LAKEWATER CANOES
OPENING A CAN OF WHOOP ASH. PHOTO: VIRGINIA MARSHALL
Bent vs. Straight Shaft CLIFF JACOBSON AND KEVIN CALLAN RUMBLE IN THE TUMBLEHOME
MUCH DEBATE AND CONJECTURE have surrounded the argument for straight shaft paddles versus bent shaft paddles, and vice versa. When Canoeroots asked two of lakewater canoeing’s most respected paddlers—Boundary Waters veteran and bent shaft believer Cliff Jacobson, and guidebook author and straight shaft advocate Kevin Callan—to defend their chosen sticks, they leapt at the opportunity like gallant knights called to duty. Jacobson and Callan duel with words and paddles rather than swords and shields, but the result is every bit as entertaining… and vicious.
EN GARDE
Cliff Jacobson: When I learned that Kevin prefers straight paddles to bent blades for lake cruising, I just rolled my eyes. I fear that boy has spent too much time in the Ontario bush!
40 SPRING 2011
Kevin Callan: I don’t use a bent shaft paddle. The reason is simple. I’m Canadian. Bent shaft paddling is the domain of Boundary Waters canoeheads, hence the term Minnesota Switch to describe their characteristic stroke.
TOUCHÉ
KC: I tried a bent blade and immediately saw the appeal for beginner paddlers. First-time canoeists automatically attempt to travel in a straight line by switching their paddles from side to side. Paddling with a bent shaft encourages this natural reaction, with the stern paddler hollering “Hutt!” every three strokes to indicate the right moment for both paddlers to switch. But I’m not a greenhorn canoeist, so using the J stroke, or even better, the Canadian stroke, gets me across the lake straight and in style.
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