Paddle Choice
by Ross C.
I was recently complaining about my own paddle being "too heavy, too short, too wrong...". In response, Ross has shared these thoughts. -Ed.
As far as paddle weights go, my el-cheapo aluminium paddle that came with the "Splash" kayak weighs 1.3kg and my "mid-range" glass fibre reinforced "Canoe Sports series 2000/160" weighs 1.1kg. I find the latter is great to use whereas the aluminium one always feels heavy and clumsy. I suspect, however, that blade shape and shaft feel makes more difference than the lighter weight (wider blades are used for sprinting while narrower, better shaped blades are used for touring). Dunno whether I'd ever want to pay hundreds of dollars for an even lighter paddle, though, as I'm quite happy with the "Canoe Sports" one I use with the "Tidemark" kayak.
