Paddle blade - plank or spoon?

[woro90]

Here I am with another stupid question: Should I buy a bent blade paddle or save money and buy the most basic one with a straight blade?

As some of you might have noticed, I bought an old slalom C1, resembling something from Hearn/Lugbill's Max series. I've paddled it on flat water a couple of times with a cheap plastic straight blade paddle I borrowed at the university boatyard. Now it's time to get my own paddle as it's exams time now and I had to hang the C1 back under the dorm room ceiling (I could have left it in the boatyard but that would have rendered me with no boat for three months).

But, as I'm new to C1 world (having paddled only traditional open canoes before), I'm still undecided whether to buy a bent blade paddle or not.

What are the benefits of the spoon? I assume better catch, less probability of aeration in case of pulling on the blade too early and longer reach available. Is there more? And how much difference does the curvature make for example in onside and offside bow rudder or Dufek strokes?
If the decision is a spoon, it will probably Profiplast Extreme (looks quite durable for the first steps towards gates).

And what do you think about a 150cm paddle for a 200cm person?

Thanks in advance for any input.

[ezwater]

I've switched to slalom spoons, but must admit that there are some fine "straight" blades available.

Properly designed curved blades feel quite neutral in use. The non-power face rolls and braces properly. They do have a nice bite at the catch, but some "flat" blades do too.

Oh, and curved slalom blades can catch just as much air behind the blade as any other paddle. But in my experience, it doesn't matter.

[Mike W.]

I've been using spoon blades for years. You really can do anything with either design. Jim Snyder http://www.rivrstyx.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; says spoons are heavier & weaker. That said, he still built me an awesome spooned stick.

My advice: Put more time/thought/effort into your paddle purchase than your boat purchase. A poor boat choice will irritate you in certain conditions. A poor paddle choice will irritate you the entire time you have it in your hands. I think most folks go through more boats than paddles, so choose wisely & get the best paddle you can afford.

[woro90]

A poor boat choice will irritate you in certain conditions. A poor paddle choice will irritate you the entire time you have it in your hands.

Sounds legit, that's what I'm afraid of - although my attitude towards gear has always been "give me something that floats and a stick that has one end wide enough to move some water and I'll paddle" and all the gear I used I borrowed for the university boatyard, friends or outfitters. I've used short paddles, long paddles, paddles with part of the blade missing, paddles with no grip, bent shaft paddles originally made as straight ones... For open boats it was easy - I took the longest stick I found and it was still slightly shorter than ideal when sitting and perfectly OK when kneeling. For this C1 I really don't know what should I want.

My idea is that since I have an old school slalom boat made for more speed and less turns than today's slalom boats and T'm tall so I can get longer strokes, I need a paddle with enough "bite" to get me moving fast with a few strokes and to turn the long boat with enough force - the muscles will have to get adapted to it (I'm no Jon Lugbill, I come from the open canoe world). Do I have this right or is there any misconception?

I found a shop at the riverbank and the owner promised me I can bring my boat there and try some paddles on flat water. Is there anything I should pay more attention to?

[jakke]

I paddle spooned blades, and it has occured more then once with both my spooned blades (galasport Demon and Profiplast Air) that I was paddling the backface without noticing it immediatly.
When I take out my first el-cheapo plastic blade every now and then, it bothers me immediatly that it's a real crappy paddle.

Well designed spooned blades do have a decent catch also on the backface, and they exist.

[KNeal]

Hi, woro. What is most important about a paddle is the quality. I paddle with a Mitchell curved blade and will contine to stick with that. I've used many other paddles, some blades that were straight and some that were curved. The ones I liked (straight or curved) were from quality paddle builders. So, the shape of the blade is going to be very personal so try out different paddles so you can feel what you like.

Btw, like ezwater, I've paddled a curved blade paddle backwards before and it took a while for me to realize I was doing that. Matter-of-fact, someone had to tell me I was holding my paddle backwards.

[Shep]

Matter-of-fact, someone had to tell me I was holding my paddle backwards.

Maybe so, but I've never seen a canoeist paddle with their paddle upside down.

[arhdc]

KNeal wrote:
Matter-of-fact, someone had to tell me I was holding my paddle backwards.


Maybe so, but I've never seen a canoeist paddle with their paddle upside down.

I find my T-Grip provides great "catch", especially on tree branches.

[pmp]

I agree, a good paddle is worth it. to be clear it's a curve blade you want, not a spoon. (I tried a prototype spoon blade once, it was terrible as you can't slice it) Once you use a good curve blade there is no going back. also weight counts. i've got a werner bandit and love it. It's really tough/trustworthy light and stiff.
good luck.
paul

[KNeal]

My idea is that since I have an old school slalom boat made for more speed and less turns than today's slalom boats and T'm tall so I can get longer strokes, I need a paddle with enough "bite" to get me moving fast with a few strokes and to turn the long boat with enough force - the muscles will have to get adapted to it (I'm no Jon Lugbill, I come from the open canoe world). Do I have this right or is there any misconception?

Just so you know (and I may be simply adding to any confusion), Jon Lugbill won the '89 Worlds Championships on the Savage River using a straight wood blade, carbon shaft paddle.

Again, you're best off trying different blades and find what you like. There's no rush.

[arhdc]

Paddle blade selection is a highly personal thing. It really is more trying different blades out and deciding how it works for you.

Theoretically blades with a curved power face will tend to have a better "catch" in the very first part of the stroke but then looses some of its power as the stroke gets longer. This means, theoretically, that for aggressive cab forward paddlers who like short powerful strokes there is some advantage to a curved power face. I really don't know how much of a difference it makes. Personally I like the feel of a curved power face and that is what I am using now but it is more a feel thing than anything scientific.

[woro90]

Just so you know (and I may be simply adding to any confusion), Jon Lugbill won the '89 Worlds Championships on the Savage River using a straight wood blade, carbon shaft paddle.

You forgot one word: HUGE straight wood blade I don't know how tall he is but this can't be regular sized blade.

[ezwater]

I make custom wood grips for all my paddles, and for the curved blade Mitchell and Clinch Rivers, the grips are asymmetrical so there can be no mistaking which way to hold it to engage the power face.

My Mitchell has a slight bit of paddle "trail" and the glass faced blade is rather flexible, so that if I keep the stroke short, it is like having a few degrees of bent shaft.

[woro90]

Just a brief thought: Is it possible to make a composite blade, wooden shaft paddle at home? I mean 'glassing an XPS foam core with apropriate piece of wood stuck in it. That would help me choose the right shape for me as I could make several blades on one shaft and then try each, cut it off, make another, and finally stick with the one I liked most. It's cheap and if I break it, I could make another quite fast.

My left shoulder still refuses to work so I haven't tried any paddle yet.

Ezwater, could you please post a photo of your assymetrical grip design? I've seen some kind of assymetrical grip on teh internetz but can't remember where and what it looked like.

[TNbound]

Just a brief thought: Is it possible to make a composite blade, wooden shaft paddle at home? I mean 'glassing an XPS foam core with apropriate piece of wood stuck in it. That would help me choose the right shape for me as I could make several blades on one shaft and then try each, cut it off, make another, and finally stick with the one I liked most. It's cheap and if I break it, I could make another quite fast.

If you're going to make a mock up blade just to test the shape it will feel like a mock up, not a well crafted paddle. If you want to try different blade shapes, I'd find friends who have shapes you can try. It is, of course, possible to build quality paddles at home. (Depending on where you live...)