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

My double-blade is a 9 foot long metal-shafted thing.  I've gotten a fair amount of use out of it but I doubt I'll be carting it with me much going forward.  Maybe if I would just spring for a lightweight alternative I'd change my mind.  The last couple times I didn't use it all that much and it amounted to simply "one more heavier item that had to be portaged."  On the other hand, there have been times when I've made a reasonable commitment to using it and getting my stroke just right, resulting in the satisfaction that I seemed to be "flying down the lake."  It takes a little commitment and practice to getting it right.  The older I get, however, the more tiring those shoulder motions seem to be... and the best use of my metal double-blade is to prop up my kitchen tarp back in camp.

Bottom line: that particular paddle is staying home next time and, unless I find a great deal on an ultra-light 9 footer, my "back-up paddle" will be another lightweight bentshaft.

The double-blade takes some commitment and practice to become comfortable with it.  It CAN be a nice alternative to paddling all day long with a bentshaft.  However, it you haven't developed that comfort zone with it BEFORE you head into the woods, my recommendation would be to leave it home until you do.  People tend to stay in their comfort zones and the double-blade can become dead weight... of which I am already far too much of a collector on my deep woods trips (which reminds me... anybody in the market for a pink wind sail?).

As far as the rocking-from-side-to-side goes, I believe ST's comments are right on the mark.

Jimbo   

I'm an ACA-certified canoeing instructor - not kayak - so what I say here comes from a body of partial knowledge.

Leaning the boat with a single-blade paddle reduces wetted surface in the ends, thus making the boat more maneuverable.  It also changes the underwater hull shape such that the boat wants to turn to the offside.  This is fine as long as you stay on one side for a while; you will adjust your strokes to compensate for this tendency to turn.

If you rock the boat side to side using a double paddle, you'll do several things:
- destabilize the boat and increase your risk of a capsize;
- increase the amount of drag in the water due to turbulence; and
- induce a slight turning action each time you lean the other way.

This isn't exactly the most efficient way to paddle.

I strongly recommend paddling the boat flat.  You can do this by leaning your torso slightly away from the onside.  Also:
- Get as much torso rotation as you can.  This protects your shoulders.  Rotate 45 degrees into the catch, rotate 45 degrees back again through the power phase, and then rotate another 45 degrees through the correction phase, if there is one.
- When you aren't in the boat, practice torso rotation in your upper and middle back.  Don't rely on your lower back to be flexible enough to take the full 90 degrees of rotation unless you also do yoga.
- Kneel in the boat.  That way you'll use the strong muscles of your legs and butt to maintain your position, which is easier to begin with because your hip angle is more open.  Sitting involves a more closed hip angle which leads to the lower back sagging.  It also uses the abs to maintain posture, and they're a lot weaker than the quads and glutes.

End of lesson.

Quote:


I believe that but the type of boat has a bearing too.
I paddle a tandem solo and use the double paddle almost exclusively. Fully loaded I get little or no rock becasue the hull is much wider than a true solo and I've learned to minimize the rocking action and developed a paddling stroke that suits my needs and I can do for long periods of time.

I can't speak for everyone, but I know for me that I can go farther,faster and in worse conditions with my double than I ever could with a single paddle.

It's not for everyone but nothing is. I always tell people to buy a cheap double and see if you can adapt to it or even want to before spending big bucks on a top of the line lightweight model.