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Straight paddle recommendations

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Alan Gage

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Geez, I feel like such a newbie asking this question.

I haven't owned a wood paddle in probably 15-20 years and that was a hardware store Feather brand. Another big solo trip coming up this summer that should see quite a bit of whitewater. My straight Zav did fine last year on the Bloodvein but I think I'm going to want something a little more robust for the whitewater this year. I don't think I'll be running bigger stuff but from the looks of it the runs will be a lot longer and rockier than the mostly quick and short drops from last year.

So weight be danged I need something that can stand up to some abuse. Preferably a symmetrical grip but not sure if I want a t-handle or not. No animal tails as it will be seeing quite a bit of shallow water. Aesthetics aren't important. Edge protection isn't a must as I can easily wrap it with a couple layers of dynel before the trip.

Oh, and that whole weight be danged thing....it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have it be relatively lightweight. Could I safely get by under 24 ounces? Sorry, can't help myself. :o

There are a lot of choices out there. Help me narrow it down a little and maybe point out some good brands I might overlook. Anything I should be wary of or looking out for in terms of design?

Alan
 
OK.. I won't recommend my favorite Quimby.. its over 600 bucks and if I broke it I would be in tears waiting for a new one..its a couple of years.

Or Dog Paddle ( 2) slightly less expensive.

A Sugar Island shape does quite well in whitewater. I have a Grey Owl Voyageur for tripping. I paid some forty bucks for it. ( ageing myself). Its seven inches wide. You might like wider but its a good touring width.

I have a Bending Branches Espresso ST that works on shallow rivers but no longer made. I have not paddled any of these. I'd like to try the Java ST as uts 8 inches wide
http://bendingbranches.com/paddles/c...-waters-rivers

take a look at the Foxworx straight paddles. I have one of their bents

http://www.foxworxpaddle.com/straight_shaft_canoe_paddles.html
 
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I would say Werner carbon bandit. They are tough, they are relatively light and they are cheap so to speak. They do have a "T" grip, and they do wear out relatively quick. But they are good paddles for the price!
http://wernerpaddles.com/paddles/canoe/bandit-carbon1
I heard good things about these things.... https://bendingbranches.com/paddles/canoe-paddles/whitewater-rough-conditions
And of course there is the old fateful, a bit softer, but really tough.https://aquabound.com/whitewater-paddles/canoe/edge
 
I live in central PA and paddle class 3/4 rivers in both canoe and kayak. I bought some Mitchell Paddles "Open Boat" Whitewater model and use them to this day. One has chunks missing from it and I use it every weekend without maintenance. It has a t-grip (they would probably put a palm style grip on for you) that I really like compared to the Werner whitewater paddles I have. For some reason rolling a canoe with the Mitchell is easier than with a Werner much of the time. Our rivers are very rocky and technical and I have yet to break a paddle. MIne are the all wood type. They make an even nicer one with combination wood and composite that Peg at Mitchell Paddles said should have been my original purchase for the conditions I paddle. I'll get one if I ever break one of the original wood ones. By the way, I prefer wood shafts to composite, but if wood isn't a must for you, The Werner white water paddles I have are nearly as old and have seen much abuse on the same rivers and keep on ticking. They're probably even tougher then the Mitchells, but again, I dig the wood shaft over composite.

Good Luck,
Barry
 
I just saw Canotrouge's indicating the bandit wears quickly. I never owned one, but the ones I have don't show signs of wear yet other than scratches. I think they are fiberglass, I'm sure they are heavier then the Bandit.

Barry
 
If you anticipate much whitewater I would certainly go with a T grip. I know a handful of whitewater open boaters who use a bent shaft with a pear-shaped grip but they are a tiny fraction of a percent of the total.

Curved bladed paddles with a dedicated power face have become much more popular over the last 5-10 yrs among whitewater paddlers. People following the lead of slalom C boaters I suspect, but I do believe they offer a smoother entry and a little stronger plant and catch.

Mitchell paddles are popular and very robust, but certainly not the lightest. The Mitchell Premier is very good with metal blade reinforcement. It usually is seen with a curved blade but they will make it with a straight blade if you prefer. It comes in multiple flavors with either a fiberglass or carbon fiber covered wood core blade and either a carbon fiber or wood shaft.

http://www.mitchellpaddles.com/paddles/cww/premier.html

The ZRE Power Curve is pricey but another very nicely made curved blade paddle.

http://www.zre.com/whitewater-canoe-paddles/

A very popular curved blade whitewater paddle is the Werner Bandit. It comes in both carbon and fiberglass versions. It is pretty light for a whitewater paddle. I do agree that the rather thin blade of the Bandit does acquire chips along the edge more quickly than many others is you paddle shallow rocky rivers and creeks. Austin Canoe and Kayak has the carbon Bandit currently listed listed on sale at $169, which is a hell of a deal:

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...FQmSaQod610FMg

Andy Convey's Echo paddles are starting to become popular among whitewater open boaters, especially those north of the border as they are made in Canada. I don't know what shipping would run. A friend has one and they are very nicely made.

http://www.echopaddles.com/about-echo-paddles/

A strong and decently priced whitewater paddle, again with a curved blade, is the Aqua Bound Carbon Edge. It doesn't feel quite as smooth in the hand or water to me as those mentioned above, but they take a lot of abuse:

https://aquabound.com/whitewater-paddles/canoe/edge

If money is no object, you might consider one of Vincent Zappia's exquisitely made Zap paddles. Vince loaned me one to try on the Nantahala River last year, and it was definitely a cut above the herd, strong and light. Vince is obviously proud of them and that is how they are priced:

http://www.facebook.com/ZapPaddles-1...35472/?fref=ts

A somewhat offbeat paddle if you are looking for a traditional wood appearance is the Cricket Designs Solo. Again, a curved blade design with a lot of blade edge reinforcement and a Dynel sleeve on the shaft. It has a rather unusual grip shape although Mike Jones will make one for you with a more traditionally-shaped T grip if you prefer:

http://www.cricketdesigns.com/solo.htm
 
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The ZRE power curve won't last you long on shallow rocky runs, I owned 2 and they lasted less than a season, foam core and same durability or lack of than the other of the same brand.

As for Echo, they are good but not light, I've owned and still own one of them.

Zap, Vince is sure proud of his stick, they are good, they seem tough, I'm on my second season on mine and so far so good. They are pricey, but everything well made by a craftsman should be! I find the curve on the blade to be a bit to much, but lots of people like that! And mine had the "T" epoxied on 3/4 of an inch off from parallel with the blade... I ended up making my own "T" after a few fail attempt by Vince to send me a replacement!

Regarding the wear of the Bandit, carbon or fibreglass, the blade tip wear quite fast on shallow rivers, usually 2-3 seasons(up here is about 30 days of river running) and you loose easily an inch of blade and more at the corners...

If the river you paddle have a lot of water and you have the unfrequent hit to the bottom, then it is different, but up here there is a lot of rocks and the rivers a relatively shallow!!
 
Aquabound edge like others have stated is a nice paddle for cheap.

Werner bandit is nicer, but priced accordingly. Get some car door edge trim to lay around the edge for protection. Cheap insurance. I have my aquabound guarded too.

As far as wood paddles go I have a bending branches expedition that is really nice that can handle mixed use nicely, but it's not a pure whitewater blade. My favorite river paddle is my Sawyer Ranger X. It is neither light nor pretty, but it grows on you. An ugly duckling for sure, but it is TOUGH, and it feels nice even in flatwater. I doubt you'll like it much though, mine weighs 34.75 oz. I wouldn't be afraid to set it on saw horses and jump on the middle.
 
" So weight be danged I need something that can stand up to some abuse...Aesthetics aren't important...Edge protection isn't a must as I can easily wrap it with a couple layers of dynel before the trip."
So why the fuss? If it's a throw away wooden paddle after one trip (though a wood paddle will do you for many trips) just go with a beaver tail or sugary island type for less than $100. Leave your fancy carbon blades at home. Wood needn't be so fragile nor heavy.
I'm excited about your trip Alan.
 
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Something from the Bending Branches range would be a good option, Expedition Plus if you want something really tough and whitewater oriented or the new Java St for a more general use paddle but still with edge protection.

For something a little more unusual take a look at these http://www.foxworxpaddle.com/straight_shaft_canoe_paddles.html

I think I have an Arrow, it's been so long since I bought it that I can't remember what model it was. It has a Lexan tip and Dynel wrapped edges. Very light but doesn't get as much use as my BB as I now prefer a smaller blade since I knackered my shoulder. The whitewater model looks nice but I already have too many paddles!
 
I'd advise against an animal tail, since you'll surely still take a zav for easy water. Get a dedicated moving water paddle AND a nice beaver/otter tail. Leave the animal at home for the trip, but they are a pleasure to use for relaxed deep water travel. I hardly ever use my bent because I'm either river tripping with the ww paddle or piddling around on a lake with the long blade. If the rivers were deep enough I'd use my ottertail on those too since it's such a joy. Alas.
 
Wow, I really appreciate the thoughtful and in-depth replies. Unfortunately I think rather than narrowing down the choices you've all expanded them exponentially!

So why the fuss? If it's a throw away wooden paddle after one trip (though a wood paddle will do you for many trips) just go with a beaver tail or sugary island type for less than $100. Leave your fancy carbon blades at home. Wood needn't be so fragile nor heavy.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm leaning towards. The carbon whitewater blades look great and although I like cheap as much as the next guy I'm not against spending the money on something I'll use and enjoy. Heck, Skwid's cooler post has me thinking about ditching the dehydrated food on this trip and filling the canoe with Yeti coolers instead. I can just imagine arriving on the shores of Nueltin Lake, popping the cork on a perfectly chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio and munching away on a fresh Caprese salad while I baton crunchy carrots with that old trusty rusty Mora knife Mem sent me. But that's the subject of another WWYD post. Back to the paddles.

Biggest thing I think I have against the curved specialist whitewater paddles is that this paddle will also serve as a backup to my bent Zav that I'll be using 98% of the time. If something happens to the Zav on day 2 then I'll be stuck paddling the "other" paddle for the next 40 days so I'd like it to be more general purpose. But I'm still open to persuasion. Maybe it's easier to use them as a general purpose paddle than I think; I've never held one. I can do a mean Canadian stroke with my bents so maybe I shouldn't sell them short.

Lots of good looking wood paddles out there that will probably suit my needs. I'd forgotten about Foxworx so thanks for the link. And it's nice to see something so ubiquitous as Bending Branches are so well thought of. That's something I can probably actually put my hands on when I take a visit to Minneapolis soon.....and maybe some of the carbon whitewater paddles too. Would be nice to buy local; if you can call 3 hours away local.

I am anticipating a fair amount of whitewater but since it's a solo wilderness trip I'll be playing it pretty conservative. I'll try and run all the CI and CII and maybe a CIII if the conditions are just right (warm weather, warmish water, and nothing to pin me or the canoe against in case of an upset) and I'm feeling gutsy. Nothing flashy. Anything I can do to sneak down the side and eliminate some of the "fun" will probably be done in most cases.

Alan
 
What would happen to your Zav if you've got a good whitewater paddle that you feel comfortable with? It will remain safe. If your other paddle is solely a backup whitewater beater you'll use your Zav when you shouldn't and put it at risk. Get a werner carbon bandit. It will be as light as you can get a whitewater paddle and would definitely suffice as a back up hit and switch paddle in the worst case scenario, and a spoon ww blade can J at about the same or less awkwardness as a bent.
 
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One thing I would consider, is, you make awesome canoes, I'm sure you can make a pretty darn good paddle!!
 
I have been using a couple old Sawyer wood with FG wrap paddles for mild whitewater. Lots of shallow and rocky, and they hold up well. Prefer the T-grip for that use. They don't make them like mine anymore, but have more modern designs that look good to me - especially for the price. Semi-local to me and I have had access to the blem bin, so I'm biased. ;)
 
A lot of nice looking paddles there. Gonna be hard to choose. Maybe one of each. If you pick real light ones you'll have weight to spare for a couple extra bottles of Pinot.
2 new ww straights and a trusty old bent for flat water? I like to spend other peeps money.
 
If I were heading out on a mixed-water trip (some flat, some moving to perhaps Class II), the two store-bought blades I would take would be a Wenonah Black Light Straight, and a Grey Owl Beavertail.
 
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No Title

photo4799.jpg attach47820.jpg I received this in the mail today. I was hopeful that it might be a canoeing magazine of some sorts, but no such luck.
Seems to be a straight shaft but I wouldn't go over more than class I.
 
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