Kayak Draw Stroke – Kayaking 101

Kayak Draw Stroke – Kayaking 101

Draw strokes are used to move the kayak sideways such as toward another kayaker or a dock.

The basic kayak draw stroke requires that you reach out with the paddle vertically and then and pull toward the kayak. Remember to rotate your upper body toward the direction you want. The more vertically you hold the paddle the more you can draw the kayak sideways.

There are different techniques you can use for a draw stroke and they are best illustrated by watching the video in this post so you can see the difference and understand the variations.

In addition to the basic draw stroke, you can end with a slice out behind or through the use of a t-stroke. When you use the slice out recovery stroke, just remember to curl the wrist 90 degrees forward to slice the blade back toward where it started.

If you find that you are turning the kayak during a basic draw or t-stroke, it means that you need to adjust the stroke. If you pull too far back you’ll be drawing the stern toward the paddle. Pull too far forward and you’ll be drawing the bow to the paddle.

Finally, the sculling draw is more powerful and uses more dexterity. The upside of the sculling draw stroke is that it doesn’t require a recovery stroke because it uses a fluid back and forth movement instead.

What is different in this stroke is that you will reach out to side instead of pulling closer to kayak. Simply stroke a foot or two away from kayak and as you slice back and forth, the power pull will comes from the torso rotation during paddle movement.

Captain John’s Fawn Harbor & Marina offers kayak rentals on Big Bear Lake and a whole lot more. We hope you will try the kayak draw stroke when join us for a day of fun and if you are a frequent visitor to Big Bear, be sure to join our loyalty program.