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Re: Paddle: Which Paddle ??
By:Ken Brunton
Date: 11/19/2008, 11:12 am
In Response To: Paddle: Which Paddle ?? (Glen Gray)

It is impossible for someone else to tell you what paddle is best for you. The only way to know is to try different styles and models and see which fit you. I paddle with a wing almost exclusively, for racing and for touring, but that's what suits me. I can't do some strokes, such as sculling, Duffeks etc. with it, but for the type of paddling I do now that's not a significant disadvantage. For me.

And it takes time to get the feel right. I paddle an Epic mid-wing, which is the standard wing for performance paddling for the past few years. Many of my friends, particularly smaller paddlers and those doing longer distances, have switched to the new small mid-wing. I tried one Sunday for a few minutes and didn't like it, but it would take at least a couple of hours with it (and a GPS, in this case) to really see if it would have benefits for me. It was certainly lighter and faster, but without the bite that I'm used to. And a Bracsa I tried a while back had too much bite. For me.

Try different styles of regular 'flat' bladed paddles. Try a wing or two. Carve a Greenland paddle and try that for a while. See what works for you and how and what you paddle. Maybe you'll end up a GP fanatic, maybe you'll end up with a quiver. The important part is that you end up with a smile on your face.

Messages In This Thread

Paddle: Which Paddle ??
Glen Gray -- 11/19/2008, 6:43 am
Re: Paddle: Which Paddle ?? *LINK*
Bryan Hansel -- 11/19/2008, 11:02 pm
Re: Paddle: Which Paddle ??
Glen Gray -- 11/20/2008, 4:02 pm
Re: Paddle: Which Paddle ??
Ken Brunton -- 11/19/2008, 11:12 am
Re: Paddle: Which Paddle ??
Bill Hamm -- 11/19/2008, 12:00 pm
Re: Paddle: Which Paddle ??
Kudzu -- 11/19/2008, 8:14 am
Re: Paddle: Which Paddle ??
John Van Buren -- 11/19/2008, 8:07 am