Perfect Paddle Selection: There isn’t one, but perhaps this will help…
People often ask: what’s a good paddle, and right there: it hurts. Judging from the lack of information shared about paddles, I guess it’s a difficult subject for most people to get into. I am probably going to fail miserably, but I am going to attempt to simplify things about wing paddles, and put it all into prospective.
It probably helps to point out that wing paddles weren’t originally designed for surfski paddlers, but instead were designed specifically for flat water kayak racing. This is important because originally, paddles were rather unforgiving – zero tolerance for any trajectory deviations (you had to nail your stroke in order to get any benefit out of the paddle).
I like to place wing paddles into three groups:
Powerful & unforgiving, Weak & forgiving, and Everything else in between.
There’s nothing simple about paddle choices, however, it’s slightly easier when you think of what is needed for your particular “program” or needs.
FLAT WATER
For flat water training and racing (on a kayak or on a surfski), you’ll probably want a paddle that is somewhat aggressive and powerful. Aggressive refers to somewhat unforgiving, with usually a very strong catch. Powerful refers here to a large blade size, and even to an abnormally long shaft.
This type of “ideal” paddle may not be very forgiving, but you might survive the shock, only because you are paddling on flat water. Keep in mind that more often than not, flat water training is between 200 meters and 10 to 15 km, so a very large and powerful blade isn’t going to harm you as much as if you were paddling 40-50k in Open Ocean.
OPEN OCEAN
To better determine your paddle needs, ask yourself a few questions:
How rough is your preferred Open Ocean?
What are your preferred distances?
How often do you paddle?
There are many other factors that will determine your next paddle purchase, but I feel that the 3 above will make a world of difference for you.
Generally speaking, you will want to add stability to your ski when facing rough water. A shorter shaft will force you to paddle with a faster stroke rate, thus adding stability. You’ll also want to prevent injuries, so a smaller blade size will be advantageous there. Finally, if you don’t paddle often, your paddle stroke may not be the most accurate: you’ll need a rather forgiving paddle in order to remain comfortably upright.
In my opinion, this is why a great number of paddlers have gone with a smaller blade size, and with a shorter paddle length. This is perhaps also the reason for which paddle manufacturers have gone to great lengths to provide us with very forgiving paddles, which are still quite powerful.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
BRACING: Some paddles are horrible at bracing – they provide little or no support. Others are rock solid on the brace, so be sure to test your bracing.
CLEAN EXIT: Some paddles feel so heavy when exiting the water, so look for one with a super clean exit.
CONSTRUCTION: The finish of a paddle usually says it all. Look for paddle makers that have been around for a really long time. I once paddled with my hands for 4.7 km on a huge downwind. That was not very fun. You’ll want to be very confident in your paddle, because you just don’t want it to break.
WEIGHT: Anyone can make a strong paddle with plenty of extra material. The key is to make it strong and LIGHT. This can usually only come from a lot of experience in paddle-making.
ADJUSTABLE: Don’t think about the resale value. Think of the max length you’ll ever need, and go down from there.
STIFFER BLADES: The blade acts as an anchor, so make sure you don’t have a noodle of a blade. Since the catch is so important, make sure your blade is as stiff and as light as possible.
SOFTER SHAFTS: Softer shafts will save your shoulders, and proven to prevent injuries. A shoulder injury is not an “overnight” problem: it’s for life. Do yourself a favor, go for a softer shaft.
FORGIVING: Open Ocean paddling isn’t a perfect science, and the effect of water moving all over the place around you is going to affect your “perfect paddling stroke” greatly. For this reason, you’ll probably want to aim at a very forgiving paddle to favor downwind or chaotic conditions.
PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS
SKI WIDTH: You’ll need at little bit of a longer paddle when using a wider surfski, this is especially in reference to the ski width where your blade actually enters the water.
SEAT HEIGHT: You’ll also need a longer paddle if your surfski seat is highly padded or naturally higher than others.
PADDLING BEHIND: you’ll want a shorter paddle to somewhat prevent paddling too much behind you.
Paddler’s arm length, paddler’s torso height, paddling style, water conditions, paddler’s weight, and ski weight will all affect your paddle choice: mainly blade size, shaft size, and shaft stiffness.
FAVORITE
It’s so much easier for me to tell you which paddle I did not appreciate and why – but that’s for another day. Today, I can tell you this:
Braca has been making paddles for a very long time. One of their most popular model ever built (and most duplicated blade on the market) is the Braca IV (4). It seems that Fenn and Epic even based their paddle on it, amongst others. It’s a paddle that I liked to paddle with, but I truly fell in love with the Braca XI (11).
The Braca XI is the newest Braca paddle produced. It is based on an exclusive license by Van Dusen (Massachusetts, USA) which underwent a great deal of lab and field testing. Aside from being a beautiful paddle with a lot of twist, I find the Braca XI to provide me with a super clean catch, and a very clean exit. It’s one of the most efficient and comfortable paddle I have had. As a bonus, I find the Braca XI to provide me with a solid brace.
There’s no way that the Braca XI could be everyone’s favorite, but I highly recommend everyone in the market for a new paddle to at least give it a try, especially if you are going to paddle in chaotic waters.
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People often ask: what’s a good paddle, and right there: it hurts. Judging from the lack of information shared about paddles, I guess it’s a difficult subject for most people to get into. I am probably going to fail miserably, but I am going to attempt to simplify things about wing paddles, and put it all into prospective.
It probably helps to point out that wing paddles weren’t originally designed for surfski paddlers, but instead were designed specifically for flat water kayak racing. This is important because originally, paddles were rather unforgiving – zero tolerance for any trajectory deviations (you had to nail your stroke in order to get any benefit out of the paddle).
I like to place wing paddles into three groups:
Powerful & unforgiving, Weak & forgiving, and Everything else in between.
There’s nothing simple about paddle choices, however, it’s slightly easier when you think of what is needed for your particular “program” or needs.
FLAT WATER
For flat water training and racing (on a kayak or on a surfski), you’ll probably want a paddle that is somewhat aggressive and powerful. Aggressive refers to somewhat unforgiving, with usually a very strong catch. Powerful refers here to a large blade size, and even to an abnormally long shaft.
This type of “ideal” paddle may not be very forgiving, but you might survive the shock, only because you are paddling on flat water. Keep in mind that more often than not, flat water training is between 200 meters and 10 to 15 km, so a very large and powerful blade isn’t going to harm you as much as if you were paddling 40-50k in Open Ocean.
OPEN OCEAN
To better determine your paddle needs, ask yourself a few questions:
How rough is your preferred Open Ocean?
What are your preferred distances?
How often do you paddle?
There are many other factors that will determine your next paddle purchase, but I feel that the 3 above will make a world of difference for you.
Generally speaking, you will want to add stability to your ski when facing rough water. A shorter shaft will force you to paddle with a faster stroke rate, thus adding stability. You’ll also want to prevent injuries, so a smaller blade size will be advantageous there. Finally, if you don’t paddle often, your paddle stroke may not be the most accurate: you’ll need a rather forgiving paddle in order to remain comfortably upright.
In my opinion, this is why a great number of paddlers have gone with a smaller blade size, and with a shorter paddle length. This is perhaps also the reason for which paddle manufacturers have gone to great lengths to provide us with very forgiving paddles, which are still quite powerful.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
BRACING: Some paddles are horrible at bracing – they provide little or no support. Others are rock solid on the brace, so be sure to test your bracing.
CLEAN EXIT: Some paddles feel so heavy when exiting the water, so look for one with a super clean exit.
CONSTRUCTION: The finish of a paddle usually says it all. Look for paddle makers that have been around for a really long time. I once paddled with my hands for 4.7 km on a huge downwind. That was not very fun. You’ll want to be very confident in your paddle, because you just don’t want it to break.
WEIGHT: Anyone can make a strong paddle with plenty of extra material. The key is to make it strong and LIGHT. This can usually only come from a lot of experience in paddle-making.
ADJUSTABLE: Don’t think about the resale value. Think of the max length you’ll ever need, and go down from there.
STIFFER BLADES: The blade acts as an anchor, so make sure you don’t have a noodle of a blade. Since the catch is so important, make sure your blade is as stiff and as light as possible.
SOFTER SHAFTS: Softer shafts will save your shoulders, and proven to prevent injuries. A shoulder injury is not an “overnight” problem: it’s for life. Do yourself a favor, go for a softer shaft.
FORGIVING: Open Ocean paddling isn’t a perfect science, and the effect of water moving all over the place around you is going to affect your “perfect paddling stroke” greatly. For this reason, you’ll probably want to aim at a very forgiving paddle to favor downwind or chaotic conditions.
PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS
SKI WIDTH: You’ll need at little bit of a longer paddle when using a wider surfski, this is especially in reference to the ski width where your blade actually enters the water.
SEAT HEIGHT: You’ll also need a longer paddle if your surfski seat is highly padded or naturally higher than others.
PADDLING BEHIND: you’ll want a shorter paddle to somewhat prevent paddling too much behind you.
Paddler’s arm length, paddler’s torso height, paddling style, water conditions, paddler’s weight, and ski weight will all affect your paddle choice: mainly blade size, shaft size, and shaft stiffness.
FAVORITE
It’s so much easier for me to tell you which paddle I did not appreciate and why – but that’s for another day. Today, I can tell you this:
Braca has been making paddles for a very long time. One of their most popular model ever built (and most duplicated blade on the market) is the Braca IV (4). It seems that Fenn and Epic even based their paddle on it, amongst others. It’s a paddle that I liked to paddle with, but I truly fell in love with the Braca XI (11).
The Braca XI is the newest Braca paddle produced. It is based on an exclusive license by Van Dusen (Massachusetts, USA) which underwent a great deal of lab and field testing. Aside from being a beautiful paddle with a lot of twist, I find the Braca XI to provide me with a super clean catch, and a very clean exit. It’s one of the most efficient and comfortable paddle I have had. As a bonus, I find the Braca XI to provide me with a solid brace.
There’s no way that the Braca XI could be everyone’s favorite, but I highly recommend everyone in the market for a new paddle to at least give it a try, especially if you are going to paddle in chaotic waters.
Thanks!!