Tell me about paddles

[Tom M.]

I'm ready to build a double paddle for my MacGregor canoe. Its beam is 31"+, and freeboard will be about 9". I am completely inexperienced with double paddles. How long should it be? None of the kayak shops can tell me for certain, since their little boats like little paddles. The only reference I found is in LFH's book "Sensible Cruising", where he recommends a 102-108 inch paddle. And I assume that's for a beam of 26-28 inches or so. So what say you? Thanks so much in advance.

Tom

[Tom M.]

Don't go out of your way! LOL. Its on Iain's prints, which are in front of my face. 8 feet.

[ahp]

With canoes of normal proportions, and 31 inch beam is normal, most people don't use double paddles. Take the time to learn the J stroke, and use a paddle that when standing beside you reaches to your nose.

[Jim M]

My MacGregor needs a coaming about 2" high for sailing because the rail is frequently under water. That extra height and the beam mean that a single paddle is OK for close manuvering but bad for distance. My paddle is 102" which is a bit long. Someday I'll cut it down to 100".

[Tom M.]

Jim M: You wouldn't be Jim Mayberry, would ya? Thanks for the info. 96" seems too short for me, but I'll find out this weekend when I rent an 8 footer, just to see for myself. Only 10 bucks.

ahp: My canoe is kind of a wierd canoe. Ya sit on the floor, kind of like a kayak, so those big singles might be unwieldy.

[ 09-19-2003, 05:18 PM: Message edited by: Tom M. ]

[NormMessinger]

The first double paddle I made for our MacGregors is 105" tip to tip. The second is a little longer. 105" is probably the better all'round length.

A single paddle with the "J" stroke would be fine if you redesign the MacGregor to a more typical river canoe and leave off the deck. And, you are not ashamed of using a more effecient paddle design. tongue.gif

Oh, yes. And as stated above there are plan for the paddles on the MacGregor plans, yes?

[ 09-19-2003, 07:06 PM: Message edited by: NormMessinger ]

[Rob Hazard]

Another opinion:
I have a little Rob Roy type canoe with a 29" beam. It paddles quite comfortably with a 90" double paddle. The loom is a simple length of 1 5/16" closet pole, and the blades are 6 x 18" spooned ovals of 4mm okoume ply, glassed for stiffness and abrasion resistance.
A big, long paddle feels great when you hop in the boat, but after a couple miles it begins to feel too much like work!
That's my take, for what it's worth!

[NormMessinger]

Here's the MacGregor we paddle with the 105" double. I just finished a 90" set after Schade. It'll be interesting to see how they work.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid16/p8325b01bf525959ee986f22e05506dc4/fdeebd02.jpg

Would a "J" stroke be practicle in a beamy canoe in which one sits in the middle?

[Ron Williamson]

Norm
Regarding the J,not with a double paddle,otherwise yes.
R

[Todd Bradshaw]

Norm, it depends on how beamy and whether you're sitting close to the floor or up closer to normal canoe seat height. Sitting on one of those floor-mounted seats and trying to reach over a wide hull to do a J-stroke is extremely inefficient. You would be better off heeling the boat over by sitting on one side of the seat or using something like a short bent-shaft paddle and using sit-and-switch paddling techniques, rather than shaped strokes - in which case a double blade may still be a better choice. You can paddle a kayak quite efficiently with a single blade (or by choking-up on one side of a double blade) using a combination of C-strokes, straight strokes and J-strokes, but the only reason you can do it efficiently from that low position is because the boat is so narrow that you can nearly paddle straight down. Once you start reaching outboard to clear the gunwale of a fatter boat it gets really inefficient, really fast.

[NormMessinger]

Thanks Todd. Seems to me the C or J stroke would be most inefficient when one is in the middle of the boat. Of course if the water is not to deep one could always stand up and pole.

[Jim M]

You ain't doin no single paddle j stroke, sweep nor brace when rigged for sail, in any kind of chop. If the rig is up you'll capsize when you lean the boat and if it's down it'll fall overboard. This is canoe sailing, dude.

[NormMessinger]

"If the rig is up you'll capsize..."

That's been my experience, with or without a paddle. redface.gif I found the only way to get back in is to put a flotation cushion on the end of the paddle, lay in the flooded cockpit and roll it up right. Gotta remember to take a bailing bucket.

Since Tom found the answer to his question before any of us could respond we've managed to keep the thread going pretty well.

Anyway, the J-stroke is for lovers.

[Tom M.]

Yeah, y'all can go ahead and practice your alphabet strokes. Let me know how the "W" works for you. Me? I'm gonna learn to use that double paddle. I'm launching tomorrow, even though my canoe isn't finished. You can't accuse me of not sticking to schedule. Is that some kind of bad omen or anything like that?

Oh it'll float, I made sure of that. But there's no deck, just framing, and no rig. And no seats. And no rudder. But I have a rented paddle. :cool:

Tom

[Pagie]

Our Wee Rob double is 8ft long. Seems to work allright.