Which Blade Shape?

What I am about to say comes from 17 years of competing in down river racing, marathon and ocean ski racing. I have no axe to grind, it is just what I have learnt and been taught.

I do not use one blade for all disciplines as each shape has its own unique characteristics. Instead, I use a blade suitable for the type of kayak/ski I am racing and for the conditions.

Down River Racing:

• The blade I used when I was racing and the one that most DRR paddlers use, is of the parallel edge type which has a small to medium size blade. It has little or no offset and a small pitch. This gives the paddle a very solid catch, ideal for racing on grade III and IV rivers. The lack of offset and pitch means it does not exit well but this is not an issue for Down River Racers who have a very short punchy stroke with an early exit. Small to medium blades are normally used with lengths from 198 to 210 cm. If you use a paddle such as a Flite 5, Champion, Wildwater etc and they plop or slap on entry, it's not the paddles fault it's because you will have a poor/ late catch.
• I raced using 208cm AM Champions cadence 90-110 spm.

Marathon/ Sprint:

• There are two different types of blade shapes. Parallel edge (some examples are Lettmann, Stealth, Marathon, Rasmunsen, Brasca III & VI etc.) and the teardrop (Epic, Brasca I, II & IV, Fusion, Russian the list is endless). The parallel edge blades have a greater offset than the DRR blades which produces a cleaner but slightly less stable catch. They perform very well throughout the entire length of the stroke thus making it a very popular choice when racing K1/K2 down grade II & III rivers but to a lesser extent on flat water. The Teardrop style however generally has a larger offset and pitch which is characterised by a very clean entry and accelerates the kayak well through the power phase. However, I find the catch phase unpredictable in rough conditions so they are ideal for sprint and marathon racing.
• For K1 I used 217cm Epic and K2 219cm Epic cadence around 84 spm.

Ocean Racing Ski:

• I mostly use an Epic medium blade, teardrop shape. It is a wonderful paddle in flat to moderate conditions but in really rough conditions it's difficult to pull hard with confidence. I recently switched back to a set of Lettmann and I will stay with these because they work well in all conditions.
• I use a 214cm Lettmann cadence 80-100 spm.

Multisport:

• I paddle a Sharp 6.5. Like most of the faster multisport boats, they are designed for top end speed and not for acceleration like K1's. So following on from what I have just stated, it is no surprise that the Lettman or Lettman I is the perfect choice for this style of racing.
• I use 212-214cm Lettman depending on the types of water I am racing cadence around 86 spm.

The decision is yours, learn what suits you not what other people think.

Some words of wisdom from various coaches.

"Too long paddles or too large blades means the paddler will not be able to paddle with good technique, and may change to bad technique to cope with using them."

"Too long paddles means the paddler will never be able to train explosively or with a high enough stroke rate. This will militate against their desire to go fast, and hinder development."

"The right length is what is right for the individual paddler and the craft they use."

"If in doubt, paddle size should be smaller than larger and or paddle length should be shorter than longer."

 

Click here to down load a 35k excel file of speed test on various multisport kayaks and k1's.