I finally took a Mental Health Day off work and loaded the Mad River Independence
(solo 15’6”)  for a test drive on a local lake.  At the advice of Solo Tripper and some other members I bought a 280 cm / 9’ 2” double ended paddle.  I had watched the suggested  youtube videos which drove the point home that proper technique was mostly using the torso and the arms less so.  I put two 35 lbs bags of potting soil in either end to simulate  a gear load and headed up and down the lake in the 95 degree heat of a dead air day.  I had not yet had time to install the footbrace  I bought at Copia, but I could reach the forward thwart with my feet, so it did for the day.  After some sort of a rhythm with the long double blade emerged, I noticed some things, be they good or bad?

When I  rotated my upper body from side to side , the canoe would list a several  degrees each way.  A  bit un-nerving for someone who knows squat about leaning to the rail or anything close to it.

This only felt correct if the blades were only barely submerged to the neck.

I also had a standard paddle with me for comparison, so after some practice I started paddling laps and timing the difference.  There was none.  Exactly 20 minutes per the one mile length of the lake.  I suppose the double will improve some if my technique improves, but I expected at least some benefit.  I also paddled a lap with my ankles crossed and my knees laying against the gunwales which is my normal position in a tandem. Same 20 minute time.

So I am inviting anyone who paddles with  a double in a canoe to poke some holes in what I am doing right or wrong.  The trip starts in a couple of weeks and there is no more time away from work to practice.

Thanks for any help you can offer,

Regards,

MossBack