Thinking about paddles - February 24, 2019

My "go-to" paddles

I have lots of paddles that lean against the foundation in my basement and collect dust, but I have three that I use all the time.  My "go-to" paddle is a 58” Werner Bandit. With a “T” grip and spooned blade it’s great for “cab forward” paddling – forward and cross-forward strokes with a minimum of correction. Most of my boats are set up for kneeling so I can paddle them like whitewater boats.

When I got my Wildfire I wanted to try some freestyle moves, and quickly realized that the Bandit wasn’t good for that. With the spooned blade I couldn’t do palm rolls, and it was tough to place the paddle for bow prys or jams. Based on advice I got on Pnet, I got a 56” FOX worx. With a pear grip and large blade, the Indian Stroke with a palm roll and in-water recovery is the easiest way to move forward, and bow prys are the easiest way to turn the boat. The large blade makes cross forward strokes a little more difficult.

The only boat that I can’t kneel in is my Spirit II, which is set up for "sit and switch" paddling with tractor seats and foot braces. For that boat I have the original 54" Race Mate bent shaft paddles that my father bought with the boat in 1988. They are a little beat up, but I still use them.  

I went out to the Manville Dam yesterday with my Wildfire and the FOX worx paddle, and tried to paddle like I usually do with lots of cross forward strokes. I realized that it wasn’t going to work - Indian strokes and bow jams it is. I guess the old saying "when you have a hammer everything looks like a nail" works with paddles too!

Above the Manville Dam