EXTRAS
Tips / Equipment
The Wing Paddle
The wing paddle has many advantages, and has become the main choice among racers and an increasing number of touring and day cruisers. The wing paddle allows the kayaker to center the blade more easily and pull more water with each stroke. Just as important (if not more so) its natural path through the water actually forces you to use your larger muscle groups and not your arms, just as you are supposed to. Given the properties of the blade shape combined with efficient technique, you can see up to a 7% – 10% increase in boat speed from the same effort over a conventional paddle.
As the name suggests, the cross section of a wing paddle is shaped like an airplane wing. In the airplane context, as the wing moves forward, the air moving over it moves faster than the air moving under it. As air speeds up, its pressure goes down. So the faster-moving air above exerts less pressure on the wing than the slower-moving air below, creating lift. This is usually a split of roughly 70% pull from above the wing and 30% push from below. Using the same concept, as the wing blade moves away from the kayak, the water flowing over the wing section of the blade causes it to move forward in the water.
The type of paddle that you choose will depend largely on the type of paddling that you do. If you like to paddle at high speed with good efficiency, then a wing paddle is the best choice. If you prefer leisurely paddling or cruising and using more steering strokes, then a conventional paddle may be a better choice.
As the name suggests, the cross section of a wing paddle is shaped like an airplane wing. In the airplane context, as the wing moves forward, the air moving over it moves faster than the air moving under it. As air speeds up, its pressure goes down. So the faster-moving air above exerts less pressure on the wing than the slower-moving air below, creating lift. This is usually a split of roughly 70% pull from above the wing and 30% push from below. Using the same concept, as the wing blade moves away from the kayak, the water flowing over the wing section of the blade causes it to move forward in the water.
The type of paddle that you choose will depend largely on the type of paddling that you do. If you like to paddle at high speed with good efficiency, then a wing paddle is the best choice. If you prefer leisurely paddling or cruising and using more steering strokes, then a conventional paddle may be a better choice.
