Hi, I am new to Kayaking and want to buy my first paddle. I am planning on buying an Old Town Camden 120. I am 5'10" with a 28.5 in wide by 12.5 foot long kayak. I would be mainly on flat water for rec use and some fishing. Also what length would I need?
Thank you.
Don’t go cheapo
But you also don’t need to spend all that much. For a really good all fiberglass paddle that is built right, my best recommendation is the Carlisle Expedition at the suggested retail price of $159. Some Internet shopping might find it at a price closer to a hundred bucks.
If you can, you should go to a genuine kayak store and look at a lot of paddles and try to get a good grip on what length fits you and your boat.
Believe me, you will have a tough time finding a better paddle for the money than the Carlisle Expedition.
Check out the Bending Branches
double enders too. I don’t think you can go wrong there and they have three “level$” to chose from. Their light weight, blade shape and surface area are excellent to reduce fatigue. The higher end Werner paddles are great, cost justified IMHO ;-]
Online Guides are Good
The online guides the paddler manufactures make are pretty good at making recommendations.
You probably should look at a low-angle touring paddle with a standard diameter straight shaft 220cm to 230cm (I would probably go with the 220cm). Paddles with adjustable feathering is pretty standard on most quality paddles and you can also find some that allow you to slightly adjust the length.
My first paddle was a Werner Skagit FG IM ($130 35oz) and something like that is what I consider a good starting paddle but you don’t want to go cheaper than that. Stepping up to a Werner Camano ($275 28.25oz) is a very noticeable difference.
Most of the paddles you are going to get recos for here are good choices. Go with the one the fits your budget and weighs the less.
Epic Active hybrid
is not-entirely-unreasonably priced at $279 and is adjustable in length up to 10cm. At 30 oz it’s not the lightest thing out there but not the heaviest either. Good choice if you’re not convinced on length.
good discount on AT Paddles
Here's a pretty good discount on some AT paddles.
Click on the "River Runners" square from the home page with the kayak on it. You'll find a bunch of AT paddles when you scroll down at a significant discount.
If you use the link to go in an order, I'm supposed to get a $25 "invite friends" referral credit. I'm not encouraging anyone to make any decision based upon getting me $25 credit. But if it's a good deal for you, and it's all the same otherwise, I figure why not?
http://vnlink.co/S7DQm80
By the way, I've purchased from The Clymb before, and never had problems. They've got some deals on there with a bigger discount than you'll find elsewhere. I was invited by a friend a couple years ago. I can't say I've ever dealt with returns of anything back to them, but my experience with them has been good.
Paddle strength
Are the fiberglass and carbon fibre as strong as aluminum if you have to use your paddle to help get back in your Kayak?
Thanks.
Epic Paddle Wizard
Epic has a website that helps you determine what is the best lenght for your height and skill level.
https://www.epickayaks.com/wizard
Hope this helps
Aquabound Sting Ray 220cm…
…is a good paddle. It’s available - if you look around - in all carbon (28oz) for about $150, or in carbon/fiberglass hybrid (30oz) for a little over $100.
http://aquabound.com/kayak-paddles/touring/StingRay-carbon
Its design is a nice compromise for a touring/recreational paddle.
But the best advice is to try out a few before you buy. Are you a high angle or low angle paddler? Find a large retailer that offers introductory classes and rents equipment.
Two piece adjustable length
And don’t go too cheap.
Aluminum Paddle Strength and Self Rescue
I don’t think you are going to find many experienced kayakers, that can self rescue, using aluminum paddles. You will find that pretty much everyone is using a something that is either fiberglass, carbon fiber, or a mix.
Also, even with float bags in the bow and stern lots of rec kayaks are not really designed for a self rescue. You want to stay in areas that it is easy to swim it back to shore to dump out the water.
The only real advantage of aluminum paddles is they are cheap. If you are looking at something that is aluminum, way under $100 and measured in inches – you are looking at very cheap paddle. If all you want to do is just paddle extremely short distances and sit and fish than a cheap paddle is fine.
The reality is if you want to enjoy paddling you really want to look at the various fiberglass/carbon fiber/nylon paddles $100 and up. Lots of the $100-$200 paddles recommended here are great beginner economy choices anything cheaper you will probably regret buying.
Aluminum can be as bendy or as strong
as it is designed to be. But you’re correct, the mass of low priced aluminum paddles are not for driving a moose or walrus away from the boat.
I have a “double torque” bent shaft aluminum paddle with Galasport carbon blades on it. Very strong, and comparable in weight to a quality FG paddle.
A guy in Atlanta was making bent shaft titanium paddles for a while. Very nice.
Thanks
I am looking to spend between $150 - $200.Thanks for the info, this is a great place to get advice and information.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I bought this paddle,(Aqua-Bound Sting Ray Posi-Lok 2-Piece Carbon Paddle - 230)
but I havn’t had a chance to try it yet as we still have ice on Lake Manitoba. I hope it works as good as it feels. Thanks everyone for the advice.