Paddle
From KayakWiki
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.
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.
Paddle Types:
The features of a paddle are:
- shaft
- Bent or straight
- length
- Take-apart (aka Two-piece, Breakdown or Splits)
- blade shape
- symmetrical
- asymmetrical
- down river
- rodeo
- feather angle
- comfort paddling vs wind resistance
- Paddle material (strength vs weight vs price)
- wood
- fiberglass
- carbon fiber
"Paddle" also refers to how the kayak is propelled; "You need to paddle faster if you don't want to get eaten by that wave", or the activity of using a kayak; "I'm going for a paddle this weekend."
