> Not really. The fatigue is more a matter of improper paddling. With a
> slipping paddle you tend to have a much higher cadence because the force
> you exert against the paddle is rather low. With a low slip paddle, you
> use a lower cadence to achieve the same propulsion results because the
> force you exert against the paddle is higher. You have to adjust, yet many
> people will not do so, trying their best to flail a wide blade paddle
> around as fast as they can, getting thoroughly exhausted in nothing flat.

> It's something like playing with the gears of a 10 speed bike. A lot of
> folks like the lower gears because there's very little strain with each
> revolution of the pedals, and they don't mind moving their legs very
> rapidly. If they shift to a higher gear, they still try to peddle just as
> rapidly as in a lower gear, instead of properly slowing down the pedal
> action for the same bicycle speed.

One of my points is that slipping is NOT like a low gear on a bike, it is like a slippery gear on a bike. A short shaft is like a low gear on a bike. It seems sort of silly to make a paddle easier to use by reducing its efficiency when you can do it with little or no loss of efficiency.

Next time you paddle, look at how far below the surface you blade starts, or how much of the shaft is submerged. If you cut that much length out of your shaft you would get a paddle that is easier to push/pull without any loss of efficiency. You would get a lower gear without adding slip.

I would take a paddle and make it as short as possible before reducing blade size. After you get it short enough adjust the blade, keeping it as big as possible while still being comfortable. This will tend to give the most efficient and lightest paddle with the lowest moment of inertia for a given ease of paddling.

My current paddle is 223 cm and I could easily remove 20 cm and I would like it better. I like my 200 cm white water paddle better with respect to length. My next paddle will probably be a little shorter than 200 cm. This will be a similar length to my greenland storm paddle but easier to use because it will not require a sliding stroke.