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A paddle is a handheld
tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates b ...
with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a
lever A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or '' fulcrum''. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the locations of fulcrum, load and effort, the lever is d ...
to apply
force In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a ...
onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a
human-powered watercraft Human-powered watercraft are watercraft propelled by human power. The three main methods of collecting human power are directly from the hands or feet, through the hands with oars, paddles, or poles, or through the feet with pedals and a cran ...
by pushing water in a direction opposite to the direction of travel (i.e.
paddling Paddling with regard to watercraft is the act of manually propelling a boat using a paddle. The paddle, which consists of one or two blades joined to a shaft, is also used to steer the vessel. The paddle is not connected to the boat (unlike in ...
). It is different to an oar (which is similar in shape and performs the same function via rowing) in that the latter is attached to the watercraft via a fulcrum. However, the term "paddle" can also be used to describe objects of similar shapes or functions: *A rotating set of paddle boards known as a
paddle wheel A paddle wheel is a form of waterwheel or impeller in which a number of paddles are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several uses, of which some are: * Very low-lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than a ...
is used to propel a
steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
(i.e.
paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
). *A number of games (e.g. ping-pong), a "paddle" or "bat" is a small racket used to strike a ball. *A
mixing paddle A mixing paddle is a shaped device, typically mounted on a shaft, which can be inserted on the shaft end into a motorised drive, for the purpose of mixing liquids, solids or both. Paddle mixers may also be used for kneading. Whilst mounted in fix ...
is an agitator device used to stir and more thoroughly mix separate ingredients within a mixture. *A
spanking paddle A spanking paddle is an implement used to strike a person on the buttocks. The act of spanking a person with a paddle is known as "paddling". A paddling may be for punishment (normally of a student at school in the United States), or as an init ...
is used in corporal punishment, typically to forcefully hit someone (e.g. a juvenile) on the buttocks.


Canoe and kayak paddles


Materials and designs

Paddles commonly used in
canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...
s consist of a
wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
en, fibreglass,
carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
, or
metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...
rod (the ''shaft'') with a handle on one end and a rigid sheet (the ''blade'') on the other end. Paddles for use in
kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...
s are longer, with a blade on each end; they are handled from the middle of the shaft. Kayak paddles having blades in the same plane (when viewed down the shaft) are called "un-feathered." Paddles with blades in different planes are called "feathered". Feathered paddles are measured by the degree of feather, such as 30, 45, or even 90 degrees. Many modern paddles are made of two pieces which can be snapped together in either feathered or unfeathered settings. The shaft is normally straight but in some cases a 'crank' is added with the aim of making the paddle more comfortable and reducing strain on the wrist. Because the kayak paddle is not supported by the boat, paddles made of lighter materials are desired; it is not uncommon for a kayak paddle to be two pounds ( ) or less and very expensive paddles can be as light as . Weight savings are more desirable at the ends of the paddle rather than in the middle. Cheaper kayak paddles have an aluminium shaft while more expensive ones use a lighter fibreglass or
carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
shaft. Some paddles have a smaller diameter shaft for people with smaller hands. Paddle length varies with a longer paddle being better suited for stronger people, taller people, and people using the paddle in a wider kayak. Some paddle makers have an online paddle size calculator. Blades vary in size and shape. A blade with a larger surface area may be desirable for a strong person with good shoulder joints, but tiring for a weaker person or a person with less than perfect shoulder joints. Because normal paddling involves alternately dipping and raising the paddle blades, the colour of the blades may affect the visibility of the kayaker to powerboats operators under limited visibility conditions. For this reason white or yellow blades may offer a safety advantage over black or blue blades. Of course, kayakers should wear a headlamp or have other lighting on their kayak under conditions of limited lighting. However, if a powerboat operator must look straight into a sun low in the sky to see a kayaker, the motion of brightly coloured paddle blades may be of more value than lighting on the kayak. Highly reflective water resistant tape (e.g. SOLAS tape) may be affixed to the paddle blades and boat to enhance visibility.


Use

The paddle is held with two hands, some distance apart from each other. For normal use, it is drawn through the water from front ( bow) to back (
stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Or ...
) to drive the boat forwards. The two blades of a kayak paddle are dipped alternately on either side of the kayak. A paddle is distinguished from an oar in that the paddle is held in the user's hands and completely supported by the paddler, whereas an oar is primarily supported by the boat, through the use of
oarlock A rowlock , sometimes spur (due to the similarity in shape and size), oarlock (USA) or gate, is a brace that attaches an oar to a boat. When a boat is rowed, the rowlock acts as a fulcrum for the oar. On ordinary rowing craft, the rowlocks are ...
s. Gloves may be worn to prevent blistering for long periods of paddling.


Other types

On mechanical
paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
s, the motorized paddling is not done with a mass of paddles or oars but by rotating one or a few paddle wheels (rather the inverse of a water mill). Racing paddles also have special designs. They are generally less flat and are curved to catch more water which will enable racing paddlers to maximize the efficiency of their stroke. Wing bladed paddles are very popular in kayak racing. A wing paddle looks like a spoon and acts like a wing or sail generating lift on the convex side, which pulls the paddle forward-outward at the expense of overcoming drag. This gives additional forward thrust as compared with a flat paddle with forward thrust mainly from drag.Johnson Claes, Hoffman Johan. How a Wing Paddle Works: The secret of lift and drag of a wing paddle nternet Version 1. The World As Computation. 2009 Feb 24. Available from: https://claesjohnsonmathscience.wordpress.com/article/how-a-wing-paddle-works-yvfu3xg7d7wt-33/. Bent shaft paddles, popular with tripping and marathon canoers, have a blade that is angled from the shaft, usually 12 to 15 degrees. Wioslo-10.jpg, A set of wing paddles


See also

*
Canoe paddle strokes Canoe paddle strokes are the means by which a paddle (or paddles) is used to move a canoe through the water. Strokes are generally designated as flatwater or whitewater strokes. The strokes are also combined or modified. Some commonly known and ...
*
Mixing paddle A mixing paddle is a shaped device, typically mounted on a shaft, which can be inserted on the shaft end into a motorised drive, for the purpose of mixing liquids, solids or both. Paddle mixers may also be used for kneading. Whilst mounted in fix ...
* Oar *
Spanking paddle A spanking paddle is an implement used to strike a person on the buttocks. The act of spanking a person with a paddle is known as "paddling". A paddling may be for punishment (normally of a student at school in the United States), or as an init ...


References


External links


Paddling History
{{Authority control Canoeing and kayaking equipment Marine propulsion Fishing equipment