HOW IS PROPULSION PRODUCED ON THE PADDLE?

Abstract

In kayak sports, the paddle is moved mainly in the frontal plane then amidships. To explain the propulsion the Bernoulli equation is predominantly used. The scope of this equation is considered only for stationary water flow. However, one paddle stroke takes about 0,3 seconds, which is too quick to stabilize static conditions. Therefore, an explanation based on the general equation of hydrodynamic is required. The Bernoulli equation only describes the hydrostatic pressure in dependence to the velocity plot of the water flow.