If there is one thing I’ve learned, it's
that most people that have a canoe have never learned how to
paddle. As a
result, they are not very good at controlling the boat.
On a narrow river, they will hit the bank as they go
around each bend or will weave back and forth rather then
travel in a straight line.
They will never learn more than a forward stroke and
to rudder (which is not a stroke).
With a lesson or two and a little practice, most
paddlers could have a much more pleasurable experience.
Note: For a more in depth explanation,
refer to any of several books available on canoeing or sign
up to take a lesson with a canoeing instructor.
I took several canoe lessons growing up
with the boy scouts.
As an adult, I’ve taken many more lessons to improve
my skills. As with most activities you can never stop
learning.
Let’s start with the basics:0
The PFDThis is your single most important piece
of equipment. It
floats, you don’t, and it only works if you wear it.
Go to a good outfitter and ask to try on several
PFDs. Put them
on, and adjust them.
Then check for your range of motion.
Can you lift your arms and is it comfortable?
Sit down in a canoe or kayak and pretend to paddle.
Does it ride up?
Remember, you will only wear it if it’s comfortable. Pay the
price for that good Life Jacket.
It may just save your life.
The PaddleThis item, along with your muscles is
the motor for your boat.
It needs to be the right size for the paddler.
And it has to be used properly.
The wrong paddle can tire you out and make it a very
long tiring trip.
To determine the proper size for a canoe
paddle, place the grip under your armpit and hold your arm
and hand as far down the shaft as you can reach. Now take
the other hand and grab the shaft just below your fingers
(thumb up position).
This is where your onside hand (or
Shaft Hand)
should be.
Marking this location on each paddle will help keep your
stroked efficient.
The off side hand (or
Grip Hand) will
be placed on top of the grip.
Next measure the distance from the bottom of your
onside hand to the top of the blade. This distance should be
the same as from the gunwale of the canoe to the waterline.
This will provide you with the most efficient use of
the paddle with the least effort.
Note: always carry at least one extra paddle in your
canoe.The type of paddle you use depends on
where you are. A beaver tail paddle has a long blade shaped
like the tail of a beaver and is better suited for deep
water. A flat
blade paddle has a short wide blade with a flat bottom and
is better in a shallow river or white water. Bent shaft
paddles are designed to increase efficiency of the paddle
and paddler.
Paddling Tandem
CanoesMost people paddle tandem that is, with
a bow paddler and a stern paddler.
There are a lot of
point of views as to who is in charge.
I always say, that depends. Sometimes it’s the bow
paddler and sometimes it the stern paddler.
If you’re in a rapid, the bow paddler is the first to
see the rocks so they pick the route.
By the time the stern paddler sees an obstacle it may
be too late. If
you’re crossing a large lake, the stern paddler has the best
vantage point and can best keep you on course.
Paddling also requires a coordinated
effort. For this
the bow paddler is again in charge by setting the pace. The
bow paddler sets a cadence that will be comfortable for both
paddlers. The
stern paddler paddles at the same rate but on the opposite
side of the canoe. The cadence should be slow enough so the
stern paddler can make any necessary corrections.
The corrections for the most part should be an
occasional J-stroke.
This method means the only reason to switch sides
will be so each paddler gets an even workout.
The Paddle Stroke
BasicsAll paddle strokes have three basic
parts. You start
your stroke with the Catch, then go into the Power Phase,
and end with a Recovery.
Being able to identify each phase will greatly
improve your learning curve and enable you to easily master
most strokes.
The Catch is the starting position for a
stroke and ensures you are in the right place.
Where the paddle
enters the water is where it should remain for most of the
stroke.
The Power Phase is the part of the
stroke that propels the canoe. If the paddle remains where
you placed it during the Catch, then what you are actually
doing is pulling the canoe across the water to a new
location. The
Recovery phase gets you back into position and ready to
execute your next stroke.
When covering strokes we will refer to
your onside which is the side your paddle is on.
It is also the side which has your hand located on the
paddle shaft.
Your offside is the side away from the paddle.
Your offside hand is the one on the grip.
When paddling a canoe the paddle is
placed in the water in a stationary position.
It is then used to pull (or push) the canoe and
paddlers across the surface of the water in the desired
direction.
The Paddlers
Position
While
most strokes can be executed from the sitting position,
there are some very good reasons, why you may want to
consider a kneeling position.
Sitting in most canoes give you one main point of
contact with the seat in your boat.
Your feet, while on the bottom of the boat are not
secured, meaning they can slide around.
As you apply power to your paddle you will tend to
move around on the seat as you absorb the force against the
paddle. Installing foot pegs can help minimize the loss of
power.
The kneeling position gives you three
points of contact.
Each knee is on the bottom and pressing against the
sides of the canoe, while you lean back against the seat or
kneeling thwart.
This position dramatically increases the amount of power
developed with each stroke and is a much more efficient way
to paddle. In moving water it is recommended that you use
the kneeling position. In addition to providing more power,
it also lowers your center of gravity making the canoe more
stable.
Whether sitting or kneeling, good posture
is also needed and will help with the body rotation, which is
used to increase the power from each stroke.
Body rotation allows you to use power from your back
muscles rather than just your arms.
The Right StrokeWith tandem canoeing it is very
important to know when to use each type stroke and when a
certain strokes would not be appropriate.
A good tandem team may spend hours practicing their
strokes to see what works best.
Before planning to go on a wilderness trip, you need
to paddle together locally.
It may save you from a very long and painful
wilderness nightmare.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
Please note, there is no Rudder Stroke in canoeing.
The Forward StrokeThe forward stoke is not only the most
used stroke, but also the basis for all the other strokes.
This stroke is the same for both paddlers.
Your paddle needs to be held at an angle of 90
degrees to the water or almost straight up and down.
The Catch Phase: Rotate your body and paddle (onside)
forward reaching out and setting the blade in the water as
far forward as possible.
The Power Phase: With the blade in the water, Rotate back
while bringing you’re paddle straight back until even with
your hips.
The Recovery Phase:
Lift the paddle blade out of the water and return to
a neutral position and ready to begin the next stroke.
The J Stroke
(Stern or Solo ONLY)This stroke is used only by the stern
(or solo) paddler to correct or compensate for the direction of
travel. Because of
the design of canoes tandem paddlers tend to track to the
onside of the bow paddler. The J stroke allows the stern
paddler to make a correction while maintaining forward
momentum.
The Catch Phase: Rotate your body and paddle (onside)
forward reaching out and setting the blade in the water as
far forward as possible.
The Power Phase: With the blade in the
water, Rotate back while bringing your paddle straight
back until even with your hips. At this point, use the grip
hand to rotate to a thumb down position, while continuing
the power phase behind your hips.
For additionsl correction you can pry slightly off the
stern gunwale.
The Recovery Phase:
Lift the paddle blade out of the water and return to
a neutral position and ready to begin the next stroke.
The Reverse or
Back StrokeFor the many times when you will need to
back up your boat, the reverse stroke will come in handy.
It is just the opposite of the forward stroke in some
ways. It is the same for both paddlers.
The Catch Phase: Set the blade of your paddle in the water
slightly behind your hips. The Power Phase: With the blade in the water, rotate your
body forward while pushing you’re paddle straight forward.The Recovery Phase:
Lift the paddle blade out of the water and return to
a neutral position and be ready to begin the next stroke.
The Draw StrokeThe draw stroke is a multiple purpose
stroke and can be used in several ways.
The bow and stern paddlers can use it on opposite
sides to turn a canoe.
Both paddlers using it on the same side will slide
the canoe sideways.
A bow paddler can use the draw to start a turn or
change directions. While doing a draw stroke, the paddle
should never touch the side of the canoe.
The Catch Phase: reach out to the onside of the canoe as
far as possible and setting the blade in the water. The Power Phase:
with the blade in the water, draw the
paddle in toward the side of the boat. The Recovery Phase:
lift the paddle blade out of the water and return to
a neutral position and be ready to begin the next stroke.
Alternate Recovery: Turn the paddle blade (feather) to 90
degrees from the gunwale and slice the paddle blade back
away from the canoe as far as possible.
The Pry Stroke (or
Push Away)
Much like a draw stroke a Pry stroke has
multiple purposes.
Both paddlers prying on opposite sides cause the
canoe to turn. If both Paddlers pry on the same side, this
will move the canoe sideways. Why not just do a draw stroke?
There are times when
it may not be safe or you may not have time to switch the
paddle from one side to the other side of your canoe.
Depending on which way you want to move the canoe
without changing sides you will determine if a pry or draw
is the correct stroke to use.The Catch Phase: set the blade in the water as close to
the gunwale as possible. The Power Phase: with the blade in the
water, push the paddle in and away from the side of the boat.
You can also pry the paddle using the gunwale as the
focal or pivot point.The Recovery Phase:
lift the paddle blade out of the water and return to
a neutral position and be ready to begin the next stroke.
The Sweep StrokeThe sweep stroke is another turning
stroke that can be used in place of the draw or pry strokes.
It is extremely important to end this stroke in the
correct position. Continuing the stroke will have a negative
impact on the maneuver and waste energy.
The Bow Forward Sweep (tandem) starts as
close to the bow as possible.
place the paddle in the water then with a wide
sweeping motion; bring the paddle back until it is at a 90
degree angle from the gunwale.
The Stern Forward Sweep (tandem) starts
at a 90 degree angle from the canoe.
place the paddle in the water then with a wide
sweeping motion; bring the paddle back as close to the stern
as possible.
The Bow Reverse Sweep (tandem) starts at
a 90 degree angle from the canoe.
place the paddle in the water then with a wide
sweeping motion, bring the paddle forward as close to the
bow as possible.
The Stern Reverse Sweep (tandem) starts
as close to the stern as possible.
place the paddle in the water and bring the paddle
forward until it is at a 90 degree angle from the gunwale.
Solo Forward Sweep starts as close to the bow as possible
and continues as close to the stern as possible. Solo Reverse Sweep starts as close to the stern as
possible and continues as close to the bow as possible.
The Low BraceThe low brace is used to support the
paddler when the canoe is leaning to the paddlers onside and
is in danger of tipping over.
A brace will give you a short period (1 or 2 seconds)
of support for you to re-gain your balance and bring your
canoe upright while you shift your weight over the center of
gravity.
Take your paddle and put it out at a 90
degree angle from the canoe.
Make sure you grip hand is knuckles down facing the
water. Your paddles non-power face should be outstretched and
facing the water.
At the same time, you will need to lower your head and
body. Your head
should be close, if not on the paddle grip.
Using the paddle for support (remember the 2
seconds), press down with your offside knee to level the
boat and at the same time pull your head and body in over
the center of the canoe. This maneuver requires additional
training and lots of practice.
The High Brace
Much like the low brace, the high brace is used to save
you from flipping over toward to your offside.A good strong draw stroke on your onside
should bring the canoe back into balance.
In some cases, if your paddle is already in the
water, a good pry stroke will also work.
This maneuver requires lots of practice.
FerryingFerrying is used to get from one side of
a river to the other side without slipping downstream.
It also allows you to maneuver between obstacles in
the river when in rapids.
In most cases you start with the canoe heading
directly upstream, and then turn using a slight angle in the
direction you want to go. By paddling into the current you
can avoid being carried downstream, while the slight angle
will cause the current to push on one side of the canoe
moving you in the direction you want to travel.
The slower the current the more of an angle you use,
while with a fast strong current you use less of an angle.
When starting a ferry from an eddy, you should be as
close to and parallel to the eddy line as possible to avoid
a downstream peel out.Ferrying takes lots of practice to
figure out just how your canoe will behave based on the
speed of the current.
Too much of an angle and you just get washed
downstream. Too little and you won’t make it to the other
shore.
|