What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

novice wrote:
I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

There's a reason Epics are expensive. Between your bargain basement
training kayak and your unpopular cost-factored paddle, it sounds like
you're trying to break a record for best finish per dollar. Kayak racing
isn't really that expensive, compared to, say, bike racing (race bikes
run $4K+), or even golf, but you can't develop very far without decent
kit. Lance does not have a Huffy training bike, believe me.

Good luck. Write if you get on a podium.

Steve

--
Steve Cramer
Athens, GA

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

Per novice:
I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

Do some Googling. I did it a few months ago and found some discontinued
Carlisles for about $160. Didn't buy - had already made the mistake of buying
another brand.

One thing to check is the exact nature of the connection. I bought mine
assuming that for that kind of money the connection would be reasonably
ergonomic. Wrong!... turned out to be a hose clamp (as in automobile radiator
hoses...). Ouch!.
--
PeteCresswell

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

novice wrote:
I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

Do some checking around John Abrams )
usually has some fairly inexpensive non-brand paddles, not Epic
quality, but not bad. I handle Andrew Martin which are slightly
heavier, but bombproof, Quickblade is very, very light, and not quite as
expensive (or as pretty) as Epic. It just takes looking around. In any
case, you can expect to pay anywhere from USD $250-$400 for a decent
paddle.

Another poster was suggesting that boat stuff prices are not that bad,
and I'd agree. Compared to a single TT wheel, a paddle is CHEAP, and
generally will last longer.

Marsh

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

Steve Cramer wrote:
novice wrote:
I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

There's a reason Epics are expensive. Between your bargain basement
training kayak and your unpopular cost-factored paddle, it sounds like
you're trying to break a record for best finish per dollar. Kayak racing
isn't really that expensive, compared to, say, bike racing (race bikes
run $4K+), or even golf, but you can't develop very far without decent
kit. Lance does not have a Huffy training bike, believe me.

Good luck. Write if you get on a podium.

Steve

--
Steve Cramer
Athens, GA


I will rent a fast boat to practice with at some point. I'm an
extremely mediocre runner and mountain biker so in the end this is only
about getting fit.

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

Marsh Jones wrote:
novice wrote:
I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

Do some checking around John Abrams )
usually has some fairly inexpensive non-brand paddles, not Epic
quality, but not bad. I handle Andrew Martin which are slightly
heavier, but bombproof, Quickblade is very, very light, and not quite as
expensive (or as pretty) as Epic. It just takes looking around. In any
case, you can expect to pay anywhere from USD $250-$400 for a decent
paddle.

Another poster was suggesting that boat stuff prices are not that bad,
and I'd agree. Compared to a single TT wheel, a paddle is CHEAP, and
generally will last longer.

Marsh

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

Marsh Jones wrote:
novice wrote:
I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

Do some checking around John Abrams )
usually has some fairly inexpensive non-brand paddles, not Epic
quality, but not bad. I handle Andrew Martin which are slightly
heavier, but bombproof, Quickblade is very, very light, and not quite as
expensive (or as pretty) as Epic. It just takes looking around. In any
case, you can expect to pay anywhere from USD $250-$400 for a decent
paddle.

Another poster was suggesting that boat stuff prices are not that bad,
and I'd agree. Compared to a single TT wheel, a paddle is CHEAP, and
generally will last longer.

Marsh

thanks for the leads. looks interesting. thank you for the great answer.

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per novice:
I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
seems too expensive.

Do some Googling. I did it a few months ago and found some discontinued
Carlisles for about $160. Didn't buy - had already made the mistake of buying
another brand.

One thing to check is the exact nature of the connection. I bought mine
assuming that for that kind of money the connection would be reasonably
ergonomic. Wrong!... turned out to be a hose clamp (as in automobile radiator
hoses...). Ouch!.
--
PeteCresswell

Good job. I will look into Carlisles.

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

On 15-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:

this is only about getting fit.

If you are only interested in getting fit and want to avoid the high price of
a wing paddle, just use a conventional paddle. Any paddle can be used
with a wing stroke. I even use a Greenland paddle with a wing stroke.

Mike

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

Michael Daly wrote:
On 15-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:

this is only about getting fit.

If you are only interested in getting fit and want to avoid the high price of
a wing paddle, just use a conventional paddle. Any paddle can be used
with a wing stroke. I even use a Greenland paddle with a wing stroke.

Mike

I hope this is not a troll. Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic
paddles, then?

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

On 16 Jun 2006 21:48:11 -0700, "novice"
wrote:


Michael Daly wrote:
On 15-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:

this is only about getting fit.

If you are only interested in getting fit and want to avoid the high price of
a wing paddle, just use a conventional paddle. Any paddle can be used
with a wing stroke. I even use a Greenland paddle with a wing stroke.

Mike

I hope this is not a troll. Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic
paddles, then?

for the same reason people pay huge amounts of money for magic golf
clubs. Tecnique and practice are a lot more important than graffite
shafts.

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

On 17-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:

Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic paddles, then?

If you want high performance, buy a wing paddle. They will produce more
lift than a conventional paddle. However, a conventional paddle will produce lift
too, just not as much. If all you want is fitness, then speed is not the critical
issue. It you want to win a race, speed is critical.

Analogy: You can get fit by riding a $500 bike. You race on a $4000+ bike.

BTW - my conventional paddle cost $400. A wing costs $500. My Greenland
paddle costs $30. I use my Greenland paddle more than any other.

Mike

What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner
 

Michael Daly wrote:
On 17-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:

Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic paddles, then?

If you want high performance, buy a wing paddle. They will produce more
lift than a conventional paddle. However, a conventional paddle will produce lift
too, just not as much. If all you want is fitness, then speed is not the critical
issue. It you want to win a race, speed is critical.

Analogy: You can get fit by riding a $500 bike. You race on a $4000+ bike.

BTW - my conventional paddle cost $400. A wing costs $500. My Greenland
paddle costs $30. I use my Greenland paddle more than any other.

Mike

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience, guys:)