: So how much benefit is there to the curve on a spoon paddle? It
: would seem to be much easier to make a wooden paddle without the
: curve.
: thanks,
: scott

Others can chime in if they think I am full of hot air, but here is my reading.

One important purpose of the curved blade (or to be more precise, of the combination of the curve and where it is located relative to the shaft axis) in good commercial paddles is to place the center of resistance of the blade behind the shaft of the paddle during the normal forward stroke. This causes the paddle to automatically orient with the blade squared to the direction of the stroke. Of course you also need to balance the area of the blade on either side of the shaft axis for this to work. If the paddle is properly shaped, you can pull hard and the blade will orient correctly even if you hold the shaft loosely enough to let it rotate freely in your hands. This characteristic saves significant effort on a long paddle, particularly in rougher water where boat and water movement otherwise interferes with one's stroke. It means that your grip on the paddle shaft can remain more relaxed than it could without this geometry.

Another benefit of having the center of resistance behind the shaft is that it assists during the sweep stroke at the start of most roll techniques. Because of this geometry, the paddle tends to climb to the surface during the initial sweep rather than diving, which helps rather than hinders the roll.

Another purpose of the curved blade is, I think, to enhance the grab of the paddle when you are reaching forward in your forward stroke. When reaching forward, the shaft is necessarily not at the ideal 90 degrees to the stroke direction, so a flat blade will tend to spill more water initially than a curved one will.

The bottom line on all this is that the exact geometry of good "euro" paddles (and, I freely admit, good Greenland ones) is more sophisticated and functional than sometimes assumed. If you want to build a Euro style paddle that works well, you could do worse than mimicking the geometry of blades on a top end paddle like one of the Werners. Most of the details of the good designs are the result of considerable design evolution that would take you a while to duplicate on your own.

Have fun, and let us know how it turns out.

Best regards,

Allan Edie