double paddles

[shapeshifter]

thinking about hole-in-handle possibilities...
...you may want to try a flap that acts as a valve allowing your fingers through one direction and clamping shut when pressure is applied from the other direction during the stroke. this way you maintain the integrity of the paddle face and not lose too much resistance because of a breach or opening in the surface of the blade.

[Shawn Michael]

In ocean racing surfskis are a little faster than OC-1's and about half of this speed difference is attributed to the drag from the ama which we are not dealing with here so I cannot imagine (especially in windy open ocean conditions) that the double blade would smoke a single except maybe on a lake...and even there the difference would not be dramatic. 

I thought this double blade stuff was old news, one of the first SUP photos I ever saw was Laird going down the grand canyon on an SUP with a big sun hat and a double blade...I concluded that if this was so great he would have used it on other occasions but I never saw him with that set up again...........

[log man]

Hi Folks ,This is my first post on stand up zone ,I couldnt resist this double blade paddle thread. Just some background first. I started using a double ended kayak paddle after making my first SUP , unfortunately I made it with too little volume . So the only way I could surf my new board was with a Double paddle , Kneeling ,then Popping up A La normal surfing . I modified an old Kayak paddle so it had no feather ie the paddle is completely flat. This way I can use the paddle just like a normal SUP paddle , gripping the top blade just like a normal SUP handle and sweeping the other blade into the water .Try it , it works great but you do get some odd looks and some even odder comments . cheers

[corran]

There is no question at all that a double bladed paddle is vastly faster than a single. Look at the times of K1 vs C1 sprint racing. The K1 guys pass the C1 like they are a log. Its really no contest at all.

As an experienced C1 andf K1 paddler, I also know from experience that a C1 (single blade) can simply not move as fast, react as fast and maneuver as fast, or as efficiently as a K1. Its no contest.

In 1977 C1 Paddler Davey Hearn showed up at the Nationals with his C1 and a long K1 blade. He totally smoked the other C1ers... He was DQ's for his efforts for the unfair advantage.

So if 1. Ballance or 2. speed in the channel is an issue for you, or getting onto waves cos you're wobbly, or have a really short slow board, then a K1 paddle will change your world.

Now whether you LIKE it is another thing.

I tried it and I don't. Part of what makes SUP fun is the challenge. its friggin hard to master this. I like the fact that I can;t just paddle out as I like in close out or short period surf. I like the fact that I have to think ahead on ww and switch sides (as a c1 paddler I never switched but on SUP I do). So while there is no question about the superior control/speed of a k1 paddle, this is not why "I" paddle SUP. I like the look, feel and everything about the sinlge stroke and what that does for me on a board....

If I jsut wanted performance I'd stay on a shortboard. I SUP for the other reasons, and thats why I prefer a C1 paddle.

Corran

[Shawn Michael]

....true, if I wanted to go fast I would stay with my surfski but it is collecting dust with my OC-1.

p.s. Corran, considering your background, it would be so great to hear your thoughts on SUP stroke mechanics/style if.

[log man]

Hey Corran , there are other advantages to the double ender . I'm a 50 year old surfing for the third year . I'm very average but improving . The double ender allows me to spend more time surfing (it's definitely  less tiring paddling back out / catching waves ) . It allows me to surf a board that would be too small for me if I was standing up paddling ( I don't need the stability of a wider , longer board ) . Plus the fast acceleration of the double paddle allows me to catch the wave nice and early , very important for a less than average surfer . Down sides ,  sure , sore ankles from sitting on my feet , vision of set waves not so good ,falling off when I pop up from knees to stand up (not so much --- I am improving!!!) . But the double ender is only for the surf , stand up paddling is so much better on flat water , not for power/stability etc etc just the cruisy feeling of it .... Just another thought ,I'm finishing off a 8/3x 26.5 in the shed , I hope i can use it but I'm sure some of those 20year old gun surfers out there could paddle even smaller boards if they used the double ender . vive le paddle plappe!!!  Cheers Rupert

[goomba271]

I have some old movies/screenshot of the Duke himself using a double blade paddle on a SUP.  His board is big enough to accomodate 4 people.  In the film he is shown double blade paddling with a prone rider in the rear along with two female passengers.  Once on a wave, the rear paddler stands and the two women stand as well.  One of the women ends up on the one guy's shoulders.

I also have old movies/screenshot of a friend and his brother using double blade paddles on some hollow wooden paddleboards when they were kids.  They have a family cabin at a lake in Michigan where they have been doing it for nearly 40 years.

There is also some history of tandem riders using double blade paddles.  I have a pic of that as well.

My girlfriend likes the double blade as it allows her to have our dog onboard and not worry about hitting him in the head with every side-to-side change.  I will be sure to let her know that we are an embarrassment to some of the modern trend setting/Laird wannabe members of this forum.  My apologies in advance for any further embarrassment these photos may cause.

[Rockbottom]

So if using a double bladed  paddle makes a SUP less a SUP, does a canoe with an AMA  make a canoe less of a canoe?   I like to experiment as well and built a SUP with an AMA and was told that it's not a real SUP.   But to me, I was able to make it 25 " wide, way too narrow for my 200 lbs, super fast on the flats,   but still have the AMA for stability in a boat wake.     And the AMA only touches the water as an occasional balance check.   
       If it works for them, let em do it.   It's not like they are trying to surf a board with fins on both ends!!!!

[colas]

In Cannes, I see from time to time a guy with a hybrid version. Here is the best snapshot I have (gopro)


He grabs the vertical handle at the top. Quite awkward in my opinion, moreover it is just an aluminium paddle without the nervosity of a fiber one...
What is puzzling is that this guy is far from a beginner. He wonder what trauma made him stay away from standard paddles, will have to ask him next time... (he tends to knee paddle a lot to get back to the lineup)