Patent Publication Number: US-7581996-B1

Title: Kayak and canoe paddling apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable 
   FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
   Not Applicable 
   SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
   Not Applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The field of endeavor to which this invention pertains is manual propulsion of small watercraft. 
   One-person kayak and canoe paddling has several deficiencies. In order to mitigate yaw, the double-bladed kayak paddler must perform an exaggerated movement, elevating the paddle nearly vertically in order to stroke as closely as possible to the side of the craft, while the raised end trails water inboard. 
   The single-bladed canoe paddler must switch hand positions for each side&#39;s stroke, again trailing water inboard at the crossover. 
   There is a need for an invention both to reduce arm movements, as well as mitigate water incursion. No prior art addressing this has been found. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The apparatus presented here fulfills the above stated needs with a simple and effective solution. 
   The invention is comprised of a pair of single-bladed paddles, which are joined at the upper portion, with the blade faces facing the same direction, and loosely connected to a locator arm. When anchored, this arm restricts front-to-back movement of the upper portion, functioning as a “third hand”, and thus creating a lever of the third class when paddling. The paddle shafts are grasped at a comfortable position below the joined parts, and are free to move in all other directions. Sequential or simultaneous paddling may be performed, with the blade faces maintaining their orientation, and with minimal arm and hand movement, without water incursion. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  Is a perspective view of the apparatus.
           1  Locator arm     2  Paddle shaft junction     3  Common snap hook     4  Anchor eyebolt     5  Paddle shaft       
       FIG. 2  Detail of paddle shaft junction  2 .
           6  Eyebolt     7  Spacer     8  Locknut       
       FIG. 3  Enlarged view of snap hook  3 . 
       FIG. 4  Alternate anchor methods.
           9  Screweye     10  Glued eye     11  Kayak tow handle     12  Clamp with eye       
       FIG. 5  Apparatus in operation. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention consists of a pair of paddles  5 , preferably of light metal or plastic. An eyebolt  6  joins the paddle shafts at their upper portion  FIG. 2  in one pair of holes, with spacers  7  and locknut  8 , with the paddle blade faces oriented in the same direction. The connection is snug, while still allowing easy spreading of the paddles to accommodate beam width variations. 
   The essential component is the locator arm  1 , preferably of light metal or plastic, telescoping for adjustability, with a common-type threaded compression collar. 
   Common-type snap hooks  3  connect the locator arm  1  to the paddles at eyebolt  6 , and to the anchor eyebolt  4 , or alternate anchoring methods  FIG. 4 . 
   In operation the paddles are swung outward and raised to re-deploy. There is no need to reposition the hands. Pulling propels craft forward; pushing, backward. 
   Materials and dimensions may be varied. The prototype employs 60″ wooden-shaft paddles with plastic blades, and the locator arm has multi-holed, overlying wood strips for adjustability, and functions satisfactorily, easily accommodating a pontoon raft with 40″ beam.