Paddle Choice For Touring
 

Hi there.

Yet another season approaches us Canadians. This year, I hope to purchase a
paddle. My buddy has a carbon fibre paddle and I want one, because they are
so light, etc.

I wanted to get some opinions on what paddle to get. Any opinions, folks?

Cheers

I have a Swift that I am pleased with. It has a Kevlar blade and carbon
shaft.
I also own a couple of Harmony Sea Passsage carbon paddles, They are
fine, sturdy and well covered by warranty. I had a shaft break on one.
The Harmony Sea Passage with the plastic blades have not fared as well.
I broke one in the pool and another in a sand landing but the
temperature may have had something to do with that. It was cold.
Lendal and Werner make some superb paddles. A lot of it is taste.
Good Luck.
Alex

Sounds like what I'm looking for. Thanks for the lead.

Cheers


On 2/23/05 6:06 PM, in article
,
" wrote:

I have a Swift that I am pleased with. It has a Kevlar blade and carbon
shaft.

Melissa...the last thing THIS GUY needs is another hobby. Hehe. But, I do
appreciate your guidance into making my own paddles. I might run out
tomorrow and start me one...before I shovel the snow.

I bought a wooden canoe paddle several years ago, and I love the long
slender shape, as I can feel the whip in it in the water. Very good for
solo canoeing. Very precise, as I call it.

My buddy's carbon paddle was half the weight as the one I was using, which
was a beginner's paddle, so I thought I'd go get one.

Thanks for the link.

Cheers


On 2/23/05 10:07 PM, in article , "Melissa"
wrote:

Opinions? It's your lucky day, as opinions are my speciality! :-)

I've come to prefer wooden Greenland Paddles. For several years, I
was very happy with an 80 degree feathered glass Werner. A few years
ago, I tried a GP, and ever since, this has been my favorite style of
paddle.

I absolutely love everything about a GP; especially wooden ones.
They're very beautiful, a pleasure to handle, and the paddling
techniques are lots of fun (both full length and storm paddles).
They're great for bracing, sculling, and rolling as well.

There are some nice commercially made GPs, even a carbon fiber model
from Superior Kayaks (they also offer wooden models) but one of the
great things about GPs is that you can carve them yourself without
too much trouble. Very cheap this way too, so you can carve many
beautiful customized sticks for the price of one commercial paddle.

If you're interested in carving your own, here's a good set of
printable instructions from Chuck Holst (PDF file):

http://www.qajaqusa.org/QK/makegreen2.pdf

A nice 8 foot long 2x4 of clear, vertical grain Western Red Cedar will
only cost you about $15-$20, and this is perfect for carving a GP. Of
course, you can also get fancy and laminate various woods together to
create your blanks. Chris Cunningham has some instructions for
carving a nice laminated GP in his "Building the Greenland Kayak"
book.

Just like building your own boats, there's something very special
about carving your own paddles. Warning: Boat building and paddle
carving can be almost as addictive as paddling! :-)

Beyond the aesthetic considerations, there is also a point known as
"stupid light" where a paddle - or other gear - begins to sacrifice too
much durability and/or functionality for the sake of light weight. There
are several high-end carbon fiber paddles that fall into this category.
They won't stand up to contact with rocks and such and they cannot be
used for paddle float rescues. While this level of compromise for
weight's sake may be fine for a racer, it's a potentially serious
problem for a touring paddler. The paddle is one piece of gear that must
be up to the task when things turn ugly. IMO, a fragile paddle is a
worthless paddle, no matter how light it is.

I totally agree!! I'm a huge fan of the lendal n12 blades. They are a
bit heavier than the pure carbon, but the added nylon make them as
though as nails.
You could also try the infamous toosok blades. Heavy but smooth for long
distances due to shape of blade.


Brian Nystrom wrote:
Beyond the aesthetic considerations, there is also a point known as
"stupid light" where a paddle - or other gear - begins to sacrifice too
much durability and/or functionality for the sake of light weight. There
are several high-end carbon fiber paddles that fall into this category.
They won't stand up to contact with rocks and such and they cannot be
used for paddle float rescues. While this level of compromise for
weight's sake may be fine for a racer, it's a potentially serious
problem for a touring paddler. The paddle is one piece of gear that must
be up to the task when things turn ugly. IMO, a fragile paddle is a
worthless paddle, no matter how light it is.

On 25-Feb-2005, Eric Johnson wrote:

I totally agree!! I'm a huge fan of the lendal n12 blades. They are a
bit heavier than the pure carbon, but the added nylon make them as
though as nails.

At 1 oz. per blade extra weight, I never worried about the difference.
The N12 can handle the rocks around here much better than any composite
blade.

Mike