: Water ALWAYS flows over the blade, there is no way to prevent that.
: You don't want to prevent it anyway, as flow across the blade
: when using a canted stroke produces a degree of lift and more
: bite. The smoother the contour, the better the flow and the more
: efficient the paddle.

: The shape in the Gail Ferris diagram above is excellent, though if
: you make it with more pronounced shoulders, the shape will start
: out as more of a rounded diamond at the shoulders, transitioning
: to the lenticular shape at the ends.

The point that I was trying to make is that you don't steamline paddles to slide easily thru the water, it's counter productive.

I like that shape too, btw, just I find that the somewhat rounded diamond shape tends to be more stable on the power face.

Bill H.