The better bracing angle allows greater extension across the rail in tandem moves. Bent paddles facilitate inverted jams because the leading edge more completely intersects the hull for increased deflection. Jamming a bent paddle with the backface loaded means less blade contact or extreme paddler extension. Bent paddles also alter turning draws. The flatter blade angle to the water improves the move's bracing component but lessens the drawing effect, and bents are difficult to control when slicing in-water recoveries.
Bent paddles offer advantages and compromises.
They require learning the palm roll to maintain powerface continuity, but everyone should try bent paddles. Every tourer, solo or tandem, might also carry a small-bladed bent. Its shorter eighteen-inch blade isn't as effective when bracing, but it scratches less across shallows. It also is ideal in those situations where the cadence must be picked up-paddling into a stiff wind, or with miles to go near sundown. The paddle's top grip controls blade angle from thirty inches away.