Canoe Strokes: The Stern Pry

By Nick Pritchard

The stern pry is one of the most powerful strokes that the stern paddler has. The stern pry is particularly useful in moving water where you need to move the boat NOW. It can also be useful for navigating around docks or shore. The stern pry has a lot of power that will move the boat quickly so it is rarely used when paddling flat water. 

When novices learn the stern pry they often do not stop the stroke soon enough and they turn it into a brake. This is the most common mistake with the stern pry. It should not become a brake, so as you learn to do the stern pry be on the look out for that. 

To do the stern pry start out by placing the paddle so that the paddle shaft is parallel to the the gunwale and knife the blade into the water (catch). Next you will bring the grip towards your navel, prying the blade out (power) making sure not to turn the stroke into a brake. To finish the stroke you will knife the blade out of the water (recovery) and either repeat or perform your next stroke. 

As with all strokes it is best to do the stern pry slowly at first as you learn the proper technique. When doing the stern pry you should also be cautious about pry directly against the gunwale. It is a best practice to try and avoid this as it puts unnecessary wear on the canoe, particularly when paddling wooden or composite canoes. The stern pry also requires a strong paddle. I have broken several inexpensive when I tried to do a stern pry with them. 

As always feel free to ask us if you have any questions!

Canoe Strokes: The Forward Stroke

By Nick Pritchard

With there being more strokes than most of us want to keep track of, the most basic is the forward stroke. As simple as the forward stroke may seem there is technique to doing the stroke properly.

The forward stroke is the most common stroke that you will use while paddling. If it were not for the forward stroke no other strokes would matter! While on your trip you will likely be doing thousands of forward strokes so it is important to do it properly. By using the technique outlined below you will use significantly less energy than doing it improperly. Doing the forward stroke as outlined below is also easier on your joints and will leave you with more energy at the end of the day.

There are three steps to the forward stroke; catch, power, and recovery (CPR). As with any other stroke you want to have a vertical paddle shaft (your hands stacked) and you want to use your torso for power rather than your arms. So, the first step of the stroke involves placing the paddle in front of you at a comfortable distance (catch), there is no need to overextend yourself. Once you have the paddle placed in the water with a vertical paddle shaft you will start to rotate your torso (power), bringing the paddle back to your hips. Once the paddle is at your hips you will stop rotating, bring the paddle out of the water (recovery) and feather it forward for your next stroke.

When you are first learning how to do the forward stroke try and do each motion very deliberately. This will help you get the muscle memory down and then you can start to work on having better "flow". As with anything, this will take some practice but soon it will be second nature!

As always feel free to ask us any questions you may have. We are always happy to talk paddling!

Grip Style

By Nick Pritchard

When deciding on what paddle to buy another important thing to consider is the grip style of that paddle. In general there are two types of grip style; t-grip, and pear grip. Each grip has pros and cons and the type of grip that is used relates the what that particular paddle is designed for. 

A t-grip paddle will allow the paddler more control of the paddle since they can wrap their hand around the grip. This type of grip is commonly found on whitewater paddles for this reason. It also helps the paddler retain control of the paddle when making corrective strokes. A pear style grip is typically found on wooden paddles and is used in recreational or flat water paddles. This grip fits into your hand better and is more comfortable for long distance paddling. With a pear grip paddle you cannot wrap your hand around the grip so it is more difficult to hold onto the paddle if you are in swift water. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us!

Bent vs. Straight Shaft

When looking for a flat water wooden paddle you will likely find that there are bent shaft canoe paddles. (If you have not seen these look click here.) These paddles are relatively new and are almost exclusively found on wooden paddles that are designed for flat water. In some cases these paddles can be very beneficial so let's break down bent vs. straight shaft.

Bent Shaft:

Bent shaft paddles are relatively new. For flat water paddling they are more efficient than a straight shaft paddle because when you end your forward stroke with a bent shaft the blade is still perpendicular to the water, with a straight shaft the blade is pushing water up. When using a bent shaft paddle every few strokes the stern paddler calls "HUT" at which point both paddlers switch sides and continue paddling. This is used to keep the canoe on track instead of doing corrective strokes. Although bent shaft paddles are more efficient that straight shaft paddles some paddlers do not like using them. This may be true for a few reasons; they don't like switching sides all the time, they prefer doing the corrective strokes (it's weird to do them with a bent shaft), or they prefer the traditional style of paddling. 

Pros:

• More efficient for flat water paddling

Cons:

• Have to switch sides constantly
• Makes corrective strokes more difficult
• Only usable in certain venues (flat water)

Straight Shaft:

As mentioned above the straight shaft is not as efficient as the bent shaft. This is because when you end the stroke using a straight shaft the blade of the paddle is pushing water up rather than being perpendicular to the water. Although they are less efficient for long distance flat water straight shaft paddles are more versatile and you don't have to switch sides all the time. This is very attractive to some folks. Straight shaft paddles are also much easier to do your corrective strokes with. 

Pros:

• More efficient for doing corrective strokes
• You do not need to switch sides constantly
• Straight shaft paddles are more versatile

Cons:

• They are less efficient for flat water paddling

Which type of paddle is best for you really depends on preference and where you will be doing the majority of your paddling. If you are buying your first paddle I could recommend sticking with a straight shaft because of the versatility. A straight shaft will also help you perfect your corrective strokes before graduating to a bent shaft. Ideally you could own both types of paddles so that you could choose the right paddle for the right trip.

Please contact us if you have any questions! We are more than happy to assist. 

Synthetic vs. Wood Paddle

By Nick Pritchard

This week we'll be talking about paddle design. There are so many different options available that it can be difficult to choose but we'll try and break it down to one step each day.

When looking for a canoe paddle one of the first things that you'll notice is that there are composite paddles and there are wood paddles. Each of these materials have pros and cons and excel in different venues. Let's break down each one.

Wood Paddles:
Wooden canoe paddles hold a special place with many paddlers because they are what canoeing started with. Many paddlers enjoy quality wooden paddles because each one is different, you can smell the wood, and they just feel good in your hands. From a performance perspective wooden paddles have more flex than a composite paddle which is easier on your body, but it's at the sacrifice of efficiency. The flex is not so severe that you can actually see the blade flex but if you compare similar composite and wooden paddles you can likely feel the "lag" with the wood paddle. Wooden paddles have traditionally weighed more than composite paddles but they are now getting the high quality wooden paddles very light(18oz.) and they are often wrapped in fiberglass to strengthen them. Some wooden paddles also have edge protection on the blade to protect the blade from rocks (i.e Bending Branches Rockgard).

Wooden Paddle Pros:

• They are traditional
• They have some flex which is easier on your joints
• They are lightweight

Wooden Paddle Cons:

• They have some flex which cuts efficiency
• They are typically not as strong as composites
• They require more maintenance

Some paddlers use wooden paddles for all of their paddling including whitewater. I like to use wooden paddles when I am flat water paddling or paddling on slow big rivers. I enjoy the traditional aspects of them as well as the flex which is easier on my body. There is no correct answer though. They make both flat water and whitewater wooden paddles so you can pick and choose when you would like to use a wooden paddle

Composite Paddles:

Composite paddles are relatively new. The two materials that are most commonly used are fiberglass or carbon fiber. They are strong, lightweight, and rigid (don't flex) when compared to wooden paddles. These paddles are particularly well suited for moving water when you need a strong and responsive paddle. 

Composite Paddle Pros:

• They are strong 
• They are lightweight
• They are very responsive and efficient
• They require almost no maintenance

Composite Paddle Cons:

• They are rigid (harder on your body)
• They don't have the traditional aspects that you get with a wooden paddle

I prefer to use my composite paddle for moving/whitewater. I take comfort in their strength, and the responsiveness of a carbon paddle is fantastic. As with wooden paddles they make flat water and whitewater composite paddles so can choose when you would like to paddle composite. 

You may have noticed that we have not mentioned plastic/aluminum paddles. These paddles are well suited for outfitters and businesses that need affordable, durable paddles. If you are getting into paddling DO NOT cheat yourself by buying a plastic/aluminum paddle. They have significant flex, they are heavy, and many of them have questionable strength. Your paddle is one of those things where you should save up and spend a little extra. Typically you get what you pay for. Now this doesn't mean you have to buy the best paddle out there, but do some research and make the investment. 

As always feel free to contact us with any questions you may have! We are more than happy to help you out.

Canoe Width (Beam)

By Nick Pritchard

Canoe width or beam can be somewhat confusing because manufacturers often supply several measurements but once you know what each number means this is invaluable information. Generally a wider canoe will be more stable while a narrower canoe will be faster and more efficient. Narrower canoes will also generally track a little better than a wider canoe.

Typically manufactures will provide the following measurements:

• Gunwale Width: 
• As you might expect this is the width of the canoe at the gunwales. This width is important because a canoe that is wide at the gunwales will be difficult to paddle particularly for smaller paddlers. 
• Widest Point/Maximum Width: 

• This is the widest point of the canoe. This will help you determine whether the canoe has tumblehome or not. Tumblehome is when the sides of the canoe go out wide but then come back in to allow for ease of paddling. Tumblehome is common on whitewater canoes. 
• Width at the 4" Waterline:
• This measurement is the most important when determining how the width will effect the performance of the canoe. This is taken when the canoe is fully loaded (sitting down 4" into the water). Typically this measurement will be less than your widest point. 

As always feel free to ask us any questions you may have!

Canoe Length

By Nick Pritchard

Canoe length is often one of the easier things to understand when it comes to canoe design. It is also one of the most important design considerations when looking into buying or renting a canoe.

There are a huge variety of lengths when it comes to canoes, from the 20'+ touring canoes down to the 10' whitewater/freestyle canoes. Generally longer boats will go faster, be more efficient, and track better than shorter canoes. Longer canoes also have more carrying capacity making them ideal for tripping or touring. Shorter canoes are often more maneuverable and responsive than a longer canoe.

When looking to purchase a canoe it is important to know what type of environment you will do most of your paddling in. For example, if you are doing an extended flat water trip a longer canoe will likely suit you best but if  you have to portage a shorter canoe will be easier to maneuver on the trail, so you need a happy medium. Longer canoes are also more susceptible to wind, so if you paddle on big water frequently this is an important consideration. With length also comes weight. By getting a one foot shorter boat you could shave off as much as 10 pounds. Shorter canoes on the other hand have less area to disperse the weight so they sit lower in the water than a longer canoe. With a shorter canoe you will also spend more time making corrective strokes than you would with a longer canoe.

So what is a good length for you? As you can see from above there is no right answer. When I go up to the Boundary Waters this spring I will be taking a 16' 6" boat. This length should provide enough efficiency and tracking while still being a manageable weight and length on the portage trails. When I paddle tandem whitewater I like the 14' 4" length (this is still short enough I can paddle it solo too).

If you have any questions feel free to contact us!

Entry Lines

By Nick Pritchard

What may seem to be a relatively subtle difference, entry lines have a large impact on the performance of a canoe. There are two basic entry line designs; sharp and blunt. There are then a large array of "mediums".

Sharp Entry Line

Sharp entry lines are just like they sound, they come to a fine point. This type of entry line provides you with good efficiency because it parts the water well. It also tracks better than a comparable boat with a blunt entry line. Sharp entry lines are most commonly found on touring boats made of a composite or wood. That is because it is difficult to get a sharp entry line when using plastic.

Blunt Entry Line

Blunt entry lines are often found on plastic boats as mentioned above. They are significantly more rounded than a sharp entry line. A blunt entry line is more maneuverable than a comparable boat with sharp entry lines because they do not "dig in" to the water as much. Blunt entry lines also provide you with more buoyancy in rough water because they do not cut through the waves like sharp lines do. Blunt entry lines are also more durable than sharp entry lines because they do not come to such a fine point. However, blunt entry lines are less efficient that sharp entry lines. Blunt entry lines are widely used on whitewater or river running boats.


If you have any questions feel free to contact us!

Hull Design

By Nick Pritchard

Trying to sort through all the different types of canoes can be overwhelming when looking to buy a canoe or even trying to choose which one is the best for you to rent. We will try and break down one aspect of canoe design each day so that you have the basic knowledge to sort through all the different options.

We will start the week off by talking about hull design the 4 general types of hulls, but first we'll introduce initial and secondary stability.

Initial Stability

Initial and secondary stability are essential factors to consider when you are looking at purchasing or renting a canoe. The initial stability is just like it sounds, when the canoe is flat in the water you are utilizing the canoes initial stability. This is helpful for flat water paddling.

Secondary Stability

Secondary stability is used when you lean the canoe. This is helpful for whitewater canoeing, or big lake paddling. This  It is difficult for a canoe to have good initial stability and secondary stability, most designs try to find a happy medium.






As mentioned above there are 4 general types of hull design; flat bottom, rounded, shallow arch, and shallow vee.

• Flat Bottom: 



Flat Bottom

• Flat bottom canoes are just like they sound, the bottom is almost flat. These boats have got good initial stability while their secondary stability is almost nonexistent. Once these boats are leaned they are likely to capsize.  
• Rounded Bottom:



Round Bottom

• Rounded bottom canoes have great secondary stability but almost no initial stability. Because of the lack of flex in the hull these boats are efficient and when combined with other design options can be very fast. 
• Shallow Arch:



Shallow Arch

• Shallow arch canoes try to find a happy medium between rounded bottom and flat bottom. They often have good initial stability and OK secondary stability. These boats also track well when combined with other design options (length, entry lines, etc.). Shallow arch boats also have a stiffer hull when compared to a flat bottom boat which makes them more efficient. Most flat water, touring, river touring, and recreational canoes use a shallow arch. 
• Shallow Vee:



Shallow Vee

• Shallow vee canoes are again a mix of round bottom and flat bottom but they come to a V at the keel line. These boats track well but they also tend to be slower because they have a much higher surface area when compared to a comparable shallow arch boat.

Some folks may notice that no where in here did we include keels. That is because keels are not widely used anymore. With modern designs keels are not necessary.

Keels were widely used in aluminum boats because the boats were built in half and then put together to form the boat. The seam between the halves was right down the center so the main purpose of the keel was to hold the two halves together and add rigidity to the flat bottom design. Nowadays with canoes being formed out of various plastics or composites and modern design they can build the canoe in one piece, eliminating the need for a keel. Some of the more economical canoes still use a keel to add rigidity to the flat bottom design.

Note - Some wooden canoes may still have a "shoe" style keel. This is characterized by a thin strip of wood running down the keel line. This is generally used to protect the hull from obstructions in the water.

If you have any questions feel free to contact us!

Winter Paddling and Hypothermia

In the last few posts we have covered "Dressing for Winter Paddling" and "Finding a Location for Winter Paddling" which should help you significantly reduce the risk of hypothermia. Nonetheless, you should be able to recognize the symptoms and hypothermia and know what to do in case you are faced with this.

A basic definition of hypothermia is when the body is losing heat faster than it can replace it, which leads to impaired motor movement, judgement, and an eventual shut down of all vital organs.

Hypothermia can be caused by any of the 5 methods of heat loss or a combination of them. It does not have to be "cold" for you to be at risk for hypothermia either. Especially as paddlers, when water is 25x more efficient than air at transferring heat, we need to be educated and aware of the risks of hypothermia.

A key thing to remember with hypothermia is that it is 100% preventable so with the proper equipment and planning hopefully you will never have to deal with it.

There are 3 stages of hypothermia; mild, moderate, and severe. While mild and moderate have many of the same symptoms there are also some key differences, and severe should be blatantly obvious.

-Mild Hypothermia:

• Symptoms:
• General feeling of being "cold"
• May be shivering
• Extremities may be numb
• Cannot steady hands
• Treatment:
• Replace wet clothing
• Add additional dry clothing
• Protect from the elements
• Give warm fluids and simple sugars
• Once they begin to warm up they can have proteins and fats

This person may take a while to warm up but should generally be able to rewarm on their own.

-Moderate Hypothermia

• Symptoms:
• Uncontrollable shivering
• Extremities are likely numb
• Likely suffering from the "umbles" (stumbles, mumbles, grumbles, and fumbles)
• Slurred speech
• Loss of judgement (may start to remove clothes because they think they are too warm)
• Irritable
• Treatment:
• All steps from Mild Hypothermia
• Hypothermia wrap
• Place warm water bottles, heat pads, etc. in the arm pits and groin (make sure it is NOT hot)

-Severe Hypothermia

• Sever hypothermia life threatening
• Symptoms:
• Shivering has stopped
• Person cannot walk or stand
• Skin is pale
• Pulse and respirations decrease
• Treatment: 
• All steps from above

There are some other general guidelines you should follow when treating someone for hypothermia. 

• If the individual needs to urinate, let them do so and help them if necessary. It takes a lot of extra heat to keep a full bladder warm so by urinating it will speed their recovery. Once they have urinated resume treatment immediately.
• Do not move an individual with severe hypothermia, any sudden movement could cause their heart to stop.
• Someone suffering from hypothermia may take many hours to fully recover, if they do. They will also likely be exhausted once they recover so it is advisable to make camp where you are if someone is suffering from moderate or severe hypothermia. 

Feel free to ask us if you have any other questions!

Note - This information is no replacement for proper training. This is not a comprehensive article on hypothermia, there is still much to be learned and much more technical information available. Please do not use this information as the absolute authority on hypothermia.

" Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium ... I have found that people go to the wilderness for many things, but the most important of these is perspective. They may think they go for the fishing, or the scenery or companionship, but in reality it is something far deeper. They go for the wilderness for the good of their souls." - Sigurd Olson

Choosing a Location for Winter Paddling

By Nick Pritchard

In many locations finding a place to go winter paddling can be very difficult without a significant drive. The two major locations for winter paddling in Wisconsin are Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. There are also some rivers which do not freeze over, which we'll talk about shortly.

When you are looking to go winter paddling there are several things that you have to take into consideration before you depart. Whether you are paddling on a lake or on a river it is essential to consider the ice. In many cases the ice will make it much more difficult for you to get to shore in the case of an emergency. Ice chunks also pose a threat to the paddler because they can easily break equipment, capsize your boat, or surround you. If you are able to find a river that you would like to paddle you must also consider that if the river is open at the put-in/take-out it may be frozen in between. This could pose a serious risk to you if you were to capsize and get pulled under the ice.

Also, when going winter paddling, make sure that you have a place to safely park your vehicle. Many boat landings are not plowed out during the winter months, especially on rivers. The winter months can also make your shuttle significantly more difficult if you do not have two vehicles (which is advisable). Along the Red Cedar River in Menomonie we are fortunate enough to have a cross-country ski trail which follows the river so you can paddle down and ski back up.

The bottom line when winter paddling is that only experienced paddlers should do it under the proper conditions and with the proper equipment. Here is a summary of what you should be looking for when finding a venue for winter paddling:

• Ice (Will it block shore?, Could it damage my equipment?, Is it blocking the river?)
• Parking (Where will I park?, Is my vehicle capable of parking there?)
• Shuttle (How will we run it?, Should we have a vehicle at each end?)
• Other hazards (strainers, dams, etc.)
• Location of emergency services

Don't forget to leave a float plan with a trusted friend!

As always feel free to contact us if you have any questions.