BY ROLF KRAIKER
Bio
Rolf is a highly qualified canoe instructor who’s guided many extensive trips in the wilderness and a professional photographer with many years of experience.
https://rolfkraiker.com/
Email: rolfkraiker@gmail.com
Thanks
Rolf is supported by the H2O Canoe Company in Ontario, Canada.
https://h2ocanoe.com
Rolf co-wrote one of the first comprehensive books on canoe tripping with kids, ‘Cradle to Canoe: Camping and Canoeing with Children.’ Rolf and Debra Kraiker, both certified canoeing instructors, provide expert guidance on such topics as introducing children to the wilderness, preparing formula in the bush, choosing and packing food, selecting the right camping gear and clothing, training young paddlers, ensuring safety in all situations, and campsite activities. You will find it available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cradle-Canoe-Camping-Canoeing-Children/dp/1550462946
The Guide Stroke
A rose by any other name is still a rose, and canoe strokes are somewhat like that. The same basic mechanics are often given different names. An example of that is what’s often referred to as the ‘Canadian Stroke’. Variations like Knifing J or Northwoods employ the same basic mechanics, and even the stroke used to propel Gondolas involves the same basic principles.
In my neck of the woods, we had a stroke that was once called the Indian Stroke, but out of respect for the First Nations people, it is now most commonly called the Silent or Hunting Stroke. What the stroke is called isn’t as important as what it does and how it’s done.
I live in Canada, and I’ve been a wilderness canoe guide for many years. When you spend long days paddling on extended wilderness trips, your body naturally finds ways of lessening the amount of work you have to do paddling. The folks who do that much paddling usually modify the J stroke to do some of the steering during recovery of the paddle, and that’s what the Canadian Stroke does. Calling it the Guide Stroke is a better representation of what the stroke is used for, and that’s only fair as it is done by many paddlers who’ve never been to Canada.
For many, their first introduction to canoeing is a casual outing at a friend’s cottage where a canoe is unused or a lake with canoes to rent. Once the challenge of getting into the canoe without tipping is mastered, it doesn’t take long to realise the canoe naturally wants to turn away from the side being paddled. To try to correct that, we instinctively switch sides every few strokes to keep the canoe going in the desired direction. That gets tiring, splashes water into the canoe and means the path on the water is more zig-zag than a straight line to the destination.
Finding that process less than satisfactory usually doesn’t take long for people to figure out that they could use the paddle as a rudder at the stroke’s end, eliminating the need to change sides and keeping the canoe going in more of a straight line. At the end of the stroke, the paddler rotates the blade by twisting the top hand with the thumb pointing up to create the ruder.
There are more efficient ways of using the paddle, and seasoned paddlers who’ve mastered better technique often refer to that rudder stroke as a ‘Goon Stroke’. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a time and place, especially in white water, but when done there, it’s often called a River J.
Photo above: The J-stroke This photo shows a proficient paddler solo in a tandem canoe using the J Stroke to steer. The paddler is positioned in the bow seat to balance the canoe properly and is close to the gunnel, making it easier to keep the paddle vertical. It would improve technique to have the lower hand higher up on the shaft; ideally, the lower hand shouldn’t have to go below the gunnel while paddling.
Three components
The rudder or Goon stroke wastes the effort put into moving the canoe forward during the power phase, letting that slip away. Instead of using the portion of water captured during the power phase, the paddle is flipped over at the end of the stroke and uses the water on the opposite side of the paddle to steer. A canoeist can break it down into three components: power section, pause to steer, then recover to start over. The pause to steer takes time before the next power stroke happens, and the extra drag by using the paddle as a rudder slows progress.
A more efficient way to move the canoe ahead while still steering is called the J Stroke. Rather than flipping the paddle over the thumb up at the end of the stroke, as in the Goon Stroke, the upper hand rotates the thumb down at the end of the stroke, which lets the paddler use the same bit of water grabbed during the power phase to steer the canoe. There is still a pause during the steering portion of the stroke, but it takes less time than the Goon Stroke, and there is less drag as the paddle is simply redirecting the same bit of water. That makes it much easier to keep pace if a bow paddler is in the canoe.
A canoe being paddled tandem does a lot of rocking side to side if the bow and stern paddlers are out of sync, which is easier to do with a J stroke rather than a rudder stroke. The ride is much smoother if both bow and stern paddle in unison.
Continuing the steering
Paddlers who become canoe guides or those who go on extended wilderness trips usually modify the J Stroke to eliminate the pause in the J Stroke by continuing the steering as part of the stroke recovery portion. That makes it possible to match the pace set by any bow paddler exactly. Many seasoned paddlers also pry the paddle against the gunnel of the canoe during recovery. Doing that eliminates the need to use the strength of the lower hand during recovery.
If done correctly, the lower arm can completely rest during recovery until the last moment when the paddle has to come out of the water to start the next power stroke. The upper arm doesn’t have to do much either; most of the effort to steer can be accomplished with just the weight of the arm pressing down and back. If the paddle rests against the gunnel in the right spot, it acts as if it is held in place like an oar lock.
A lot of weight
If you are looking for ways to conserve energy when spending a long time paddling, consider the weight of a paddle; multiply that by the number of strokes you do in a minute, the number of hours you paddle, and the number of days you’re out. When all that maths is done, you have lifted a lot of weight you could have avoided by taking advantage of the rest during recovery you get with the Guide/Canadian Stroke.
The Phase figures below, show an ‘underwater’ view of what the paddle should be doing. The side-by-side images are looking at the side of the canoe and from behind the canoe.
Phase 1 above: Shows the paddle about halfway through the power portion, keeping the paddle as vertical as possible. At this point it is helpful to start putting a bit of pitch on the blade by rotating the top hand wrist a bit thumb down.
Phase 2 above: Shows the point where the steering begins, and it is the point where the blade has to rotate, so the leading edge (the edge of the blade towards the front of the canoe) has to be lower in the water than the trailing edge of the blade. If that doesn’t happen at the right spot, the paddle slides through the water without any steering effect.
Phase 3 above: Shows how the blade’s leading edge is pitched down lower in the water than the trailing edge. Steering happens as the paddle moves through the water as it is being recovered because of that pitch angle on the blade.
Phase 4 above: Shows how the angle of pitch lessens as the paddle moves forward during recovery. As the paddle moves forward, the pitch angle lessens, and by the time it reaches the paddler’s hip, there should be no pitch on the blade; the paddle should slice effortlessly through the water. Having a pitch angle past the hips is counterproductive.
Phase 5 above: Shows the paddle almost at the end of the recovery stroke as it is about to be pulled out of the water. There is no pitch on the blade, and the paddle is simply floating ahead with no effort until it is time to lift it out of the water to start the next power stroke.
The amount of energy used during the power portion of both the J stroke and the Canadian stroke is comparable, but the energy used by prying on the gunnel during recovery in the Canadian stroke is a tiny fraction of the energy expended during the recovery phase of a J stroke. It means you have much more energy when setting up camp at the end of a long paddling day.
Contact time with the water and leverage are things to consider if you want to reduce the effort while paddling. When starting out paddling a canoe, most people naturally tend to grip the lower hand close to the blade of the canoe. Doing that improves your mechanical advantage on the paddle but shortens the time the paddle is in contact with the water.
Sliding the lower hand up the shaft makes for a longer stroke, and while at first, it may seem you lose mechanical advantage on the paddle because the paddle can travel farther, you can increase the leverage on the canoe. Additionally, your arms don’t have to move as much when you slide your grip up the shaft. If you need to move aggressively with the paddle to correct something, the extra travel on the water you get by holding the shaft up higher makes it more effective.
Once a paddler gets proficient at finding the spot on the gunnel that keeps the paddle in place during recovery, it’s possible to let go of the paddle completely with the lower hand. Done well, it’s possible to do an inside turn by letting go of the bottom of the paddle with the lower hand during steering/recovery after the power phase is complete. The upper arm doesn’t have to do much work either; most of the effort in controlling the paddle can be accomplished with the arm’s weight.
Tandem and solo
The Canadian/Guide stroke can be done either tandem in the stern or solo. When paddling a tandem canoe solo, it helps to paddle the canoe from the bow seat facing the stern, and it helps if the paddler slides over a bit to the side being paddled on. That accomplishes two things: it brings the gunnel closer to the water, making it easier to use that catch point where the paddle can lock itself in place, and it also makes it easier to keep the paddle more vertical, which reduces the natural tendency for the canoe to turn away from the paddling side. At the beginning of the steering portion, it helps a lot if the paddle’s blade goes under the canoe a bit, and that’s easier to do if the paddler is closer to the side of the canoe.
The direction of travel in a canoe is based on body weight. Neutral steering could be accomplished if you pull the paddle between your knees, but that’s impossible. As soon as force is applied away from the direction of travel, turning starts to happen. Keeping the paddle closer to your body while paddling lessens the effort required to steer the canoe. If you can get the paddle under your body a bit at the end of the power and the beginning of the steering portion, you can apply force in the direction of travel, reducing the amount of steering effort required. That is accomplished by keeping the paddle vertical and positioning your body close to the gunnel.
The most common problem
It takes practice to master the Canadian/Guide stroke. I’ve had students manage the basics fairly quickly, but most struggle to find the sweet spot to begin the steering correction. The most common problem is waiting too long to twist the thumb down at the end of the stroke. If you miss that spot, the paddle slides through the water without doing any steering. You know you found the right spot when you feel resistance as you slide the paddle forward during recovery. No resistance means you need to twist the thumb down a bit more.
More energy
The amount of energy used during the power portion of both the J stroke and the Canadian stroke is comparable, but the energy used by prying on the gunnel during recovery in the Canadian stroke is a tiny fraction of the energy expended during the recovery phase of a J stroke. It means you have much more energy when setting up camp at the end of a long paddling day.
Contact time with the water and leverage are things to consider if you want to reduce the effort while paddling. When starting out paddling a canoe, most people naturally tend to grip the lower hand close to the blade of the canoe. Doing that improves your mechanical advantage on the paddle but shortens the time the paddle is in contact with the water.
Sliding the lower hand up the shaft makes for a longer stroke, and while at first, it may seem you lose mechanical advantage on the paddle because the paddle can travel farther, you can increase the leverage on the canoe. Additionally, your arms don’t have to move as much when you slide your grip up the shaft. If you need to move aggressively with the paddle to correct something, the extra travel on the water you get by holding the shaft up higher makes it more effective.
Once a paddler gets proficient at finding the spot on the gunnel that keeps the paddle in place during recovery, it’s possible to let go of the paddle completely with the lower hand. Done well, it’s possible to do an inside turn by letting go of the bottom of the paddle with the lower hand during steering/recovery after the power phase is complete. The upper arm doesn’t have to do much work either; most of the effort in controlling the paddle can be accomplished with the arm’s weight.
Tandem and solo
The Canadian/Guide stroke can be done either tandem in the stern or solo. When paddling a tandem canoe solo, it helps to paddle the canoe from the bow seat facing the stern, and it helps if the paddler slides over a bit to the side being paddled on. That accomplishes two things: it brings the gunnel closer to the water, making it easier to use that catch point where the paddle can lock itself in place, and it also makes it easier to keep the paddle more vertical, which reduces the natural tendency for the canoe to turn away from the paddling side. At the beginning of the steering portion, it helps a lot if the paddle’s blade goes under the canoe a bit, and that’s easier to do if the paddler is closer to the side of the canoe.
The direction of travel in a canoe is based on body weight. Neutral steering could be accomplished if you pull the paddle between your knees, but that’s impossible. As soon as force is applied away from the direction of travel, turning starts to happen. Keeping the paddle closer to your body while paddling lessens the effort required to steer the canoe. If you can get the paddle under your body a bit at the end of the power and the beginning of the steering portion, you can apply force in the direction of travel, reducing the amount of steering effort required. That is accomplished by keeping the paddle vertical and positioning your body close to the gunnel.
The most common problem
It takes practice to master the Canadian/Guide stroke. I’ve had students manage the basics fairly quickly, but most struggle to find the sweet spot to begin the steering correction. The most common problem is waiting too long to twist the thumb down at the end of the stroke. If you miss that spot, the paddle slides through the water without doing any steering. You know you found the right spot when you feel resistance as you slide the paddle forward during recovery. No resistance means you need to twist the thumb down a bit more.
Photo above: Grip. This paddler grips the paddle higher up on the shaft, which can be more efficient. The paddler will use the gunnel to pry the paddle against while steering, and there is some leather wrapped around the point of contact to reduce wear on the paddle and gunnel.
