Thanks all
Yes, I am the one building a fleet for my family! We have all rec kayaks. The paddles I am looking for now are primarily for my kids (although eventually I would like to upgrade mine). They get really tired with the paddles I have, but I am not inclined to spend too much on paddles for them as they tend to hit the sides of the boat, the ground, etc 
Thanks again! -Karen
Good timing on the question
– Last Updated: Dec-12-08 9:00 AM EST –
Just yesterday, I cut six inches off the length of my wife's Epic length lock touring paddle and it is sitting right here in the kitchen.
So I put it on the bathroom scales and lo and behold it weighs zero, nada, zip. - evidently the scales won't register below a pound.
I know our ONNO paddles are even less in weight than the Epic.
Needless to say; you have to pay the bucks for light weight and quality made paddles!
cheers,
JackL
Werner fiberglass . . .
. . . two piece about 36 ounces. Mid-Swift carbon fiber two piece about 27 ounces. I would be worried about a paddle that weight less than nothin’. Set it down somewhere and it could float off.
Try these
Aquabond has a glass shaft, plastic blade paddle that is relatively light and comes up on decent sales at places like EMS. I don’t think you can get a length less than 220cm, but for the purpose at hand they might be OK. And they are quite durable.
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That must be
why they make paddle leashes.:*)
Use a kitchen scale to weigh paddles.
I suspect that you knew that already
Blade size maybe more important
than paddle weight when it comes to your kids wearing out.
Maybe the least expensive version of the Werner Little Dipper or Sprite:
http://www.wernerpaddles.com/paddles/touring/premium/little_dipper/
http://www.wernerpaddles.com/paddles/touring/recreational/sprite/
! Agree!
Its not the weight, its the size of the balde
forward stroke video
Kids tend to learn and absorb stuff quickly, and it might even spark a whole new level of interest. I have a Brent Reitz & Nigel Foster and some other more general videos, but I would say a specific forward stroke video. I think Brent’s does a good job of sparking interest, and maybe others know of better videos. If the forward stroke then intrigues them a bit and they decide to take on and enjoy the challenge of developing a good forward stroke, they will likely be out-paddling you in no time. If it fails to intrigue them, maybe you will get something out of it, and worst case you’re out $30. Skip the really generic beginners videos - if you want to spark interest, show them someone that wants to teach them how to push the limits with the forward stroke.
aquabound stingray
carbon shaft - strong white resin blade! 210/220/230cm reg or small shaft $150 at REI I dont work there! If you are a member you save 20% off one item right now ($120 is not bad for a very nice paddle) my kids love them.
The aluminum shaft style is heavier and they sit in the garage but if we do shallow rocky water, will use them. My kids also dont mind using some of our first paddles - Harmony TAP fiberglass ones. They aren’t great but they like them and were around $80 and I got 210 220 230 and can change them up for dif. lengths since they are all the same shaft.
any length
You can get any length you want from Aqua Bound. Just have to special order it although they usually stock 210’s at the factory. but they have also been happy to cut to any length and any feather angle as requested.
Wow, you brought a 12 year old Zombie thread back to life!
The list you posted is impressive but it makes no mention of paddle length, which is obviously an important consideration. And as for wooden paddles they vary enormously.
Here are some of the paddles belonging to my wife and I:
Werner Cyprus 2-pc straight shaft, 200cm (the smallest they make) - 23.5 oz (your list claims 22.5oz)
Aquabound Stingray Hybrid 2pc, 230cm - 30.8oz (list claims 30.5oz)
Ben Fontenot GP in Western Red Cedar, 82" - 25.3oz
Werner Cyprus 2-pc bent shaft, 210cm - 26.3oz (list claims 25.5oz)
Aquabound Stingray Carbon 2pc, 230cm - 30.3oz (list claims 30.5oz)
Ben Fontenot GP in Western Red Cedar, 88" - 27.0oz)
Especially with hand-made paddles there are bound to be variations, but overall I agree that the lighter the better. Still, personally I’m fine with anything under about 30oz.
Paddlestats post seems to have slipped by the spam filter as the link he/she/it posted is associated with Amazon so every link takes you to Amazon. Of course the creator of the site claims to be an expert on all things but fails to provide evidence of such expertise or even a name or business associated with the site.
That’s why it’s been deleted. Violates Paddling.com TOS.
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One way to look at it is for my 18’ X 21" Necky Arluk 1.9 with a Werner Ikelos paddle, it takes about 8 strokes to go 0.01 miles at cruising speed in calm conditions, or 800 stroke per mile. For a typical group day trip of 10 miles, that works out to 8,000 paddle strokes. For every extra ounce that your paddle weighs, you are throwing about an extra quarter ton of weight over 10 miles.
Other people with different boats and paddles have recorded 500 to 1500 paddle strokes per mile.
I have a several paddles. My “best” and favourite is crazy light (Aquabound Whiskey Carbon), but my second best is quite heavy (old Lendall). Despite the weight, though, I like the stiffness, toughness, blade shape and overall feel of that one more than its weight alone would suggest I should, and more than other paddles that are a bit lighter. I have paddles with plastic blades that are really tough, and certainly adequate, but just don’t feel as nice, despite being a bit lighter. Overall, I would get the best one you can afford, but $200 should be fine. A really cheap paddle will be annoying all day. A mid-range paddle will only be annoying for 5 minutes after trying a high-end paddle, and then you will get used to it and enjoy!
Geez, reading everybody else’s paddle weights … I’m WAY north of those numbers(!).
40oz. 197cm Adventure Technology Hercules Glass Bent shaft …