Out of the Box:
My first reaction when I picked up the paddle is that it was
very light. The swing weight was minimal and felt considerably lighter than the
other ‘high end’ paddles at our shop. I was slightly concerned that the drop in
weight would result in a lack of stiffness.
I ordered the mid-size blade which comes in at 98 square inches for blade
size. The size is about the same as the Werner Nitro but it is slightly shorter
and a little bit wider. Werner has a
pretty unique handle on all of their paddles and the updated carbon version
feels comfortable and reduces the weight even further. I also liked the updated logos on the blade,
the yellow logo looks great and stands out in a crowd of similar
paddles…Appearance is everything after all.
Racing and Touring:
I glued the handle on and went for a short down-wind paddle
that afternoon. The blade feels great through the water with it’s dihedral
shape and didn’t flutter. I liked the
narrow blade which allowed for a quick stroke rate and kept my stroke close to
the board. I tend to prefer a faster
stroke rate rather than longer more powerful strokes and I felt that the
reduction in weight didn’t translate to a lack of stiffness. Maybe a bigger stronger paddler would notice
more flexibility but it felt pretty stiff to me.
It didn’t take me long to get used to the paddle but I did
find that during the down-wind paddle and even when the wind picked up while I
was racing; the paddle was so light that when switching hands it gets blown
around in the wind quite easily. Not
sure if that is a con or something I just need to get used to.
I know that over a long day of touring or racing that any
reduction in weight is a blessing and I’m excited to use the paddle for this
season of racing.
Final Thoughts:
I think that once people start getting this paddle in their
hands and giving it a try we will see plenty of them on the water. With 3 different blade sizes and the option
of Werner’s bent shaft there should be a paddle to fit everyone. The paddle will easily compete with the
Quickblade Kanaha Elite Racer and is actually lighter and cheaper. If you are interested in trying the paddle we
will soon have two for demo at the Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre waterfront
location. A bent shaft and straight
shaft will be available for demo.
If you are ready to
buy they will also soon be in our retail store Deep Cove Outdoors and retail
for $389. Werner has donated a Grand
Prix paddle to be given away as a draw prize at the Tour de Indian Arm race
coming up on May 20th so come out and race and you might walk away
with a brand new paddle!
