Kayaking Basics

Parts Of A Kayak Paddle - The Paddle

The piece of equipment used to apply power to the water and propel the boat. A kayak paddle generally has a blade at both ends of a shaft. The different variations of paddles differ primarily in the length and width of their blade and the length of their shaft. The "standard" paddle that purchased by most kayakers is often referred to as a Euro Paddle. This is to differentiate from traditional  paddles such as the Greenland Paddle..

Historically some kayaks have been propelled by paddles with a blade on one end only. These are typically called single-blade or canoe paddles. Also, it is improper to call a paddle an oar.

Paddle Types:

Euro Paddle

Greenland Paddle

Aleut Paddle

Wing Paddle

Take-Apart (aka Two-piece, Breakdown or Splits)

Paddle Blades

Paddle Material (strength vs weight vs price)

Ventilation or Cavitation?

When paddling, you will sometimes notice bubbles of air in the water drawn along by the paddle. This is ventilation. Some people refer to this as cavitation, however, that is incorrect.

Shaft

The shaft is the part of the paddle between the blades. On Euro paddles, the shaft is usually wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber or aluminum.

On a Greenland Paddle, the shaft is usually referred to as a loom (term used for these paddles instead of shaft). 

Bent or Straight

Paddle shafts are available as straight or bent. Bent shafts are also called crank shafts.

Straight Shaft

Bent Shaft

Straight shafts are lighter, stronger (for the weight) and cheaper than bent shafts. The work perfectly fine and are suitable for most paddlers.

Bent shafts were once touted as the ultimate power paddle by racers. However, these claims were overstated and most racers seem to have switched back to straight shaft paddles. The justification for the power claims was that the bent shaft allowed the wrists to grip the paddle while remaining straight. A straight shaft, by comparison, forces the hand to be bent thumbs-in to hold on. This meant that the maximum power that could be applied was limited by the ability of the paddler to transmit the power through a bent wrist. The analogy was the bent curling bars that weight lifters use for maximizing their biceps. Realistically, it's a non-issue.

Today, bent shafts still perform a useful purpose. For paddlers with wrist problems, including some cases of repetitive stress injury and some alignment problems, the bent shaft reduces the stress involved with holding the paddle. Combined with the correct feather, a bent shaft can significantly improve a paddler's comfort.

Bent shaft paddles come in three forms. They are differentiated by the degree to which the blade leads or follows the shaft. If the blade leads the shaft, the paddle will tend to turn in your hand. However, some racers like that (I think it has something to do with slalom racing). Blades that follow the shaft tend to align themselves with the direction in which they are pulled, making them relatively stable in a stroke. One drawback with this type is that when performing a running draw or similar stroke, the paddle tends to twist - this can be surprising if you're not expecting it. The third type of bent shaft is neutral. This paddle puts the blade in line with the shaft and has no more twisting effects than a straight shaft paddle.

Take-Apart

These are called splits in Europe. They are also called two-piece (or three...) or breakdown paddles.

Take-apart’s are a type of paddle that can be dismantled into two, three or even four pieces. This allows them to be stashed into the back of a kayak and used as spares, when paddles are lost or broken. Splits may be structurally weaker and less durable than single piece paddles but a well-designed split paddle that is intended to be as strong as a single piece will just be a tad heavier.

This is useful equipment to have in a mixed abilities group, where an expert can carry splits just in case one of the beginners loses their paddle. Although it is rare, paddles sometimes break! This can happen to creek boaters in narrow canyons, running big drops or accidently wedging it between the rocks on the river bottom. In inaccessible areas having a spare can save a lot of hassle!