I suppliment my DB training with OC. Can anyone recommend a good paddle (would pay up to $300) and how to get it?

Gillespe wood paddles are one of the best and light. Looks great too. I got one for sale BTW : )

Kialoa Axel II

Where are you? Should help answer the question of where to get it, there are many online dealers, I like a hybrid, although a good wooden paddle can be light as well, haven't paddled with a full carbon that I really liked.

In Ontario and can drive down to TO. Paddling an OC1. Want something light but with a large blade and comfortable grip.

Kialoa Axel II - why?

Is the reason people prefer a straight wood or hybrid because of the feel? I was going to go all carbon but would consider a hybrid. I've heard Brasca makes a good OC paddle but not sure how to get my hands on one.

Kialoa Axle II is a good all around hybrid but also look at the Quikblade Hapa ,its a very popular blade as well and it's light ,has a aggressive shape , and a awesome catch

get your hands on a scorpion paddle, there are a couple people that have them around. Check with Larry or Derek

Ryan at Pogue Sports in Vancouver ...check out his website and he ships this way .He sells Kialoa,Qwikblade,Mudbrook and others not listed on his site

Just google Pogue Sports ...he is very helpful

I have a wood Mubrook oc lite , a hybrid Kialoa Axle II and a Qwikblade Hapa and have tried 2 full carbon blades but ended up liking the hybrids alot better because the full carbon ones I tried were way too slippery on the shafts when wet and I found myself sometimes fighting to keep my grip and waxing is no good when you do a 10-12 km race or long paddle .

Go to www.outrigger.ca
Open Ocean Outrigger is an on line Canadian dealer for Kialoa Paddles and have a full stock of their paddles.All paddles are still priced at US par.
Open Ocean Outriggers now carrys the KIA KAHA Paddles, Maui Kneldson paddles made on Kaui.

Aloha

Ryan Pogue is not helpful. Ask about 75% of his past clients and they will tell you.

Zaveral makes excellent paddles. I do not like his OC paddles but the marathon paddles are great. They can be ordered in different widths , 9" is good for OC. You could get wider I think.Light model is my fav. , very tough. Power surge and regular style are both good.

I like Lavas paddles even better. Better catch. Order any width , my widest is 9.5".call 819 533-5108 (Quebec).

Peter Buday usually has Scorpions for sale.

I have had a Mudbrook and have owned hybrids and now am going with a Keone (all carbon) from Kialoa. E-mail them or give them a call. Amy is great to deal with. They can ship them to you. They are in Seattle I think. I'm not sure what shipping costs are but you should get in around the $300 mark. Our dollar is not what it once was.

I liked my hybrid and broke my Moodbrook 1/2 way up the shaft while bracing to prevent a huli. I should have just gone over I guess. I went with a Full carbon so I wouldn't have to worry about paddle breakage 1-2 km off shore. I have had My Kialoa Hybrid since 2000 and have not had any trouble with it.

I haven't had any difficulty with grip or slippage of my bottom hand with my full carbon. Although a more experienced marathon racer suggested the circular paddle shaft on the Keone was not the best due to potential for grip fatigue of the bottom hand. It has not been a problem for me so far but my longest race last year was 1:36:00. I've done lots of 3+hr sessions without it being a problem.

Anyways kialoa are here http://www.kialoa.com/

Good luck with your paddle choice and look forward to running into you out there in the great lake.
Jeff

Carbon paddles can break too, Jeff. Maybe it happens more in DB than outrigger, but Carbon paddles are not immune to breaks.

One lady I often see outrigger paddling in the GTA keeps a spare paddle strapped to her boat. Is this a common safety practice for OC paddlers, or just a really good idea on her part?

Thanks for the outpouring of advice.

From what I head I would lean towards:
1. KIALOA - either Axle II (Hydrid), or Keone (All Carbon)
order@ http://www.kialoa.com/ or http://www.outrigger.ca/
2. Hapa Quick Blade
order@ http://www.poguesports.com/
3. Scorpion
ask around

If you had to choose one which would you vote for and why? They all sound like they will do the job.

The scorpion is by far one of the best paddles out there right now unless you can get a Mana from Hawaii. There are lots of scorpions now in Hawaii.

In my opinion , you should always have an extra paddle. Everone will eventually have a paddle break , pretty hard getting back with-out a paddle.
To prevent a slipping bottom hand with carbon (or wood) , lightly sand the grip portion of the shaft with coarse sand paper. Go around the shaft. Yes , I do it with carbon paddles all the time. This needs to be repeated periodically because the shaft accumulates oil from your hand. Alternatively , after the first sanding you can wipe down the shaft with a solvent such as alcohol. Or wear gloves.
I also lightly sand the grip of new paddles with fine wet sandpaper , 400 or 600. Makes the grip more comfortable , reduces the chance of blisters , reduces both slip and stick.

Quickblade Hapa is my choice, good quality, durable, and super clean entry due to scoop paddle face.

For sure the Hapa ,it has a much better catch then the Kialoa and its lighter

"Ryan Pogue is not helpful. Ask about 75% of his past clients and they will tell you."

Guess I'm in the minority, then.
I've bought most of my paddling gear from Ryan and find him VERY helpful and knowledgeable, not to mention passionate about the sport.
I would guess the above comment comes from a competitor...

Many thanks to all that contributed. If I can get my hands on a Scorpion I'll probably go with that, otherwise the Quick Blade.

Any thoughts on the Tornade or Kanasha?

Or do any of you think it's crazy to spend $300+ on a paddle?

I've had no problems with Pogue, bought my boat, paddle and lots of swag from him.

The tornato shaft is too smooth ,add water and then its a fighting game just to hold it ,go with the hapa.Its exactly the same except with wood shaft and pretty much the same weight

I've been using Grey Owl Ravens for the past 4 or 5 years. I have a 53

Don't know what happened to the rest of my message above.
I have used the Grey Owl Raven for the past 4 or 5 years, a 51" for OC-1 and a 53" for OC-6. Both have proved to be very durable. They are full carbon (handle, shaft and blade). What Gord said is true. Periodic cleaning with a mild abrasive will prevent and slippage or blisters. I have seen the Raven sold for as little as $160.00 at MEC and Algonquin Outfitters.

Check weights on all of the above. Lightest are 6 or 7 onces.

Spending $300+ on a paddle is pretty reasonable considering the weights of the paddles and the use/abuse they can handle. I think it is crazy to spend $300+ on a Driver but I can't stand golf. If the weather is that nice I'd rather spend 4 hours paddling than 4 hours golfing.

I'm not a huge fan of the ultra light paddles. I find they flop around in the wind. I used to swear by wood, but my mudbrook basically fell apart on me in one season. My hybrid is still going strong after 9 years and I'm happy so far with my carbon blade.
Jeff

Why spend $300 on a paddle?

If the paddle lasts 10 years, and I log about 200K per summer, then compared to a $100 wood paddle I'm paying about 10 cents a kilometer. Well worth having a lighter more comfortable paddle.

Also I'm a paddler, I spend most of my free time doing this. Spending money on other things doesn't interest me much so I'll go without a big screen and set myself up with a sweet OC1 and nice paddle. Just a choice.

I'm really interested in the comment about hand slippage. I don't use wax, or sand down the paddle, and I've never had a problem with my hand moving. I've always felt that if you enter the water at a nice positive angle then it's nearly impossible to face slippage - since you are pressing down on a paddle which because of the angle is also pressing up.

Anyways, I'm getting some responses from good paddlers. Do most of you have problems with this, or is going with an all carbon ok? I've used the Grey Owl and never had any hand slippage.

Thanks for the advice on how to fix it if I do.

re: Light paddles being a problem in the wind.
You will quickly adjust and it becomes a non-issue. The advantage of a light paddle is huge , the downside small to zero.

"The tornato shaft is too smooth ,add water and then its a fighting game just to hold it ,go with the hapa.Its exactly the same except with wood shaft and pretty much the same weight "

Not true, the tornato is 1/3 pound lighter - 12oz compared to 17oz (Hapa is an additional 41% heavier).

Of the 2 tonato I have tried they are both almost the same weight as the hapa .I was told they were on the heavy side because of excessive glue in the joints,apparantly not common to most of them . The shaft is hard to hold onto when wet and its one of the smoothest/glass like finishes I have seen and seems to be the main problem .I'm not sure I would want to scuff it down to provide grip .I liked the Hapa in comparision and the Hapa has a more oval shaft while the tonato has a larger round shaft .

As for wind ,a light paddle can be a problem with say headwinds of 20 + km/hr on a change over .Below 10 oz is way too light in a headwind for me ,I prefer say around 14-16 oz .On a flat windless day I would chose the lighter paddle but windy not my choice .Its best to have a different paddles for different types of days just as some have different oc1's for different conditions

I use my 7 ounce paddle in all conditions , even in strong headwinds. Never a problem , although there was a short adjustment period when I swithched from wood , a coupke of paddles. Just do it and you will quickly adjust.

The Lanikai is Kialoa's largest blade, but as of now is only available in hybrid. There's a lot of good paddles out there, but it just comes down to feel, you'll just try a paddle and like it (or not). The Tahitians who won Molos for the last three years use relatively heavy wood paddles w/ very wide blades and double bend shafts. They feel like sledgehammers compared to a brand new Kialoa, but those Tahitians just destroy everybody w/ them so go figger. I wonder if they would use a nice matched set of Kialoas if they had them?

The Tahitians were trying to trade for paddles such as the Kialoa's in Sacremento .They asked to trade for mine but they use damn short paddles !! It really funny because most of them didn't have there own more they just grabbed 1 of their club blades which were all about the same size it looked like ,short !