“WALKING” PADDLES

Traditional hinged paddles allow you to do a powerful stroke, dramatically sending the boat forward. But it is not visible, but where is the Boat: the oarsman sits with his back to the nose, and to adjust course, we have to look back, especially if he’s alone and no one to tell, what of the oars need to work harder to course-correct. With the exception of kayaks: paddle, looking ahead, due to the feature landing paddler and person-to-side movement.

However, similar benefits can be achieved on an ordinary boat, if you supply them unusual oars, the design of which proposed by the American magazine “Popular mechanics”. They represent a vertical swivel device on the sides of each side, resembling the legs of a grasshopper. A comparison with the feet the more legitimate that the movements of these paddles can be called walking. This is easy to see, reading the features of this rowing device.

Each paddle consists of two boards: one plays the role of the stroke of the blade, and the second bracket providing the blades are vertically inclined position. Boards are joined with each other ends with a card loop attached to the bolts. In turn, the brackets are unusual oars opposite ends are connected by horizontal Board crossmember. With this crossmember installed on a paddle boat on both sides in front of the rower and fixed in this position by clamps.

On the crossmember brackets oars are mounted also on the card loops. Each of the paddles has a sling, consisting of rubber shock absorber (for example, from a sports bike) paired with a restrictive cord of clothesline to support the required angular position of the bracket at the time of the rowing effort.

Rowing propulsion:

1 — blades; 2 — handle; 3 — joints (card loop); 4 — brackets; 5 — rail; 6 — wire; 7 — clamp; 8 — the side of the boat

How to perform the stroke oars charm? On each of the blades attached to the handle at the door, or just clip. Hand in hand, rower and operated with the blade— lift (this helps him and the rubber shock absorber bracket), feed forward, lowering, pulling alternately with a paddle, or both together.

To the paddle was light, it is better to take well-dried thin boards size (approx): brackets, 500x150x10 mm, for blades — 1500x150x10 mm. the Concrete dimensions of the paddles and the crossmember will match the dimensions of the boat. From them will depend on the work of the oars: in a narrow boat rower can handle this alone, on wide — the oars will have to get two: one for each paddle.

Prior to Assembly to protect against moisture the paddle and the cross member should be impregnated with hot linseed oil and paint in several layers with oil paint.

“Walking” paddles interesting not only because they allow the rower to sit facing forward. They will be indispensable in shallow waters where conventional paddles scraping the bottom, not providing normal stroke, and “walking” will rest on the bottom, like poles. Their advantage will be undeniable and overgrown with algae ponds: they are almost vertical movement will not allow the plants to become entangled on the blade, as is usually the case with traditional oars.