My point was that there were no disadvantages
: to having a feathered paddle for whitewater use. If there were, or if
: there were practical advantages for unfeathered paddles, the top guys
: would, of course, be using unfeathered paddles.

So, I'm a very active whitewater paddler. This is a discussion that ww paddlers have all the time! I can say that the vast majority top freestyle ww kayakers ARE using unfeathered paddlers (0* feather, in ww parlance). It makes many playboating moves easier, especially flatwater moves where both blades are engaged. It makes quick braces much easier/quicker, and allows you to back deck/styer/rodeo roll from either direction. I find rolling in big, crazy bus-eating hydraulics easier with no or little feather. Heck, Ken Whiting extolls the virtues on unfeathered paddles in his playboating videos. 0* feathers started catching on only about 6 or 7 years ago.

BUT...there's a slight biomechanical disadvantage to pure 0* feathers...it's not quite as natural a motion when you're paddling to cover distance. Those oriented around "river running" and creeking (as opposed to freestyle playboating) generally use a little bit of feather, but not a lot. I know of two paddles that have been designed to achieve the "optimum" feather for straight up paddling without regard to wind. I personally paddle with an H2O paddle with a 12* offset. The blades are relatively flat, good for playboating, but there's enough twist that it works with the rotation of your body, without having to loosen your grip on your non-control hand. I can REALLY crank on the paddle, get a lot of power (these are seriously large blades that torque joints), and I feel great at the end of the day. The second paddle was designed by legendary ww paddler Jimi Snyder. After building ww paddles for 20 years, he decided that the optimum in bio-mechanical, downriver comfort for him is 40*. He's written up a his own thoughts on the matter, linked to below. They are slightly dated in his assessment of what's current, but the thinking is solid. I would say that the most popular offset for ww paddlers in general today is about 30*, but it's continually decreasing as people get more and more comfortable with the idea of less feather. It's a cultural issue, and the average feather angle has slowly been dropping on the river over the past few years as people try them out and find them more comfy over the day.

It IS true that a few years ago all ww paddlers were using 90* offsets. Why? Slalom racing. I think now the racers are using around 75* feathers mostly, as it's not *quite* as harsh on the wrists when really cranking all day. Having the offset blade makes it easy to clear gates, but it really torques wrists. In the world of Olympic racing, they'll do anything to their paddles or boats to get gates easier....often trading safety to do so (very low volume boats). One of my ww paddling friends (who's about to build a stripper!!) competitively races slalom. He recently did 2 back-to-back "marathon" paddles (26 miles) on the Gauley River with his 75* slalom paddle. He said after that, his tendonitis was so bad he couldn't paddle for two weeks! He also races flatwater--I'll have to ask him what the feather is on his wing paddle. I know they usually have quite a bit, and I think that's for aero reasons, but don't quote me on that.

What do I used for sea kayaking? Well, a greenland paddle...that I probably feather 15* while paddling (ie, I pull the blade through the water at an angle). When not using that, I've got a 230 cm Mitchell that I usually keep at 45*. It's most comfortable for me, and does well with moderate wind. I paddled in a 30 knot wind once, and adjusted it up to 90*. I'm glad I had that ability!

My take: what do YOU find COMFORTABLE for what YOU are doing?

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