I will second Tom’s recommendation of a GRB bent. Do you “need” one? No, not really. I have 6 GRB carbon bents in different lengths, but I race with them in different boats and conditions, and train with them too. Most of my paddle racing friends have ZREs, but as Tom said, GRBs are just as good at a better price. When not racing or training I prefer a straight cherry wood otter tail or similar shape blade for its increased maneuverability and their ability to perform a larger variety of advanced strokes. More fun too. I often carry both, since if I want to cover distance quickly (but not necessarily at race speed), I pick up the bent carbon. If I want to poke around and easily cruise a shoreline, I will use the wood straight.
I too like a bent, and a cherry not quite an otter or beaver tail, but sort of in-between it’s a the Grey Owl Guide. I have both with me when paddling.
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Not badly at all. A straight shaft paddle does everything. A bent shaft can be more efficient for cruising flat water.
Bent shafts are not necessary for anyone. They are at best a convenience and at worst a lazy way to avoid the steep learning curve of the Forward stroke with a straight shaft. One can do anything with a straight that can be done with a bent, plus some things that cannot be done with a bent. Get a straight, find someone who is a real student and teacher of the game and can instruct you on the nuances of the forward stroke and don’t get all caught up in these aberrant paddles. It’s harder in the long run but you’ll be much happier eventually.
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Well, I called Bob at ZRE last week and ordered one of his paddles. Power surge xtreme, 8" blade, 56" long, 12 degree bend. His site says 10oz, which is just crazy to me. Excited to give it a go when things warm up and I get my new slipstream canoes
Did I miss something? 56 inches is crazy long for almost any paddler in a bent. And are you using it in a pack canoe?
You will notice a significant difference in weight. You can paddle at 60 strokes a minute with a bent and your cadence with the wood will be significantly slower. You may work up to a fleet of straight and bent shaft paddles; all have a place.
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I’m 6’5" and currently paddle with a 65". I went off Bob’s recommendation
If it is too long, he was very open to swapping it
If you are accustomed to paddling with a straight shaft paddle, typically you will want a shorter one in than that in bent length. How much shorter, could be a lot, but it is a matter of preference and experience with what works for you. I find longish bents to be awkward in all but the stern position in a long boat where a “slightly” longer paddle is more useful for steerage. Keep that in mind.
Wow I have never seen anyone paddle with a 65 inch long paddle even at 6’5" Even my 6’3" friend paddles with a 58 . Neither of us has the grip hand ever going above the nose.
The juxtaposition of mention with a Slipstream has be confused. I have a pack canoe and my 6’1" hubby paddles with a 46 inch as the seat is so low. What matters is the shaft never be submerged and the entire paddle area immersed in the water. Bents are meant to be switched sides every three to six strokes so clearing the boat is very important.
I do paddle with a 72 inch Maine Guide paddle with a variable grip but that is not a Zav. My Zav is 49.5 inches and my straight 54.
It was a cheap paddle (like $25) that I bought to have something lighter than the even longer OT paddle that came with a canoe. It does work pretty well, to be honest, but I don’t have experience to compare it to.
Either way, it isn’t all that hard to shorten if I want
You are almost 6" taller than me although my torso and arms are a bit long for my height. Paddle length will depend not only on style, but also on your torso length and the height of your seat or pedestal above the water level, and as has been said, it is the shaft length that is important.
When I was younger and first started paddling whitewater a lot of open boaters recommended a paddle long enough so that the grip was at brow or forehead level. You also tend to be a bit higher above the water kneeling on a pedestal than sitting in most stock canoe seats. Back then I started out with a 60" long straight shaft paddle. My paddles became progressively shorter as whitewater canoes got shorter and the arthritis in my shoulder joints got worse. Now most of the time I use a straight shaft paddle 56-58" in overall length although I have experimented with paddles as short as 54". I do tend to pick a slightly longer paddle if I am paddling in the stern of a tandem canoe or paddling a long solo canoe.
As for bent shaft paddles I have them anywhere from 48-54" in overall length. My longest bent shaft is 54" in length and has a shaft length of around 35". I use that paddle mainly when paddling a long solo canoe with a kneeling pedestal. If I had to pick only one length for a bent shaft paddle it would be 52" and one length for a straight shaft paddle it would be 56-57" in length. Your paddle will have a shaft length of around 38" which given your height might work for you depending on the height of your seat. If you choose to go shorter I doubt you would want one shorter than 54" in length.
The shorter paddle does allow for a little easier and quicker switches.
Thanks. Between the shorter paddle and the bent shaft, faster and easier switches will be quite nice.
I think Bob said blade length was something like 17 or 18",which is much longer than I am used to.
It would be nice to try out a bunch of options, but that just isn’t realistic considering what is going on. I’m comfortable with the bit of a gamble on length
Are you racing or recreationally cruising? Switching sides every 3 to 6 strokes is what racers in white water short boat paddlers do. Actually that is far too frequent for recreational boats in flat water. I am a racer most often paddling the bow in long boats. I dislike when a new stern paddler calls a “hut” as often as 8-10 strokes unless necessary for steerage when in difficult conditions. Each switch loses as much as one full stroke before everyone gets up to normal full power on the second stroke. That is a minimum 10% loss of power and speed. When I am paddling for fun, not racing or training with my team, I will stay paddling on the same side for many minutes, many dozens of strokes, switching only for variation and equal side strength building. Correction strokes for maintaining a perfectly straight cruising course are performed just as easily with a straight shaft or a bent.
No racing, whatsoever.
I am still learning and feel that I do a decent job of staying on one side, but it doesn’t always work.
Easy switching wasn’t a driving factor at all, just an added benefit
If he hasn’t shipped it yet you could call and ask that they leave the handle unglued so you can fine tune the length. Or as you say it’s not that hard to shorten it if you need to. I’ve never used a power surge but I’d like to try one…people seem to like them.
Good idea, but he shipped next day (a few days ago) . Guessing it will be here monday
Paddlers got along with straight shaft paddles for around 10,000 years.
Helpful, thanks.
A bent shaft paddle has only a couple of positive attributes but they are significant. The bent shaft makes the forward stroke more efficient. If this were not so, you would not see them used by virtually all marathon canoe racers.
A bent shaft renders most other strokes more awkward including draws and especially pries. I do know of a couple of whitewater open boaters who use a bent shaft paddle because of the improvement in forward paddling efficiency they provide, but they are distinctly a minority.
The bent shaft also makes it a little easier to clear the gunwales when switching sides, compared to a straight shaft paddle of even the same overall length, as the blade is angled upward a bit from the shaft as the paddle is swung across the boat.
It goes without saying but it is easy enough to carry both a bent shaft and a straight shaft paddle, using the straight shaft when significant maneuvering is required and the bent for motoring along.
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[quote=“ppine, post:59, topic:103202, full:true”]
Paddlers got along with straight shaft paddles for around 10,000 years.
[/quote]The same can be said of cell phones, texting and GPS apps. However… these days most seem to not be able to exist without.
I am not a heavy cell user and will never text, but I am a marathon racer and do use a bent paddle.
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