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A paddle is a tool used for pushing against liquid
Liquid

Liquid is one of the principal states of matter. A liquid is a fluid that has the particles loose and can freely form a distinct surface at the boundaries of its bulk material....
s, either as a form of propulsion
Marine propulsion

Marine propulsion is the act of moving a floating object over or through water. Propulsion devices can take many forms including: propeller, water jet , paddle wheel, sails, Punt , paddles, oars and, experimentally, magnetohydrodynamic drive....
 in a boat
Boat

A boat is a watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water, and provide transport over it. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas....
 or as an implement for mixing.

les commonly used in canoe
Canoe

A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be covered....
s consist of a wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
en, fiberglass
Fiberglass

Fiberglass, , is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. It is used as a reinforcing agent for many polymer products; the resulting composite material, properly known as fiber-reinforced polymer or glass-reinforced plastic , is called "fiberglass" in popular usage....
 carbon fiber
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer or carbon fiber reinforced plastic , is a very strong, light, and expensive composite material or fiber-reinforced polymer....
 or metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 rod (the shaft) with a handle on one end and a rigid sheet (the blade) on the other end. Paddles for use in kayak
Kayak

A kayak is a small human-powered boat. It typically has a covered deck, and a cockpit covered by a spraydeck. The kayak was used by the native Ainu people, Aleuts and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland....
s are longer, with a blade on each end; they are handled from the middle of the shaft. Kayak paddles having blades in the same plane (when viewed down the shaft) are called "un-feathered." Paddles with blades in different planes (such as in the image) are called "feathered".






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A paddle is a tool used for pushing against liquid
Liquid

Liquid is one of the principal states of matter. A liquid is a fluid that has the particles loose and can freely form a distinct surface at the boundaries of its bulk material....
s, either as a form of propulsion
Marine propulsion

Marine propulsion is the act of moving a floating object over or through water. Propulsion devices can take many forms including: propeller, water jet , paddle wheel, sails, Punt , paddles, oars and, experimentally, magnetohydrodynamic drive....
 in a boat
Boat

A boat is a watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water, and provide transport over it. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas....
 or as an implement for mixing.

Canoe/Kayak paddles


Materials and designs

Paddles commonly used in canoe
Canoe

A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be covered....
s consist of a wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
en, fiberglass
Fiberglass

Fiberglass, , is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. It is used as a reinforcing agent for many polymer products; the resulting composite material, properly known as fiber-reinforced polymer or glass-reinforced plastic , is called "fiberglass" in popular usage....
 carbon fiber
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer or carbon fiber reinforced plastic , is a very strong, light, and expensive composite material or fiber-reinforced polymer....
 or metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 rod (the shaft) with a handle on one end and a rigid sheet (the blade) on the other end. Paddles for use in kayak
Kayak

A kayak is a small human-powered boat. It typically has a covered deck, and a cockpit covered by a spraydeck. The kayak was used by the native Ainu people, Aleuts and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland....
s are longer, with a blade on each end; they are handled from the middle of the shaft.
Paddleforkayaktopandaxisview
Kayak paddles having blades in the same plane (when viewed down the shaft) are called "un-feathered." Paddles with blades in different planes (such as in the image) are called "feathered". Feathered paddles are measured by the degree of feather, such as 30, 45, or even 90 degrees. The paddle in the image to the right is feathered around 15 degrees. Many modern paddles can be adjusted by the user for feathered or unfeathered settings. The shaft is normally straight but in some cases a 'crank' is added with the aim of making the paddle more comfortable and reducing the strain on the wrist. Because the kayak paddle is not supported by the boat, paddles made of lighter materials are desired, it is not uncommon for a kayak paddle to be two pounds (32 ounces) or less in weight.

Use

The paddle is held with two hands, some distance apart from each other. For normal use, it is drawn through the water from front (bow
Bow (ship)

The bow is a List of nautical terms that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway....
) to back (stern
Stern

The stern is the rear or aft part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter to the taffrail....
) to drive the boat forwards. The two blades of a kayak paddle are dipped alternately on either side of the kayak. A paddle is distinguished from an oar
Oar

An oar is an implement used for water-borne Marine propulsion. Oars have a flat Blade at one end. The oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end....
 in that the paddle is held in the user's hands and completely supported by the paddler, whereas an oar is primarily supported by the boat.

Other types

On mechanical paddle steamer
Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for Ship propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat....
s, the motorized paddling is not done with a mass of paddles or oars but by rotating one or a few paddle wheels (rather the inverse of a water mill)

Racing paddles also have special designs. They are generally less flat and are curved to catch more water which will enable racing paddlers to maximize the efficiency of their stroke.

Paddle shifters are special kinds of paddles since it is used in cars equipped with a semi-automatic transmission
Semi-automatic transmission

A semi-automatic transmission is a system which uses electronic sensors, processors and actuators to do gear shifts on the command of the driving....
. They are operated back and forth.

See also

Canoe#Paddle_strokes
Canoe

A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be covered....