Thank you! This is a great video to give my students an idea before our school trip on what rough water canoeing conditions can look like and how to paddle with rough water (that they very well may face)
This is a Golden Eagle canoe which is flat bottom with a keel. Flat bottom boats are not very stable, BUT the Golden Eagle is so wide that it is stable. The more chine deep curve) the canoe bottom has, the better it will perform in rough water.
O.K. I've never even tried a kayak paddle, so how would I know. But, when I'm paddling into a nice breeze, I paddle on 1 side, and let the wind bring the bow back. When I'm ready for a change I put the other side of the bow to the wind and paddle on the opposite side, creating a zig zag course. Same thing in a strong wind, except I'm paddling HARD (1 side only) to try to maintain some headway. AND, I've noticed that the wind almost always will let up enough at some point to put the other side of the bow into the wind. zigzagging again. Just don't see how you can get away with alternating strokes.
Roy, with a kayak paddle, you can hold the paddle, "off center" so that the leeward length of the paddle is linger than the windward side of the paddle. So, the leeward side strokes are stronger
Nice video and thanks for the useful information. Could you post how long your homemade paddle is? Also, what kind of wood is it made of? I have previously lashed two canoe paddles together to create a long double ended paddle of adequate length. It actually worked quite well. Having a custom paddle would obviously be better though...
it works "OK" in heavier seas. Of course, we have all been out in whitecaps at some point in our canoeing lives. The shortcoming of open deck canoes is really big waves and wind. Those conditions are made for kayaks. Concerning the paddle, I am convinced that for open water solo paddler, a double bladed kayak paddle is much better that a single bladed canoe paddle. Big wind, big waves with a solo paddler and single bladed canoe paddle: oh boy, that would be for some ironman paddlers!
@@explorermike19 yes l agree a kayak paddle is definitely the better option for canoesits who haven’t got the time to learn efficient and effective single blade paddling. It is far more than just muscling it out, because nature will always win than test. The trim of the canoe, the edge, which side you paddle on, understanding the wind, the path you take, the type of paddle you use, etc, etc, all contribute to being able to paddle upwind in unfavorable conditions. But obviously these take time to learn and perfect. Going with a double blade only addresses the muscle but, any paddler will still be better learning about the other ways they can improve their paddling
Thank you! This is a great video to give my students an idea before our school trip on what rough water canoeing conditions can look like and how to paddle with rough water (that they very well may face)
Good luck on your school trip. I hope you have a safe and fun time.
As a dinghy sailor of 15 years I can tell you that waves always look smaller on video
Oooohhh!!(moment of enlightenment here) Thank you.
Great video. The videos never show the real height of the waves!
What type canoe bottom are you on? Can a flat bottom canoe handle what you doing?
This is a Golden Eagle canoe which is flat bottom with a keel. Flat bottom boats are not very stable, BUT the Golden Eagle is so wide that it is stable. The more chine deep curve) the canoe bottom has, the better it will perform in rough water.
O.K. I've never even tried a kayak paddle, so how would I know. But, when I'm paddling into a nice breeze, I paddle on 1 side, and let the wind bring the bow back. When I'm ready for a change I put the other side of the bow to the wind and paddle on the opposite side, creating a zig zag course. Same thing in a strong wind, except I'm paddling HARD (1 side only) to try to maintain some headway. AND, I've noticed that the wind almost always will let up enough at some point to put the other side of the bow into the wind. zigzagging again. Just don't see how you can get away with alternating strokes.
Roy, with a kayak paddle, you can hold the paddle, "off center" so that the leeward length of the paddle is linger than the windward side of the paddle. So, the leeward side strokes are stronger
Nice video and thanks for the useful information. Could you post how long your homemade paddle is? Also, what kind of wood is it made of? I have previously lashed two canoe paddles together to create a long double ended paddle of adequate length. It actually worked quite well. Having a custom paddle would obviously be better though...
The paddle is 8 foot long.
How many knots of wind were you up against there? I'm guessing 15 kts gusting?
Yes, probably around 15 knots
Where are thé waves…?
That weren't no waves. Or wind. Nice video, though. Your kayak paddle seemed to work pretty good. Bet it wouldn't work in wind and waves, though.
it works "OK" in heavier seas. Of course, we have all been out in whitecaps at some point in our canoeing lives. The shortcoming of open deck canoes is really big waves and wind. Those conditions are made for kayaks. Concerning the paddle, I am convinced that for open water solo paddler, a double bladed kayak paddle is much better that a single bladed canoe paddle. Big wind, big waves with a solo paddler and single bladed canoe paddle: oh boy, that would be for some ironman paddlers!
@@explorermike19 yes l agree a kayak paddle is definitely the better option for canoesits who haven’t got the time to learn efficient and effective single blade paddling. It is far more than just muscling it out, because nature will always win than test. The trim of the canoe, the edge, which side you paddle on, understanding the wind, the path you take, the type of paddle you use, etc, etc, all contribute to being able to paddle upwind in unfavorable conditions. But obviously these take time to learn and perfect. Going with a double blade only addresses the muscle but, any paddler will still be better learning about the other ways they can improve their paddling