Paddles
| Rafting & Canoeing paddles |
| Recreational & Touring Paddles |
| White Water and Surf Paddles |
| Wing Paddles |
Paddles come in a variety of shapes, sizes and angles, each with a different intended purpose or for people of a particular height and paddling style. Sound complicated? It is... and it isn't.
Covered below is a discussion of the following:
Paddle Categories: recreational, touring/sea kayak, wing, whitewater, and polo.
Parts of a paddle: Blade shape, Blade face shape, Blade thickness; Shaft materials, Keys, Drip Rings
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Paddle Categories:
This category is a conglomerate of basic paddles. The shapes often are made to perform in a variety of conditions to a basic level, meaning you can go in the surf, paddle down a river and generally muck around on the flats with the same paddle. None of them are best of breed, but they can do the job. Angles tend to be 45-60 degrees, and standard lengths vary depending on intended primary area of competency. (Short for white water and kids, longer for sit on topping and sea kayaking.) For more information on these details, read the category below that most closely matches your recreational activity.
Recreational & Touring Paddles
If you are going to paddle any distance, then this or wing paddles are your categories. The shapes tend to have the broadest section to the blade in the centre - this provides a late-ish catch and makes for a dependable, stable paddle - something you can rely on in rough conditions and paddle with all day without over tiring yourself or having to concentrate on technique. Their faces tend to have a ridge down the centre to help the water flow around them smoothly. These paddles pull through the water smoothly and offer less resistance than other, broader paddles. This means less effort per stroke so you can continue to paddle all day long without the fatigue you'd have if the paddle had a large face or grabbed the water more firmly on its way through.
The most important feature to watch for in this category is the weight of the paddle - if you are going to hold something in the air for an entire day, every gram will count. There are two areas that contribute to weight: the shaft and the blades themselves. Read the materials section for more details.
Shafts:
Shaft Materials:
When looking at shafts, the most important difference between paddles is the materials used to create it. There are generally four different types of materials that are used to build shafts: Carbon, Carbon/Kevlar weave, Fibreglass, and Aluminium.
- Carbon is the lightest and stiffest - winning both the energy efficiency and weight categories. It is perfect for multisport and sea kayaking paddles as all your energy is transfered to the water without any loss.
- Carbon/Kevlar alternating weave shafts have been used on whitewater shafts for a while, but some companies are shying away from them now due to expense/strength ratios being less than ideal. Carbon is light and stiff, and Kevlar is strong and absorbs vibrations protecting both the paddler's arms and the carbon from shattering damage. These shafts are found on white water paddles and polo paddles, as they have to be incredibly strong to hold up under severe pressure, light to reduce fatigue, and resistant to damage from impact with rocks, moving water and in the case of polo other paddles and paddlers.
- Fibreglass is cheaper and heavier than Carbon or Kevlar. It has more flex and thus is strong when stressed - a factor that is making Fibreglass the material of choice for many whitewater paddle manufacturers. They are a favourite for teachers' paddles, as they can handle the rough and tumble treatment of students and while still being warmer and lighter to hold than Aluminium.
- Aluminium is the cheapest of all the listed materials. It is strong and light for a metal material. They tend to take knocks well and therefore are very popular for fleet and school paddles. Aluminium is colder to hold than composite materials such as fibreglass or carbon. Polo clubs find these useful and easy to purchase on a budget, but should regularly check their fleet for bent shafts, as unlike other materials, aluminium will bend and remain bent rather than break.
Keys:
All sea kayak, touring, and whitewater paddles will have keys (an elliptical portion of the paddle shaft that your dominant hand holds onto). This gives you an idea of where your hand is in relation to the angle of that blade without having to think about it or look at it. It also helps with twisting the shaft for the subordinate hand's stroke.
Drip Rings:
Most sea kayak touring paddles and some recreationals will have drip rings. These are little rings that wrap around the shaft and send any water running off the blade while it is up in the air off the shaft rather than down onto your hands. They are left off some long touring paddles, as this length makes water running down the shaft less of an issue - the paddler's stroke will be very shallow and thus the blades never high in the air. In this case, the added weight of the drip ring, as small as that may be, is an unwanted detriment. In kayaking sports where getting wet is a fundamental feature of the sport, such as white water, surfing and multisport kayaking, the paddles for these types of kayaking save the weight and do not include drip rings.
Drip rings tend to be made of a continuous ring of rubber, and thus are not able to be added to a one piece paddle after the blades are permanently glued into position on either end. While not ideal, we can supply you with rubber rings that you can cut, wrap around your already made paddle and then zip-tie back into place. However, it is best to choose whether or not you want drip rings prior to the manufacture of your paddle.
