Patent ID: 6042438
Filing Date: 2000-03-28
Classification: B63H

Abstract:
An ergonomic canoe paddle for propelling a light watercraft through water, comprising:a. a shaft having a shear side and an opposed drag side;b. a blade having a shear surface and an opposed drag surface secured to a bottom end of the shaft, so that the shear surface of the blade is secured to the shear side of the shaft and the drag surface of the blade is secured to the drag side of the shaft; and,c. a handle secured to a top end of the shaft, the handle including a central grip bar secured to the top end of the shaft, a right grip stem and a left grip stem secured to opposed ends of the central grip bar, wherein the right and left grip stems extend in a direction that is both away from the shaft and that is also away from the drag side of the shaft about twenty degrees to about seventy-five degrees from a plane defined as extending between opposed right and left edges of the blade and the top end of the shaft, so that when the left or right grip stem receives a user's hand grip the shear surface of the blade is disposed in an angular alignment that compensates for non-linear thrust as the shear surface of the blade shears the water to propel the watercraft.