Carbon Paddle Help

[DaveCandy]

Hey guys,
Looking at replacing my seak paddle with a carbon fibre number.
My kayak is 31inches wide, I'm 5'10. I've found a paddle that is 217cm long (pictured)
Thoughts on if this would be suitable?
any help/advice is appreciated

[Seasherpa]

Haven't paddled with that brand before, looks like it was made by these guys: http://slipstreamsurf.com.au/team/about-us/

Lengthwise your boat is a fair bit wider at ~78cm. I'd recommend getting a split wing if you were chasing one and buying without trying for 2 reasons:
a) You can adjust the feather
b) You can adjust the length

Being a one piece, if it was made for an ORS paddler you might find it is feathered at an angle that is perfect for a super thin ORS but feels really uncomfortable on a wider boat. Lengthwise you'll find that you might need more for your boat, if you do chase this one, you would need to paddle with it first before buying.

For second- hand carbons the best place to keep an eye out imho is geartrade.com.au I'd have a look at something like this one: http://www.geartrade.com.au/page-45093.html
an Epic mid with adjustment up to 220cm. You could add postage to the price and still come out ahead over the gumtree one.

Good luck with the search

[laneends]

What is your paddling technique and experience like?

Wing paddles are not for the novice or inexperienced paddler.

So the question you need to answer first is does a wing paddle suit your purposes, other than just looking flash?

I would try one, anyone, before buying one.

[DaveCandy]

I wouldn't really say i even have a technique, so I'll definitely take and use that advice. Not fussed about looks, just looking for carbon to gain a more economical stroke.
Thanks for the input guys, and i'll keep an eye out on that website

[DaveCandy]

Further on the length issue, going by charts, I need a 230cm or thereabouts. Does this sound right, or should I get away with a 220?

[laneends]

I wouldn't really say i even have a technique, so I'll definitely take and use that advice. Not fussed about looks, just looking for carbon to gain a more economical stroke.
Thanks for the input guys, and i'll keep an eye out on that website

Yep carbon is good for prolonged paddling, but you may not need a wing one. The other consideration is big blade or smaller. big blade gives power, which is ok for light yaks with less momentum to shift. Smaller blade is like dropping a gear easier to move a big yak off the mark, and also against big headwind etc.

The blade you are looking at is a touring profile rather than a power profile, which is wider.

More reading here

[Seasherpa]

Further on the length issue, going by charts, I need a 230cm or thereabouts. Does this sound right, or should I get away with a 220?

Unfortunately that's a how long is a piece of string type question. You can use three different online paddle charts and get three different measurements depending on the type of boat the manufacturer has in mind.

Depending on what you want to achieve try the following:
a) Just want a slightly better paddle and are not too stressed about technique/fit etc
Curling your fingers over the blade if you stand the paddle beside you. Just able to do it paddle is about right. Can rest your wrist on the blade, paddle is too short. Can't curl your fingers paddle is too long. Note this doesn't take into account your boat size or paddle angle.

b)Are spending good money on a nice paddle and want to get it right:
As Keith said your technique has as much to do with it as your boat size. If you are going to spend the cash on a carbon paddle it is probably worth doing a session with a trainer. Maybe talk to Andrew at Melbourne kayaks or at least have someone film you paddling. Look at what you are doing -Do you paddle high or low, do you rotate your torso correctly?
Then as a rough guide, higher angle stroke can get away with a shorter shaft and still have the whole blade in the water during your stroke.

Blade shape:
To cover long distance at a steady speed get a longer thinner 'touring' blade
Shorter distance at higher speed or want to fish just behind the breakers get a shorter wider blade.

Hope that helps a bit.

[laneends]

As a comparison a hobie paddle is 2300mm, designed for biggish yaks, I found it too long for a quest and adventure, and found a 2200mm better, I'm 6 foot. I would not find a 2170mm too short for me.

Weight wise hobie paddle is about 1.2kg and my carbon is about 770gms. Never had sore arms with the carbon, the hobie feels like a tree trunk now.

[Seasherpa]

Yep carbon is good for prolonged paddling, but you may not need a wing one.

Very true. Cheater covers plenty of km's and has a custom Brasca flat blade and he'd tell you he would take it over a 'soup spoon' any day of the week!

[laneends]

I got mine from this mob
https://www.kayaking.com.au/categories/ ... red&page=1

The Kite being the sprint paddle, the Stilt being the touring one, Osprey intermediate and the spoonbill is a version of the wing paddle.

At $279 it was good value for money. Tim also has one