Inflatable Kayak Paddles

We stock inflatable kayak paddles by Carlisle and Cannon in both aluminum shaft and graphite / fiberglass versions, glass shaft Clear Blue Hawaii kayak paddles, and can also special order AquaBound paddles (allow up to two extra days). We also carry paddles from Crack of Dawn and Scoprega / Bravo. The Bravo's are 230cm with adjustable (feather) angle take-apart fiberglass shafts. These have moderately stiff polypro blades with 20% fiberglass filling. They're not listed below since we only imported a few, but if you are interested let us know. They run $109 and are all black. Although more expensive paddles are widely available, we feel what follows are close to many running triple their price. This page was updated May, 2008. Raft paddles are under our raft section.

Carlisle Cannon Paddle Warranties

Price tags rarely indicate the overall toughness or durability of a paddle. You often need to double or triple the investment to shave off a few ounces, and the point of diminishing returns keeps on diminishing as you step up. Blow another $100 and you might decrease the total weight another two ounces. In truth few people can hold paddles (or almost any object over two pounds.) in their left & right hands and discern weight differences of less than three or four ounces.
Hardshell kayak shops are notorious for over-emphasizing weights to justify their high paddle prices, but unless you plan on circumnavigating the Baja peninsula or the Gulf of Alaska a couple ounces won't make much difference. Most of the burn you'll feel in your arms at the end of the day has more to do with the effort you put out to propel your boat, not whether you are hefting 32 ounces or 35. Blade design is far more important, and properly designed curved or "spooned" blades will decrease wrist, forearm, and shoulder strain no matter what type of water you enjoy.
Many of the paddles found below have an asymetric dihedral blade (where the lower edge is shaved away) for decreased flutter and the associated wrist fatigue. Inexpensive lexan and polyethylene blades used on the low-end Carlisles and other brands are often as strong and less brittle than the fiberglass and graphite blades on many $300 paddles. Another noteworthy detail is the direct relationship between a paddle's cost and your chances of losing it on a river. Novice river runners should never begin with a pricey paddle since it's likely at least one will be eaten in the rapids early on.
Ovaled or contoured grip areas on the shaft help with blade control, and are almost a necessity for learning to paddle in the offset position. Knowing how to brace helps keep you right side up on the river, and bracing is easier if your paddle blades are offset with the "dry" blade parallel to the water. If you suddenly upset to the opposite side, you can sweep this blade across the surface and push up on the shaft at the same time. This is the basic form of bracing.
Paddling into the wind is more efficient too, with your out-of-water blade cutting the air rather than pushing into it. Round shaft paddles (like the low-end Carlisle's), can be "ovaled" by creating a grip area for one or both hands. Just take a 6 to 8" long strip of foam (1/4" thick by 1/2" wide window weather seal), soft rope, or something similiar, place it on the shaft under your middle knuckles while holding the paddle as you would in a boat, and wrap around it with bicycle handle bar tape, bicycle inner tube scraps, or better yet large diameter shrink tubing if you can find any.
What about overall length? Just how long should your paddle be? Is there a convenient tech-weenie formula like hardshell kayakers use? River runners will need something in the 92" to 96" range for wide boats like Padillacs, and 86" to 92" for narrower inflatable kayak's with widths of 32 to 36". Shorter paddles (82 - 86") are suitable as both spares and for boats under 33" wide (like the AIRE Force or Innova Safari & Junior models). Sea kayakers, regardless of their boats, will want at least a 90" length since the blade area is usually smaller on a touring paddle. Very tall, long-armed folks may be able to get by with a slightly shorter axe, but lengths for inflatables do not have to be precise down to the centimeter. Remember that the extra long (over 96"/244cm) paddles sea kayak shops sell will actually make an inflatable swing left and right since the stroke arc is so far out from the hull, and because inflatables tend to be shorter and more likely to track off course.

Some paddles have black blades, so if you run whitewater we would advise you to hit the hardware store. You can usually find 1/2" marking tape in pretty fluorescent colors. Add some stripes to the baldes and these will be easier to spot if you drop one in the river.

All paddles below are take-apart, except the one piece Gull's, which we only sell from our store (they are too expensive to ship), and all of them except the Spare come with drip rings.
One thing that's always amusing are the customers in our store who insist on grabbing a two piece paddle in the middle near the joint, then shaking the thing. Gee, there's a bit of play here! Yes, there may be on some models, and the cheaper the paddle the worse it will be. The more pressing question though, is "so what?" You won't be holding the paddle this way going down the river - we hope - and any looseness at the joint will not be noticeable under normal usage unless the joint is really, really sloppy. If you want a solid joint that does not wiggle, plan on spending at least $69.

Paddle Leashes ($13) are something we have always been hesitant to carry. These are for flatwater and "mild" ocean use ONLY. They are absolutely not for whitewater, rivers with moving current, or heavy surf. Anything that attaches you to a paddle, or heaven forbid, to the boat, is generally a drowning waiting to occur. Paddle Leashes are more or less safe to use on water where you shouldn't need one anyway, because on calm ocean or lake waters, if you drop a paddle it's not going to make a beeline away from your kayak for any reason physics could explain. These are American made, 6' in length when stretched, 3' unstretched, made of nylon tubular webbing, with a loop in the protruding bungie cord on one end (for you) and a velcro loop on the webbing at the other end (to attach to the paddle shaft).

Carlisle, Etc

We are phasing out most Carlisle products not because we want to, but because Johnson Outdoors (who bought Carlisle about six years ago) seems obsessed with running the company into the ground by discontinuing everything that ever sold well.
For the time being we stock Carlisle's flat-bladed Take Apart paddle in two sizes in each type (one-foot extenders for the flat blade Take-Apart's are listed beneath) though we are getting short on the 90" ones. The aluminum shafts are covered with a matte surface polyethylene sheath for improved grip and are supposed to have 70 degree offsets in the feathered position, but sometimes we still receive them with the button holes drilled at 90 degrees. The plastic blade are heavy but nearly indestructable since they are made with a semi-soft polyethylene blend. We also carry the imported (New Zealand) RS Magic, a.k.a the "Simply Magic", and for now the Carlisle Tripper's, though these are being phased out as well.

The standard flat blade Carlisle Take-Apart runs $49. It wasn't too long ago that we were selling these for $35, which is still about what they are worth. At $49 they are no bargain. With the shaft extending nearly to the tip, this flat blade is one of the strongest you can buy at any price. Our rental customers beat the living doo-doo out of these and they never snapped. This is the second heaviest paddle we sell at about 3 pounds, 6 ounces (for a 7'6") and many folks compare the feel of a flat blade Carlisle to a two-by-four. The blades are white in the 84", with a blue shaft, and solid black in the 90" size. We are no longer stocking the 96" size, but we will special order them if you want at least four. We used to stock Carlisle raft & kayak paddles in more interesting colors, but the new owners of Carlisle have limited the color options severely. Carlisle's newer catalogs seem to have eliminated this paddle entirely though they still do production runs for companies like NRS and AIRE, so it may not appear here much longer. With all the trouble we've had from Carlisle (see our Rafting Oars & Paddles page) it may be for the best. We have a very few handle adaptor kits left for Carlisle flat blade paddles down below.

Another Carlisle two-piece is the Tripper ($48). The Tripper uses an anodized shaft rather than polyethylene covering for reduced weight. It seems to be an imported paddle, but Carlisle is a bit vague about this subject. The shaft is ovaled on both sides and the grip areas are covered with shrink tubing. The dihedral blades are also spooned, and this paddle seems like a good deal for the price. This one is really just intended for touring. Although the glass-filled blades are pretty tough on the Tripper, the shaft is very thin-walled and will definitely bend with the kind of stress it would see in whitewater or heavy surf. This is part of the trade-off for the light weight. This is an example of a slightly sloppy joint like we discussed in the intro above. Not bad, but not precision either. In the 220cm (87"), 230cm (90"), or 240cm (94") lengths. This paddle has definitely been deleated from Carlisle's line, so when our current stock is gone that''s it.

A more packable option is our imported 7' Econo 4-Piece ($45), which we we need to shoot a picture of. This paddle is of lower quality than any other on this page, but it's still functional as a spare river paddle, or as a frequent flier's unit. Being inexpensive, should a baggage handler misplace the suitcase it is stashed in you probably won't be too upset. It is all black, will work fine in class III rapids (the blades are large, flat hollow polyethylene which is hard to break even if it is a bit soft), and measures 25" for the longer shaft section, and 23" for the other three pieces. It weighs exactly three pounds. Again, we haven't shot a photo yet but the blades are symetrical and squared off on the ends. We will post a pic soon if we keep carrying this one, which we're not certain of just yet.

The fiberglass shaft take-apart Carlisle RS Magic (a.k.a. the "Simply Magic") is one of the strongest axe's for the money that we've ever seen. Unfortunately it's another great product that Carlisle's none too bright mother company is deleting from their line-up. They still have the aluminum shaft version though, but we never carried it. As of May 2008 we have some inventory in 220cm / 82", a very few 230cm / 90" sizes (some of which are actually Magic II's, which have a 1/2" narrower blade and a shaft that is 2mm smaller), and some 240cm / 94" lengths in blue only. We never carried any 210's. The good news is that the Clear Blue Hawaii (a.k.a. "CBH") Makaha paddles down below are a great, well priced substitute for the RS Magics.
The 90" length seems ideal for most of our paddlers, and the blade design on this one lends itself equally well to both whitewater and touring. The RS weighs 2 pounds, 11 ounces. The very stiff plastic blades are quite similiar in shape to the asymetric spooned Cannon blades and about 1cm narrower. The RS Magic comes in flame orange (not shown but nice and bright for river use) pattern blades in the 230 size, and cloud-blue in the 240cm and 220cm sizes. The "limon" green color shown is no longer made.
The fiberglass shaft has a contoured grip for right hand control only, though the shaft itself is not actually ovaled like Cannons below. Lefties will need to form an oval grip as discussed in the second paragraph of the main text at the top of this page. RS Magics have an offset of 60 degrees when feathered. The RS Magic appears to be a more expensive paddle. For $99 you get a very high strength, well designed unit; too bad this one is going bye-bye.

Carlisle's Texalium Shaft Black Magic uses the same blade as the RS magic above, except in a black & white color scheme, but it has an even stronger shaft for those of you who are certified paddle abusers. Instead of the circumference-wound glass found on most shafts, the Black Magic has the fibers running diagonally. This is hard to make out in the photo above. Theoretically it is easier to break a shaft with the glass fibers running perpendicular to the line of the shaft, and harder to break one where they are at 45 degree angles like the Texalium. In reality the standard RS model above almost never breaks. The epoxy coat is thicker on the Black Magic but the weights are about 2 ounces less than the RS model. Like the RS model, the Black Magic has an artificially ovaled grip for just the right hand. That is, it's built up with shrink tube that overlaps a rubber hump underneath. By not ovaling the shaft, Canoe Sports New Zealand (the actual company that Carlisle buys these from) claims they retain maximum strength. We have a few of these left in 220cm, but Carlisle did discontinue them a while back so when we're out, that's it. They run $119. Please note that the blades on these say "RS Magic" in red ink for some reason, not 'Black Magic" as they should. Probably only one silkscreen for all the different models.

The CBH Makaha Glass Shaft (at bottom in photo below) is a 230cm copy of the RS Magic up above, but without the right hand oval grip. The sales literature for this paddle and the "Tour" model below indicates that they both have oval grips; they do not. However, for an extra $10 ($85 instead of $75), we will shrink-tube an oval grip for you on either the left or right hand control side - just tell us which.
At 2 pounds, 8 ounces, they are a smidge lighter than the RS Magic. Our current batch of these have orange blades like the top blade in the photo, not the black shown. This will make then far easier to spot if you drop one in the river. We were initially reluctant to put these in the hands of river paddlers since the exact blade composition is a bit of a mystery, but we have quite a few in the field now with people who running intermediate whitewater and so far no reported breakage has occured. For the time being we would rather you not purchase these for advanced class IV/V rivers; stick with the well proven glass shaft Waves below or the RS Magics above. Again, the Makaha is exactly the same shape as the RS and Black Magic models, and we are only carrying this one in 230cm (7-1/2') sizes for now. The Makaha goes for the amazingly low price of only $75, which makes it and the CBH tour below our two best values at this time.

The CBH Tour Composite Shaft (top blade, photo above) is a rugged paddle for ocean surf and touring use, but with a narrower blade than the Makaha. We order these with the pumpkin colored blades for visibility. Paddles with black or white blades are hard to find if a big wave rips one out of your hand. This is a couple ounces lighter and slightly more expensive than the Makaha above - $89 - but it still represents a smoking bargain. Again, for an extra $10, we can oval the grip on either side, or for $18 we can do both sides. At this time we only have 230cm Tours, but if we decide to phase out the Cannon Cascade kids paddle below we will start stocking the Tour in a 220cm length as well. At this time there are no 240's available at all. This paddle is a very light 2 pounds, 6 ounces including drip rings. If your recreational paddling includes some class II rivers, this blade should be strong enough for that purpose even though it's not really wide enough.

Another interesting product from Carlisle is the SmartShaft. This 3 pound paddle extends from 230 up to 240 cm (7'6" to 7'10") via an adjustable joint and has slightly narrower, smoother blades than the RS Magic above. The white blades are fiberglass reinforced (not fiberglass lay-up) and are super strong and stiff. The shaft, like the RS Magic above, is a two-piece carbon fiber that splits apart at the adjustment joint. At about sixteen bucks less, the SmartShaft is a few (very few) ounces heavier than the Canadian made Aquabound sea kayak paddles and only breaks down into two pieces, but it is stronger and has a better blade design - and the Aquabound cannot be adjusted in length nor does it have a graphite/fiber shaft. This is a great value for paddlers who may own a couple boats of varying widths or those who really are not certain how long of a paddle to get. SmartShafts are $159. White blades only.

Our most "basic" paddles are the take-apart Leisure ($15, on right in photo below), and the take-apart Spare. The Leisure (a.k.a the "Whamco") pretty much defines cheap in every sense of the word. These should only be used on flat water, preferably by someone who isn't very strong. There are no returns on these and we can promise the blades will eventually break. We have them in 7' and 7-1/2' lengths; the shafts are cold, bare (1.3") aluminum and the blades are curved, yellow, low quality plastic. An adequate back-up paddle for flat water use.

The Spare ($25, left in photo right) comes in 8' only. The small, almost square-shaped black blades are curved at the end(s) for better power on flatwater (the curve points forward, so the blade enters the water more parallel to the boat -- for decreased resistance --and the stroke ends with the in-water blade more perpendicular, for greater push). These blades are made of strong glass-filled nylon but due to the skinny 15/16" aluminum shaft, they should only be used by kids or, as the name implies, as a spare. With shrink tube covered grip areas, not ovaled.

The Gull ($69, no photo because we don't ship these) has an aluminum shaft with a raised grip and is set up for right-handed control. The blades (florescent yellow-green) are very stiff, glass-reinforced "superpolymer", offset at 80 degrees with a symetric quasi-spoon shape, curved along the length but not across the width. Gulls come in 90" and 96" lengths, and you can get either a black or clear anodized shaft. These are imported from New Zealand and are not take-apart which is why we don't ship them. We're listing them here for the benefit of our local customers. The time involved in trying to create an eight-foot box or buying one eats up any profit on one-piece kayak paddles, and UPS often manages to bend long boxes. You would also be charged for 30 pounds due to the length.

No returns on broken shafts or blades! For pricing on AquaBound kayak paddles, call or e-mail us with the model. 

Cannon

Of all the kayak paddles we sell, none have been better received or more popular than our Cannon line. Owner Stuart Lee is to be complimented for striving toward new designs and doing his best to hold pricing for over fifteen years, but this year some models have finally gone up. Remember though, if you purchase paddles or any other accessory with a boat you will receive a ten percent discount.
These multi-purpose axes have the features we would have incorporated had we built one from scratch. Strong, stiff, fully spooned, asymmetric blades without the upkeep of wood or the brittleness of fiberglass. Oval grip areas for both left & right hand control. Reasonable weights and take apart designs -- and of course, great value for your buck. All our Cannon's have their bottom edges shaved away to decrease flutter & wrist strain, whether you are on flat or whitewater. The blades are so good that they have been copied by other paddle makers.

First, the Cascade Kid's ($65, blade shown below) two-piece paddle. This oval-grip 1-1/8" aluminum shaft model is extremely light -- only 32 oz. The standard version is 86" long with 65 degree left or right offsets (or you can have the blades in-line, which is what most kids prefer), but longer or shorter lengths can also be special ordered for a small upcharge.
The blade was completely redesigned late in 2002, and the standard color we carry is mango, not the white shown. The take-apart joint in the black shaft has a fiberglass ferule. This means that if you use it in salt water and forget to take it apart, it won't become a one-piece paddle like those with straight aluminum-to-aluminum joints. It also provides a super firm fit between the two halves, making your Cascade feel like a single piece paddle. This is definitely not a toy or just for kids, but rather, a scaled-down version of the adult Cannon models that the ladies will appreciate too. That said, the Cascade is also not a whitewater paddle; the shaft will bend with the amount of torque needed in rapids, and the blades could break as well under this type of stress. It is intended for touring purposes only.

Next is the take-apart Cannon Wave ($89 with dark yellow blades, not the black shown) whitewater paddle, which has a 1.2" tempered aluminum shaft with a wall thickness of .04". We have been stocking these in five sizes that are most ideal inflatable kayak needs from 87" (220cm), 89" (225cm), 90.5" (230cm), 92" (235cm), and 94" (240cm), but we may phase out the intermediate sizes since the Makaha's above seem to provide a better value.
Sizes over 94" can also be special ordered in this aluminum version. We also have a few 230cm 4-piece aluminum shaft Waves that were received by mistake for $109, but we won't be re-ordering them when they're gone.
The Wave blades are very stiff, comparable to a fiberglass lay-up blade. Cannon utilizes a unique new molding process and short-fiber polyethylene, which seems to work better than mixing glass fibers in the formula. The blade was designed mainly for river use but ti handles well on flat water too. Certified paddle abusers may want to either stick with the RS magics above, or the fiberglass/carbon version of the Wave just below. Part of keeping the aluminum Wave's weight to a minimum mandates using a moderate wall thickness on the shaft, so these can get bent with enough force, whereas a glass shaft is all but impossible to damage. The handle kit below converts this one into two canoe/raft paddles.

The Cannon Handle Kit ($28) is only for the aluminum shaft model directly above, not the glass shaft models or other brands. It turns your Wave into two single blade paddles and adds about 7" to each half.

Cannon also produces a Graphite/Glass FGX Shaft Wave ($119), which is identical to the standard two piece Wave above, but with a graphite-fiberglass shaft. Again, the grip areas are ovaled, and the joint is very, very tight. These are priced higher than the Carlisle RS Magic paddle, but you get a true oval shaft on both sides, a stronger shaft, a slight weight savings, and a blade that we think is somewhat better for whitewater. We stock these in 220cm (86"), 225cm (88"), 230cm (90"), 235cm (92"), and occasionally we may have one or two 240's for those who paddle extra wide boats like a SOAR, Lyns II, or Hyside Tandem. The blades are highly visible if you drop one in the rapids, though the mango color shown is being replaced by a dark yellow. For now we have some of each. The Graphite Wave blades will take a fairly solid beating that would snap many thin glass fabric blades, at only a few extra ounces.
We are more than happy to special order any shorter sizes or blade colors (black and white are also available) for you, but you need to allow one to two weeks extra depending on the time of year. Longer sizes are not being made anymore, sorry. 4-piece FGX Waves are below.

Our 3rd Cannon product, the Serenity touring paddle ($89, shown at two angles), is light enough for kids, though it was made for adults. Like the Cannon Cascade Kid's kayak paddle, these have black anodized tempered aluminum shafts, and nylon insert ferules for a super tight, (salt water) corrosion-proof joint, and an asymetric blade design. At 2 lbs, 10 oz, it's light & has super stiff blades. Because this is a touring paddle, we feel the aluminum is adequate strengthwise while decreasing the cost $50 to $60 from what a glass shaft equivalent would be, but if you pull really hard like we did in Kauai trying to go upstream against the current, it is possible to bend the shafts. Oval grips for both hands like all Cannons, stocked in 90" and 94" sizes, with other sizes by special order. Mango-yellow blades standard. Note: this paddle used to be called the Nokomis and a lot of our inventory still has that name, but it is the same paddle.

Last but not least are two Cannon products ideal for air travel or those who want the most compact possible spare paddle, the 4-Piece Serenity and the 4-Piece FGX Wave. A four-piece paddle gives maximum flexibility for airline packing, instead of taking the chance of being charged for an extra piece of luggage as you might with a two-piece that couldn't be stowed in a bag. These paddles assemble tight, and feel like single piece units. The downside is that they are sometimes a bit of a tug-of-war to get apart. Some graphite from a soft pencil will help.
The 4-Piece Serenity is a 235cm (92", $119) 4-section version of the two-piece model above, but in order to keep the price from reaching lofty heights, these are not nylon ferruled. In other words, each of the four joints has direct aluminum to aluminum contact, so these must be taken apart & rinsed after salt water usage as you would with most aluminum shaft models. If you don't it could corrode from the salt and become a one piece paddle.
Each section of this paddle is 25-1/4", which is shorter than equivalent Aquabound products. On the Aqua's, the shaft sections are longer than the blades, so they will not pack down as small as these do. These come with dark yellow blades only, no white unless you order three or more, sorry. If you want a shorter size than 235cm, the best bet is to carefully hacksaw one female end of either shaft section down, and re-drill whichever hole you use (left-hand offset, right-hand offset, or in-line) using the cut away scrap as a guide.
The 4-Piece FGX Wave ($159) is not pictured but the blades are the same, of course, as the two piece units shown above. The shaft is also the same fiberglass-carbon blend. The individual sections of this one, which is 230 cm when assembled, range from about 23" to over 26" even though we try to get Cannon to keep all parts the same size. This is one of the Cannon products that has gone up quite a bit, but the nearest competitor is probably the Aquabound four piece, which runs one to six dollars more and really does not have the same strength in the shaft as this one, nor is the blade any stronger. Again, if you purchase this with a kayak it will run $143 with the accessory discount so bear that in mind.

Allow two weeks extra on all Cannon special orders, and at least three on Carlisle. Gull & Carlisle RS Magic paddles are made in New Zealand, and all others on this page are made in the U.S. of A.

Paddle Warranties

Though Carlisle and Cannon have some degree of manufacturer's coverage regarding blades coming loose and other outright defects, we have had customers try to return broken or bent paddles. Since their use is utterly beyond our control, we will not accept returns for damaged products -- paddles or anything else. If you feel something like a blade broke when perhaps it shouldn't have on a Cannon, Spare, or Carlisle paddle, we will be happy to provide phone numbers so you can contact them. Cannon has been very good about free replacement blades as long as you don't abuse the policy with repeated returns. Gull's and the RS Magic Carlisle's are imported, so this is not an option with these. Under no circumstance will a manufacturer cover a bent shaft, nor should they. Large river rocks generally will NOT be moved by prying them with a paddle!