Paddle dihedral angle

[josko]

What effect does increasing dihedral angle have on the behavior and 'feel' of a kayak paddle? I see several manufacturers touting dihedral angle on their paddles, but their descriptions of why they're doing that leave me puzzled.

I suppose it has to do with flow across the blade: if flow is from top (of the paddle) towards the bottom, one can see how it would stabilize the blade in te water. But isn't flow across the blade?

Edited May 9, 2014 by josko

[lhunt]

No idea, Josko, I had to look up "dihedral" :-)

But here's an article from Sea Kayaker magazine that seems to fit the bill (search for "dihedral"). At least it gathers all the disparate opinions onto one page.

Lisa

(PS my only input is that if flutter is the problem a wing paddle is a possiblity. Never get any flutter with the wing.).

Edited May 9, 2014 by LHuntington

[josko]

Thanks Lisa - great article. It confirms what I thought - increasing diehedral is a way to mitigate fluttering at the cost of efficiency of power delivery and ease of handling.

Edited May 9, 2014 by josko

[Doug]

Josco, I believe the dihedral helps dissipate the flow of water in a more deliberate direction sooner reducing turbulence which can cause flutter. It's a fine balance because adding too much dihedral will reduce the blades bite or efficiency as it dissipates water quicker. More dihedral will smooth out the paddle feel at the cost of power.

Doug