Thursday, April 12, 2012

New Biomimicry Paddle Design

Longtime blog reader Bryan (who recently started a paddling business - Cold Spring Paddling - sent me an email of a creative paddle project by Chad Townsend of Banff, Alberta. It's called the Shearwater webbed paddle which aims to combine mechanical engineering, evolutionary biology, and modern material capabilities.



Some details of their product from their website:
  • a practical application of ‘biomimicry' (copying nature's engineering / efficiency);
  • a uniquely compact paddle adaptable for a variety of water sports (webbed blade folds inward, and shaft breaks down for storage and transport);
  • an educational tool for science centers, camps, and parks.
Like many young entrepreneurs today, fund raising online is part of the process. You can read more about this inventor's plans here. As a traditionalist, I don't think I'll be carving any paddles like this anytime soon, but for any other paddlers wishing to push the design envelope to its limits, this might be up your alley.



5 comments:

Bryan Sarauer said...

Thanks for the site plug Murat!

You are very diplomatic. I might have expected you to brutally pan the idea, but you were quite kind in your assessment.

Happy Paddling!
Bryan

Jerm said...

"As a traditionalist, I don't think I'll be carving any paddles like this anytime soon, but..."

Will you carve any paddle soon period? It's been a while since I saw even one of your creation... You should change your blog's name to "Random Canoe Stuff (and a little bit of paddle making)"...

Murat said...

"Will you carve any paddle soon period? It's been a while since I saw even one of your creation... You should change your blog's name to "Random Canoe Stuff (and a little bit of paddle making)"...


Sounds like my efforts here aren't to your liking??? The Sassafras Penobscot was done in February and I just posted my last effort which took a while to get all the pyrography done. Sometimes life gets in the way and I'm not on anyone else's schedule but my own...

It'll be a while before I get another paddle done as I'm working on completing a man cave in the basement and want to restore a cedar canvas before it gets too late in the paddling season. In the meantime, I'll continue to post other people's creations and other canoe & paddle related randomness. If you've got a paddle you've made and want to contribute then feel free to email me.

Gerardo Groh said...

Realmente no entiendo bien el comentario de Jerm...mi ingles no llega hasta tanto. Pero me molesto realmente porque entendi como que se presento solamente a criticar...no vi que haya realizado un comentario interesante o una sugerencia util...solamente criticar. Porque? Si no le gusta lo que hace Murat, no le gusta el blog o no le gusta alguna de los remos...tiene la opcion de no entrar...quien lo hizo Dios de la web para decir como debe ser todo?
Murat: tu trabajo es excelente. Yo lo aprecio muchisimo y me divierto cada vez que entro a ver lo nuevo. Eres una persona muy habil y no tienes ningun inconveniente en mostrar que haces y como lo haces para servir de inspiracion a otros e inclusive enseƱar gratuitamente.
Muchas gracias por tu trabajo.
Gerardo Groh
Argentina.

Murat said...

With Google Translate...

Gracias Gerardo por sus amables palabras y por leer mi blog! Compartir el conocimiento libre es la mejor cosa sobre el Internet, ¿verdad?

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