It is time to replace my Werner Camano, which has been a workhorse for sixteen years. I would be quite happy with another Camano, but would like any thought son other paddle choices.
I have an ONNO mid wing for my ski. Great paddle but I do not want a wing for my everyday kayak paddle. Looking for a low angle, failry light weight stick. Thanks
Given your good experiences …
… with both paddles you have been using, and “low angle” type design preference, I’d suggest either an upgrade to a CF Werner Kalliste (the foam core blades have a bit nicer feel/performance compared to Camano IMO), or get something custom from Pat with similar power/style considerations. REALLY hard to go wrong with either.
Paddle Choices
I really enjoy my Epic paddle, while it is a high angle paddle, the Epic Active Tour is a nice lightweight paddle. Epic makes low angling paddles as well in their Relaxed Touring line. These paddles go from 28 oz. down to 22 oz. and all come with Length Lock which allows you to adjust the paddle length up to 10 cm. For all day touring I also own a Werner Kalliste as my low angle paddle and it may well be my favorite all around paddle.
Kalliste
If you like the Camano, the Kalliste will blow you away. The boyancy of the foam core makes the paddle really feel alive in the water, and the slightly convex backface is amazing for low braces.
Werner Kalliste, Werner Athena
try 'em both, both performance core (foam) carbon,
both recommended for low angle. Athena blades a bit smaller & take less muscle to propel.
I’ll Say It…
Get a Greenland paddle. I don’t see me ever going back to Euro.
I’ll second that…
I love my new Greenland paddle! Highly recommended! However I do have a Werner Kalliste and if you want to stay Euro then I can recommend this paddle. I still use mine with my rec boat and as a spare with the sea kayak.
i’ll third it!
euro paddles seem so… awkward… i’ve been using a gp now since early spring 2 years ago… whenever i try to use a euro style paddle now, i hate it! gp’s aren’t for everyone though, but definitely worth a try - but be forewarned, you may never want to go back!
… and Aleut blows GP away…
… For most of my paddling anyway.
Funny how I, who make and sell (on a really limited basis anyway) GP, Aleuts, etc. - and also rarely paddle anything else - chose to give a reply above that had nothing to do with promoting those as an option.
I think it needs to be stressed that GPs (and other skinny sticks) vary in shape/performance/quality/etc. - at least as much as euros - which is partly why I don’t blanket promote an overall type much anymore. Recommending a “GP” like it’s a specific paddle (what OP was asking), or they’re all equally good/suitable/interchangeable, makes no sense. Some are great, some are clunky, and impressions of which are which varies as well.
There was no info about the paddler’s size/power/kayak(s)/what sort of paddler/paddling, etc. With that I might be able to recommend a more specific GP (or Aleut) from a few makers. If I were to recommend a GP based on his info about Werner/wing use only, I’d recommend a Superior (carbon* - what I went to after my Werner, or a more custom sized Beale or AKYKA (me), or …
-
- Weird bit of trivia: A lot of CF paddles are going for up to 1.5x their weight in silver these days.
If you like Pat’s mid wing, then why not
stay with him and get his adjustable length touring paddle.
It’s about a hundred bucks cheaper then Epics and a tad bit sweeter.
Cheers,
jackl
I like the Epic Relaxed Tour full carbon
with burgandy shaft.
I can’t handle large bladed paddles. The Relaxed Tour is easier on my shoulders & wrists than the larger bladed paddles. Even the Camano is larger bladed and more heavily loaded than my shoulders like. So is the Onno Mid Tour, though I can get by with the Onno Mid Tour.
I did try CD1’s Mitchell GP a couple weeks ago and liked it too. The shoulder ache that I had while using the Onno Mid Tour went away immediately when I switched to his GP.
GP or Aleut
I love my Aleut paddle. A close second is my Novorca Carbon GP. Both paddles are works of art. The Novorca has a foam core, carved to my specifications. My Novorca paddle was based on the size of my Lumpy, thanks Bill.
The Lumpy is a close third to the other two. For long paddles, I switch between the Aleut and the GP.
Greyak, your shop open for a bit of
business?
Dogmaticus
Werner Camano
Email me
I’ll gladly hook you up if I can. No real backlog (currently doing a special order GP), but it’s rainy season, so my state of the art carport facility is wet/mosquito infested (hot I can deal with) much of the time slowing output…
I will, not in a hurry, either. nm
Come to Think of it…
I sold my Camano after I switched to the Greenland paddle.
I have a used Camano…
…that I’ve been meaning to sell. Let me know if you’re interested.
how about that carbon/wood Sawyer?
it’s light,maybe not that durable. As you can see the range of responses is pretty big. I don’t quite see the match up between paddles with lots of catch like the Werner Camano and Onno for low angle paddling.
My personal preference was a Lightning Offshore but they’re gone and the Epic Active Tour replaced it.
Seems to me for low angle paddling the range goes more towards Greenland sticks and blades that can transition well to bracing with less emphasis on max bite.
The camanos strong point was how thick those blade tips were, great rental paddles. Check out the Epic touring blade.