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To Previous PageControl Skills

Bow Rudder

Page 4 of 4

 

This is an aggressive turn for a moving boat, useful for entering and leaving eddies on moving water, and for executing tight turns.

Start with a sweep to the opposite side to begin the turn. At the end of the sweep, maintain the outside edge as you rotate the torso fully in the direction of the turn. Hold your offside hand in front of and just above your forehead, palm out. Plant the onside blade near your raised knee, with the blade angled out about 45°. Drive the offside foot in the direction of the turn. When the blade is fully submerged, the kayak will pivot around the paddle. As the kayak slows, complete the turn by drawing the blade toward the bow, then finish with a powerful forward stroke as you straighten up.

Photo of a bow rudder stroke.Experiment with paddle placement and blade angle to produce different arcs. Also, you may want to start your practice by planting the paddle with the blade parallel to the kayak, then turning the blade out once the paddle is completely submerged. This allows for a more gradual onset of the forces of the turn.

The top animation shows the start of the bow rudder starting after the sweep stroke. The bottom photo shows the boat edging and how much the kayak will turn.

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