I'm quite comfortable with a 60 degree feathered paddle and understand
the advantages in windy situations. However I've recently begun to
learn and practice Braces. would't the learning curve be quicker in
learning to brace quickly either side if you used an unfeathered
paddle? Same goes for learning to roll? I really don't have to think
about feathering with my index hand since the forward stroke has
become second nature or intuitive due to repetion. Bracing, or rolling
however is not yet intuitive and during practive I forgot to twist my
wrist on the index side and the brace failed by having the paddle dive
into the water with me following. I know the stock answer will be with
practice, the proper indexing will also become intuitive during
bracing /rolling. My point is that while I may devote whole days to
the forward stroke, I can only afford an hour or so once a week to
practice. Does it not make more sense to switch to an unfeathered
paddle for all strokes and trade off the few times wind becomes a
severe issue

Gene