Why feather a paddle

If you were to look around when paddling with groups you would notice that most people use feathered paddles. A feathered paddle is one where each blade is oriented at a different angle than the opposite blade usually between 60 and 90 degrees so that when the power side is in the water and moving toward the rear of the boat the non-power side, which is moving forward, is at right angles to the air and slicing through the headwind instead of pushing air.

Sounds like a definite advantage, but is it? It would be if all we did was paddle into headwinds but fortunately wind and waves come from all different directions and rise and fall at the whim of Mother Nature. I will list below some pros and cons regarding feathering in order to encourage people to give it some thought before they decide which way to go.

Some people may suggest that they could paddle feathered into a headwind and unfeathered for beam or tailwinds. I hope these suggestions will give paddlers something to ponder and then make an educated decision regarding which way they would like to snap their paddle together. SUP Paddles. Whitewater Paddles. Packrafting Paddles. Our Story. Our Team. Our Ambassadors.

Contact Us. Paddle Care. These then lock into place for a secure fit. The setting can be viewed through a small opening in the shaft and an engaging button lies pretty much flush with the surface of the shaft.

As in most all ferrules, calibrations are marked on the shaft for easy adjustment. These "swellings" on the shaft are formed to allow a smooth flow across their surface. Both angle and length adjustments options are possible. Lever action — These mechanisms rely on a lever to exert pressure on a ring or collar positioned at the ferrule.

Levers can be adjusted to change or re-secure the tension exerted by the lever. Some ferrules allow you to select incremental feathering angles. Popular off-sets usually start at 30 degrees and increase in degree increments up to 60 and sometimes 75, and much less common now, 90 degrees. Other ferrules enable you to lock in at any angle between 0 and upwards of 60, 75 or In addition, some ferrules let you stretch or shrink the length of your paddle by several centimeters.

It's important to check out these systems and make your selection based in part on your paddling style and environment. That's up to you. How might your paddling style affect the type of ferrule you should consider? For example, do you tend to wear gloves? If so, which system will be the easiest to manipulate with those padded fingers — or cold hands? Do you paddle several kayaks using different lengths or styles of paddling?

Hone your paddling skills with your best choice of feathered or unfeathered paddle checking hand positioning, torso twist, posture — all those critical components of proper paddling technique. Once your technique is correct and solid, check out the various options provided by today's manufacturers. You can learn all the details of each manufacturer's ferrule system on their websites - usually on the "Technology" link if not designated separately.

Selecting a paddle is as important as picking out the right kayak. If that first inexpensive paddle was a deal closer when you bought your kayak. Think seriously about an upgrade. The technology today is being incorporated by manufacturers to design and produce state-of-the-art paddles. A good kayak deserves an equally good paddle. Below 30 is special order. If you are happy on 45's and the new paddle feels good on 45's, chances are you'll be just dandy with 45's.

Paddles are such a personal preference, there is no one rule suits all for length, feather, material, construction, colour Re: Whitewater paddle feather Post by feedbackproblem » Sat May 07, pm It's absolutely personal preference.

After trying 90's, then 45's and 30's I decided that the less feather a paddle had the more I liked it so I took a bit of a punt and bought a right handed set with 15 deg feather which I love. For me the advantages come with it being much easier to high brace and roll on my left side and this out weighs the big disadvantage of extra resistance when you are paddling into the wind. Re: Whitewater paddle feather Post by MarkEb » Sun May 08, pm My advice would be to try and borrow a set of splits which allow you to vary the angle.

Try paddling with them set to different feathers and see what you prefer. Re: Whitewater paddle feather Post by Jim » Mon May 09, am So anywhere from 0 to 90 will be fine, don't go less than 0 or more than 90 unless you need to set up for left handed control, but many left handers learn with right feather and never need to change.

I set all our club polo paddles up to 85deg for goalkeeping as advised, but everyone on the team hates them - I got my own built to 60 and will eventually learn to keep goal with them, probably. For everything else I have been using 60 for years, but I am now considering some changes: - I just bought a new slalom paddle and need to decide whether to stick with 60 or reduce to 45 so I'm really interested in Dave's comment about higher feather angle working with a higher stroke angle - one of my biggest issues with slalom in kayak is catching poles with the spare blade because my stroke angle is too low - I don't have that problem in C1, although I don't always get my stroke angle high enough for max power there I think I may have to assemble my new paddle with tape and try some flat water training to see if 45 or 60 is going to work best for me.

Re: Whitewater paddle feather Post by DaveBland » Mon May 09, pm I suspect if you are an oldie who's been used to 90 or done much pole dodging, then 45 is probably the most flat you'll comfortably get to.

If you are a newer school boater then it's 45 down to 15 for creeking.