddles, but the Lono still feels fine when I do use it.

As for the catch compared to my 50" straight shaft Gillespie(when I was using it), I haven't really noticed it being shorter.

Looking at my Lono from the side, the point where the shaft goes into the blade looks like the angle is wrong for it to be going in. In fact, if you look at the picture you posted, it looks like it should be straighter going in but it looks like it is forward which is causing the top end to stick further away from the wall than the Keone. I did the same thing with my paddles and got the same thing you posted with the Lono's top further away.

#30 Thu, 08/14/2008 - 3:06am