Hi,
I recently tried a friend's Cricket paddle and really liked it a lot. I want to order one but I can't seem to get a hold of anyone there. I have emailed them in the past with no response and I have been calling for the last week and all I get is the machine and they don't call back despite having left messages. Perhaps they are on vacation, or perhaps they just have more business than they can handle. Not sure.
Anyway.....I noticed online last night that the Betsie Bay paddles appear to be very similar. In all actuality I would not be surprised if Cricket paddles are fashioned after the Betsie Bay paddles.
Can anyone comment on their similiarity in the water? I really liked the Cricket so I assume that I would like the Bettsie Bay. Not to mention that the Betsie Bay is a better known company.
Since I can't seem to get a Cricket Paddle I may go ahead and order a Betsie Bay.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
thanks
Matt
bbk and cricket
bbk paddles imo are a transition paddle, somewhere in between a euro and a traditional gp. they are not as freiendly for the forward canted stroke and the blades are too wide for my taste.
the cricket paddles are beautiful, but a bit on the heavy side. the shape of the blade, again imo, makes them a bit more prone to flutter under load than say a lumpy or a beale unless you are careful about maintaining the forward cant. might be the guy owns the shop is own vacations–he’s really nice and easy to work with.
if you want to order a custom gp, check out lumpy paddles or beale. turner wilson also makes paddles. if you want a very good standard gp, get a superior.
hope this helps,
john
You do understand that the Betsie Bay
GP is indexed and paddled differently than most all other GPs on the market. Many consider them beginers paddles for those comming from EPs or from canoeing. The Renshaw Traditional Marine Service paddle is sort of in between the BB and more traditional GPs.
Hope these things I discovered just recently are of help to you.
Mick
Agree with John’s assessment…
…that the BB Greenland sticks are nothing at all like the Crickets. I have owned both, and except for the Cricket paddle being a bit too short, I would still own it. Its that good.
At this time, I own a Beale and a Novorca, and both are the best paddles I have ever owned/used. The Beale is Western Red Cedar with hardwood edges and epoxied tips. Smooth, great bouyancy, fine edges, a real flexible powerhouse. The Novorca is my carbon GP - handmade to my specs by Ron Steinwall at Novorca with black carbon and white tips. Exquisite! This is my “Sunday-go-to-meeting” paddle!
I also agree with the other poster’s assessment that the BBK is an indexed “crossover-GP” that is fits a specific type of paddle stroke and is helpful to someone just getting started with Greenland paddles and strokes.
Once again though, I still think the Cricket is a very nice GP - and numerous folks from the local paddling club use them exclusively.
Scott
…
I am new to GPs and don’t use it as my primary paddle……currently I have a Beale which I like, but the Cricket just felt better to me. Felt smoother in the water on the forward stroke and its flatter blade felt like it sculled more smoothly to me. Maybe more like in a Euro paddle as it did not seem to make such a drastic climb to the surface as with the Beale which I am not used to coming from a EP.
Sounds like the BB may not be for me. The guy at Cricket probably is on vacation.
Matt
Betsie Bay paddles
The Betsie Bay paddles are fine, well made paddles, even though they're not traditional-style greenland paddles. They work very well for canted strokes. If you like them, great ( I love mine) but as always, try one before you buy it. But if you already know that you like the cricket paddle, and you've tried a number of different paddles, that's the one to get!
My $0.02
Several years ago I bought a Mitchell on a lark. Boy, was I lucky - It isn’at a Beale or a Superior, but it isn’t a Betsie Bay either.
My advice is to stay away from a paddle that is not favorable to canted strokes. A so-called transition paddle simply will not allow you to actually make that “transition” frpm a Euro.
Jim
Crickit inuit paddle
http://www.touringkayaks.com/janautica.htm
I own a Crickit paddle. I love it!
You can get one without the wait… order one from the above dealer.
Don
Have you ever tried…
...a GP other than the Betsie Bay "pseudo" GP? There's a world of difference.
IMO, the BB paddle a poor design, unless you're going to adhere to Doug VanDoren's paddling technique, which is his own creation, not a stroke that's commonly used in Greenland.
Of the two paddles that the orignal poster is considering, the Cricket is the much better choice, though as others have pointed out, there are better alternatives than either.