Hi everybody,

I have another newbie question: I was told that paddles a really
important and that often when people are having a bad experience with
their kayaks, it's the cheap paddle which is responsible.

I bought a Tarpon 100 sit on top recreational kayak which I use on the
Intercoastal River in the New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater area. I
absolutely love it, and I do find that this kayaks traks just fine and
fast even though many experienced kayakers find these very slow and
heavy. But then, I am 6.2 220lbs and I *enjoy* the efffort. For me,
going for three hours against the wind and the tide is simply great
fun.

My wife, who has the same kayak, is having a hard time. Our kayaks
came with 30$ paddles Carlisle. The next paddle model up (judging by
price) was already at 90 bucks! Should she consider changing?

I mean, what does the paddle do? It "grabs" the water so the kayaker
can pull himself forward, right? So what's the big deal about
paddles?! I don't imagine that two buckets on each side of a broom
would be very pleasant to use, but is it worth spending 90 bucks or
more on a paddle? Would that help my wife?

Thanks!