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We stock inflatable kayak paddles by Carlisle, Caviness, and Cannon in both
aluminum shaft and fiberglass versions, glass shaft Clear Blue Hawaii kayak paddles, and can also
special order AquaBound paddles (allow up to two extra days). We do not extend accessory discounts (you get 10% off on items purchased with a boat) to Aquabound paddles, however.
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.
We'll be adding a new four piece paddle of moderate price this Spring but we don't even have a good photo yet.
Although more expensive paddles are widely available, we feel what
follows are close to many running triple their price. This page was updated February, 2009. Raft
paddles are under our raft section.
Price is rarely an indication of the overall toughness or durability of a paddle.
You will often need to double or triple your outlay 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.) and discern weight
differences of less than three or four ounces, though it is easy to discern between a three-pound plus plastic & aluminum model and an all-glass or carbon high end paddle. Anything over $250 is usually hand made with glass lay-up blades, and that labor is what drives up the cost.
Hardshell kayak shops often over-emphasize weights to justify high paddle prices, but
unless you plan on circumnavigating the Baja peninsula or the Gulf of
Alaska a small difference between two similar models won't make much difference. Most burn you
feel in your arms at the day's end has to do with the effort
you put out to propel your boat, not whether you are hefting 32 ounces
or 34. Blade design is more critical, though as with any "tool" the more you use it the more it becomes justifiable to get a better paddle. Properly designed curved
or "spooned" blades will decrease wrist, forearm, and shoulder strain no matter what type
of water you enjoy. You can also make more work for yourself by gripping the shaft too far toward the center, which decreases leverage. Hold the paddle more out toward the blades, and push forward wth your high arm.
Many of the paddles found below have asymetric dihedral blades (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
fiberglass and graphite blades on many $300 paddles, but they may not be designed for efficient paddling. Another noteworthy detail for whitewater boaters is the
direct relationship between a paddle's cost and the 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 assist with blade control, and
are very helpful 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 low-bracing.
Paddling into the wind is also more efficient with your
out-of-water blade cutting the air rather than pushing into it.
Round
shaft paddles 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 formula like hardshell kayakers use? River runners
will need something in the 92" to 96" range for wide boats like Padillacs or Tomcats,
and 86" to 92" for narrower inflatable kayak's with widths of 32 to 36".
Short paddles (82 - 86") are suitable as both spares and for boats under
33" wide (like the AIRE Force, Sawtooth, or Innova Safari & Solar 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.
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. You won't be holding the paddle
this way going down the river though - we hope - and any looseness at the joint
will not be noticeable under normal usage unless it's really,
really sloppy. If you want a solid joint that does not wiggle, plan on spending at least $75.
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. If we manage to leave them out of your shipment just email us and we'll mail you some.
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, Caviness, Etc
We are phasing out most Carlisle products not because we want to, but because Johnson Outdoors (who bought Carlisle about six years ago) has discontinued most of our better selling Carlisle products.
For the time being we stock flat-bladed Take Apart paddles by Carlisle and Caviness in two sizes (one-foot extenders for the Carlisle flat blades are listed beneath).
The aluminum shafts on both brands are covered with a polyethylene and can be feathered 90 degrees at the take-apart joint, or left with the blades in line.
The plastic blades on Carlisle, and especially Caviness, models are heavy but nearly indestructable. In the Carlisle brand 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 & Caviness Take-Apart's run $48. We have the Carlisle brand in 7' size and mostly Caviness in the 7'6" size. Note that on the Carlisle brand, most distributors like NRS are charging $59 to $61 for the basic flat blade Carlisle.
With the shaft extending nearly to the
tip, these basic blades are as strong as anything you can buy.
Our rental customers beat the living doo-doo out of these and they never
snapped. These are also the heaviest paddles we sell at about 3 pounds for the 7' Carlisle Take-Apart, and a full 3-1/2 pounds for the Caviness in a 7'6" size.
Many boaters compare the
feel of a flat blade paddle to a two-by-four, so if you are looking for efficiency in your paddle better to spend a bit more moolah. The 7' Carlisles have white blades and a blue shaft, and the 7'6" Carlisle are solid black. The 7'6" Caviness paddles have red blades and black shafts. We are no longer stocking the 96" size in the low-end flat blade models due to low demand, but we will special order them if you want at least four. You can also get the 8' size by ordering the Caviness Tri-Pack two paragraphs below.
We have a very few handle adaptor kits left for Carlisle flat blade paddles down below. These do not work for the Caviness brand because Caviness drills their button holes in a different location from Carlisle.
Another Carlisle two-piece is the Tripper ($49). 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 new item for us  is the Caviness Tri-Pack. These run $75 and consist of one take-apart 8' kayak paddle with aluminum shaft, and a pair of handle inserts that turn it into one 54" and one 60" raft/canoe paddle. This is better for rafters who also own an i..k., since 54" and 60" are both pretty long to use in tandem inflatables. If you want something that yields a short pair of single blade paddles, the 2-piece aluminum shaft Cannon Wave down below also has an accessory handle kit available, and we have the Waves as short as 7'2". The Tri-Pack blades are yellow as shown, 8" wide, and the shaft covering is dark blue.
 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 hard to get a straight story form Carlisle/Johnson Outdoors as to whether this paddle will continue to be imported (they get it from canoeSports in New Zealand). Last year we were told it was going bye-bye, then later in the Summer they seemed to be available again. Right now we have all three sizes - 220cm, 230, and 240cm - but onyl in a single color in each size. We never carried any 210's. Even if these are out of stock or otherwise unavailable, the Clear Blue Hawaii (a.k.a. "CBH") Makaha paddles down below are a great, well priced substitute for the Magic paddles.
The 90"/230cm length seems ideal for
most of our paddlers, and the blade design on the Magic lends itself equally
well to both whitewater and touring. It weighs 2 pounds, 11 ounces. The very stiff plastic blades are quite
similiar in shape to the asymetric spooned Cannon blades below and about 1cm
narrower. The 230 RS Magic comes in flame orange (not shown but nice and bright
for river use) pattern blades, and the 240 in the cloud blue shown at left in the photo. For the 220's we have a mix of orange and blue, but the "limon" green color in the pic 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 fifth paragraph of the main text at the top of this page. Magic paddles
have an offset of 60 degrees when feathered. For $99 you get a very high strength, well
designed unit. 
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 (black blade in photo below) is a copy of the RS Magic up above, but without the right hand oval grip. The sales literature for this paddle and the CBH "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 in the 230cm size, and black blades in the 240cm. That means the 230's are far easier to spot if you drop one in the river than the 240cm size.
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 are 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.  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. Rigth now 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' 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 nineteen years, though in the last few years material costs have risen along with the retail prices.
The nice thing about Cannon is that they are still fully American made, and if you break a blade Stuart will usually replace it for the cost of shipping only (as long as you don't become a frequent paddle abuser!). Remember too that paddles or any other accessory bought with a boat receive a ten percent discount, which holds the price down a bit.
Cannons have 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 a good value for your buck. All their blades have the
bottom outside edges shaved away to decrease flutter & wrist strain, whether
you are on flat or whitewater.
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 size on this paddle is quite a bit smaller than other paddles on this page, scaled down so it won't wear out smaller arms.
The standard
blade color we carry is dark yellow, 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 fuse itself together into a one-piece paddle,
like those with straight aluminum-to-aluminum joints tend to. The ferule also provides
a 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. Drip rings come with all Cannon paddles.
 Next
is the take-apart Cannon Wave ($99 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 stock 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 occasionally we run out of one length.
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 $119, 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 the aluminum (not the fiberglass) Wave paddle into two canoe/raft paddles. Once we phase out the remainder of the Carlisle flat blade Take Apart's that we have in stock, this and the Caviness Tri-Pack above will be the only two options if you want kayak paddles that convert into two single blade canoe 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 take apart Glass FGX Shaft Wave ($119), which is  identical
to the standard two piece Wave above, but with a 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 Escape touring paddle ($99, 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. One could argue that the CBH paddles above are a better value, though the CBH do not have the warranty that the American made Cannons do. Oval grips for both hands like all Cannons,
stocked in 90" and 94" sizes, with other sizes  by special order. The blade color is more of a dark yellow now, not the pumpkin color shown.
Note: this paddle used to be called the Serenity and way back the Nokomis, and some of our inventory still has those names, 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 Wave shown a few photos 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.
We will also be adding a new four piece paddle from BIC Sport this May (give or take a month) that should be selling for around $75 give ro take a few dollars.
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!
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