Kayak Paddle Stroke for Dripless Paddle - Stay Dry!

[@jmarg76]

This was super helpful. First time out on my new yak (much higher seat than my previous kayak) I was dripping water all over myself. I tried a lower stroke just yesterday and it worked so much better.

[@florinbaiduc]

Get some bees or candle wax, spread it liberally over the paddles, melt it with a hair dryer and buff with a cloth until is almost invisible. It's gonna repel water and your're going to stay dry even with a high stroke. Works just as well on wooden or on plastic (carbon) paddles.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Thanks for the tip!

[@YGBHawk]

Rain X or any hydrophobic coating works too ;)

[@donnazukowski]

@@YGBHawkHow would I use this?

[@citizen6610]

Great tip. I’m a kayak noob and this was very helpful 🤙🏼

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jamesthe-doctor8981]

Simplest, most cost-effective method, yet! Thanks again, Kayak Hacks! 😂

[@bcuda72]

Consider pros and cons of each style: 1. Low stroke helps to minimize or even prevent paddle drip on/in the kayak/paddler, but that requires the stroke to be further away from the kayak. This results in increased kayak side-to-side "wobble", or "wag" which, in turn, reduces straight-line travel. This will slightly increase the amount of effort required to reach your destination. 2. High stroke promotes dripping on/in your kayak, on gear you may have attached, and on your person, clothing, and life jacket. Also consider that muddy or salt water will require more effort to clean your kayak and gear after your adventure. However, paddling in this fashion will cause the force of each stroke to be closer to the side of the kayak, causing straighter travel and more energy-efficient paddle strokes. Note that using a product such as "Never Wet" (among others) can significantly reduce or even eliminate paddle drip - allowing dripless paddling with either paddling style. Also consider that if you kayak in various waterways, such a product may even discourage attachment of water-borne creatures which helps to prevent distribution of various invasive species from one waterway to another.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Great points! Thank you!

[@martin.feuchtwanger]

Not quite. A low angle stroke -- also called a "touring stroke" -- will *decrease* the overall paddling effort because the upper arm is not lifted as high with each stroke. You're right about the high angle stroke: it is faster (and wetter).

[@American-Plague]

Sounds spot on to me. I'm in a fishing kayak, not entering the Olympics for speed. I want to be comfortable.

[@scottlytton5328]

Thanks. I haven't been out yet but I'm gonna go and learn to paddle today. Anxious af I am

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Have fun!

[@Jessica-wn6xn]

Thanks so much. I'm fairly new to kayaking and get absolutely soaked every time 🤣

[@chantellewilson9497]

I’m gonna try this because I’ve even waxed my paddle and I still get soaked so I started wearing a wetsuit, so I’d at least stay warm. This could be my solution. Thank you.❤

[@wesleyhackney]

I'll try it. Using torso to turn is best to take stress off upper body

[@MaryK4242]

Love this channel!! One of my Favs!! Thanks for the tips. Caught my fist kayak Speckeled Trout this morning!! It was a dink, but it was awwsome! Slippery Little buggars though you got any tips on how to handle them? Thanks!

[@KayakhacksFishing]

I have not targeted specs. All I know about them is that they like about 5 feet of water in a channel around ambush position. Thanks for the kind words! Please recommend the channel to others - I am so close to 10,000 subscribers I can feel it!!

[@BrianParkerson]

We don't have specs down in South Georgia but we have jack (pickerel) and red fin pike and they are down right slimy! Use a towel or gloves when handling those types of fish will give you a much better grip. I buy a pack of those cheap cotton gloves that come in a pack of 6 for like $2. Throw away when they're too slimy to use anymore. Remember, they won't protect you hands from getting wet or slimy, they provide a much better grip on those slippery boogers.

[@LarryTalbot_1313]

Sort of an off-topic comment but I grew up using canoes and row boats (holy mackerel, what a work out!) and transitioned into kayaks as they started to become more popular. I was there from the beginning of their popularity. I remember the first couple of kayaks we rented, they were twice as expensive as the canoes and you had to have a security deposit at the rental place went frequented. Of course this was all many, many, many moons (not to mention decades) ago! Coming from all three, I can honestly say I like kayaks the best. Canoes weren't all that great for fishing because they constantly had to be corrected, unless anchored. Row boats were a pain, because you had to muscle it to maneuver it. Kayaks are great for fishing, hardly any sweat goes into maneuvering them and you can pretty much carry an arsenal of equipment on them if you wish to.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

100% agree. And... kayaks do not pitch around as much since you are lower in the water. I would never take my canoe some of the places I don't even think twice about with the kayak.

[@spencerboaz2385]

I think I will use Never Wet on about 6" inches of my shaft and tape on the paddle . I can't get the low stroke down when going into the wind I catch myself going high for more power . My Kayak is only 10' and low stroke tends to make the bow wander more than when I dig deeper next to the gun wall . We almost always have wind on the lakes here . I also paddle my canoe with a kayak paddle and one with oars .

[@KayakhacksFishing]

before going to that expense, try this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5SamGOZfNdniMU

[@madmandu]

Underrated video. Thanks!

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Kulakovich14]

pull the paddle foot to hip and youll never get tired or have drip everything else seems on point happy paddling

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Thank you! I'll start doing that!

[@1PITIFULDUDE]

Awesome attitude Steve.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Thanks! Appreciate it!

[@earlschultz7880]

Nice conclusion to the paddle drip! But, I take my dog with me in the kayak, and I have to use the high paddle motion to avoid hitting him. But all good advice. I like you PFD! have you ever had to use it?

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Thanks for the kind words. I have never had to use the PFD... so I wondered about it and tested it. The velcro was too strong and it did not fully inflate. I had to manually separate the velcro seam! My lesson learned was to not fully engage the velcro - just hook it enough to contain the balloon.

[@earlschultz7880]

Thanks, I wondered about that. But it sure looks comfortable!

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Yes, much more comfortable than a bulky model.

[@barneyewing2664]

I have to try this.

[@donb03072000]

I love the duct tape tips. And I ‘ll Try this next time.

[@jacr6521]

Thanks !!!

[@richk8092]

what length paddle are you using?

[@KayakhacksFishing]

My new paddle is 260 since my new kayak is wider and the seat is higher. I think the one in this video was 230.

[@retnav92]

I tend to use the high paddle stroke most often, especially if I'm trying to get some speed going in open water on my Feel Free Lure 11.5, which is not built for speed. Yep, I get paddle drip on me and in the kayak, if I get real aggressive using the high stroke, and I find I tend to get more water in the rear tank well. Probably due to my not-so-perfect technique. I use the lower paddle stroke when going slow along the shoreline in real skinny water, or I'll use the small Backwater Assault Paddle (a worthwhile investment, imo) for finesse manuevering. :)

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Great advice on how to select. Which type of paddle did you get? One for the high or one for the low and how does it work on the other stroke? Any noticeable difference?

[@retnav92]

Kayak Hacks Fishing I bought the Bending Branches Angler Classic (in 260cm length). I probably could have gotten away with the 250cm, but was anticipating seat adjustment to the highest setting (10") on my Lure 11.5. I've yet to raise it that high though. :)

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Thanks! I'm going to get a new kayak next spring and always appreciate advice!

[@retnav92]

Kayak Hacks Fishing What model are you thinking about getting? I've only been a "yakker" since this past June, and thoroughly enjoying the portability of the kayak, the skinny water I can get into to fish, and the added physical workout the paddling provides. I go minimalist, and take 2 rods, a milk crate with a few assorted lures/plastic baits, and no fish/depth finder.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

You and my fishing buddy are twins! He goes light as well. Both of us recognize we have outgrown our current kayaks. He needs one he can stand up in and I need one that is recoverable if it flips (my current kayak is not). We are going to begin the process of research and down select after the season ends in a few weeks. I will not make the final pick until I can sit in the alternatives and paddle them. There is usually big kayak event/show in Charleston in March that will give me that opportunity.

[@citrumpet1]

You will always get wet with a kayak paddle. Best solution is to wear some rain pants if you don't like wet pants.

[@SciD1]

Yes, but that's not a way to paddle. It's ineffective. You will go slower and will zigzag. The tape does not stop water from dripping. It only stops it from going down the handle.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Going down the handle is what I want to avoid

[@SciD1]

@@KayakhacksFishing there usually is a rubber on each end of the paddle for that. My problem is the water leaking and getting into the kayak when the paddle goes over the kayak . I will try NeverWet or something similar.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

@@SciD1 Yes, that is the drip ring. My experience is they do not work well. Let me know how NeverWet works out for you. It should!

[@alfonsocastillo6010]

Turtle wax the paddle blades every 4 times you fish

[@KayakhacksFishing]

That's a lot of wax! lol

[@USA-sx1xi]

Would love to watch video. Has a glitch :20

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It works on my laptop. There must be a KZbin issue preventing it from showing on your device....

[@asifhussain2074]

cooL, stay dry whiLst KayaKing

[@sargentt6003]

Never Wet is junk Very fragile and peels easily

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It wears off if you have to work your kayak thru mud, grass, etc.