@archman66 said:
One last question: would the Camano be a little beyond the skill of a beginner goven the the larger blade moving more water? I’m assuming whichever paddle I purchase will be used for several years at which time I could upgrade with more paddling experience.
The Camano is fine for most beginners. Unless you progress to putting in lots of miles and time on the water, you may never need to upgrade.
The Camano is too much blade for me. I use a full carbon Epic Relaxed Tour to appease my weak muscles and joints.
The Camano is very user friendly, if you have the conditioning for it. Easier to use than any of the plastic bladed paddles that I’ve tried.
Never tried the Aquabound paddles.
The Swift Wind Swift and Mid Swift are good options, as well. Mid is similar to the Camano and the Wind has a smaller blade.
I love my Aquabound Eagle Ray carbon paddle with Posi-lock ferrule. I also have a Werner Camano that cost about $100 more, and it’s a good paddle but the ferrule system isn’t nearly as good.
They also have good customer service. A friend bought an Aquabound from me and used it for quite a while before he broke it. Aquabound either replaced it or fixed it for him.
I’m 6’0" and started off with a 230cm Aquabound Stingray carbon with my28" wide rec boat. I think it’s an excellent paddle at a very good price.
As my paddling progressed and my stroke improved I bought a 210cm Werner Cyprus for my 24" transitional kayak. Yes, it was a lot more money but it’s the probably the only paddle I’ll ever need - well maybe someday I’ll buy a GP. As good as the Aquabound is I much prefer the less obtrusive ferrule and the smoother shaft of the Cyprus. With the Aquabound both my wife (who also had one) always wore paddling gloves as we found the shaft fairly rough, now we never do. It took a bit longer to convince her that a Cyprus was also a better paddle for her but now, while we have kept the Aquabounds as spares, we haven’t actually used them in about 5 years.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Camano. I think the Sting Ray is definitely a better value. But I took the general advice to buy the most expensive I could afford.
@archman66 said:
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Camano. I think the Sting Ray is definitely a better value. But I took the general advice to buy the most expensive I could afford.
You won’t be disappointed.
I don’t think you will regret getting the Camano, but don’t expect your first outing to be without some adjustment. As I said before, the Camano wants to find its own center and it likes a good form. It can be used at a higher angle, but at a low angle there is a definite advantage. Your stroke can be lengthened a bit and you will never be lifting water. Some might not think this is the best form, but I’ve tried everything and this works best for long distance. You will still have to go high with short choppy strokes when you sprint, or want to catch waves.
Here’s a tip that I find most new paddlers haven’t figured out yet. Move the drip rings up the shaft so they never touch the water. Oh and one thing more; learn how to bow rudder.
Thanks for the advice. I’m definitely going to taking some lessons from an ACA certified instructor.
Don’t be afraid to experiment for yourself, but it might help to watch some videos on YouTube to get some ideas. When I say to learn the bow rudder, I would suggest you point the paddle more toward the bow instead of vertical like most of the videos will show.