We stock paddles suitable
for inflatable kayaks from
Carlisle, Caviness, BIC,
Cannon and Clear Blue Hawaii.
Some of our kayak paddles only
come in fiberglass or aluminum
shaft, but several of the
Cannons are available with
either shaft material.
Everything we ship is either a
two piece or four piece paddle
so you don't get nailed for a
30 pound shipping rate by UPS.
Remember that if you get a
kayak paddle with your boat,
you receive a 10% accessory
discount on it and any other
items purchased at the same
time. This section was updated
in the Spring of 2010. Raft
paddles are under our raft
section.
Although more expensive
paddles are widely available,
we feel our selection provides
the best value. To get a
paddle with hand made glass
lay-up blades in a take apart
version, you have to spend
triple what most of our better
ones cost. Spending three
times as much will generally
get you a better balanced
paddle that weighs maybe 8
ounces less, but the vast
majority of our customers are
not looking to spend $600 on
two paddles for their $950
kayak. Even so, few of our
paddles are clunkers, and the
ones that are clunkers are
described as such.
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 36. 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 with your high arm.
Many of the paddles found in
this section 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
Caviness products 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 will 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 similar, 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.
To repeat, all paddles we
carry are take-apart, and all
of them come with drip rings.
If we manage to leave them out
of your shipment just email us
and we'll mail you some.
