I learn about equipment I don’t know exists. Quill paddles for instance . I really like the looks of these but the prices are out there.
I have a similar paddle called a wind swift but it’s no longer made. Fortunately it is well made and may outlast me.
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Yep I had to look those up too. Had seen a few but didn’t know they had a specific name.
Always good when you learn something new!
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Was looking at Eddyline Wind Swift paddles a couple of years ago and sorry to find that they’re no longer available. Got on of these instead:
Note: update comment below this one (since I fixated on the wrong item.)
Their Ottertail and Redtail paddles are not as long as the Quill, but the company Redtail offers similar designs in the same materials. And $80 cheaper.
I got mine (a cherry Ottertail) from Umingmaq Outfitters in central Wisconsin, wonderful company to deal with for on line and phone orders, who carry a range of unusual paddling gear, including a number of European brands.
I know what you mean about the Wind Swift. I have a vintage discontinued two piece wood kayak paddle with similar dimension low narrow blades. It was apparently once made by Bending Branches for the short lived Voyageur kayak company. At 230 cm it is a little long for me in most of my narrow low profile kayaks, but I often carry it as a deck spare and it has turned out to be perfect for double blade use in my 29" beam solo canoe. Got that one on Craigslist a few years ago for $40. Wood paddles are so pretty, and they always feel good in the hands.
I am noticing more and more paddlers are growing to appreciate the efficiency of longer, narrower blades for both kayak and canoe. There seems to be a recent expansion in the availability of such models. Maybe due to the increasingly “elderly” population cohort of us paddlers – narrow blades are easier on the joints.
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Aha, I see by “Quill” you mean a Quill model kayak paddle by Nimbus, not the Quill marque. That makes more sense since you referenced double blades, but now I have stumbled by my misdirection into another new product line, which proves your point!
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It’s not usually a big deal for me in any interest forum I’m into whether it’s guitars, snowboarding, biking, etc. I try to find that price point by which you begin to see diminishing returns for each one. Like for guitars, it’s somewhere around $900 to $1,300 depending on the brand. Once you go beyond that point you get much less value for the money. I am new to kayaking, so I went with the pro carbon package on my Sea Eagle knowing that the extra money for the AB50 carbon (usually $150 each) over the AB40 paddles (usually $100 each) was a good investment. Do I need or will ever need a $600 paddle? Probably not. Will I ever upgrade to like a $200 to $300 someday? Who knows. Depends if the performance is there for the investment for me.
I have a cherry redtail on my wall that I carved. Almost turned my Malacite over the first time I used it. I’m cleaning up an old canoe, so who knows?
I love my windswift as well. I think I’ve had mine since 2003 or 2004, maybe even a little earlier.
Not forum related but… equipment lust…
I went on a bird walk yesterday and the group had a guide. The guide says “that bird has yellow legs”. I could NOT see yellow legs so I ask the guide what power his binoculars are.
“10”.
Mine are 8. I’m shopping for stronger binoculars today.
I’ve almost gotten past that way of thinking but I saw a kayak the other day …
I try it, I like it, I buy it, or walk away. Presently satisfied with what I have.
The problem isn’t the forum, it is the companies that change their line-up of available items every couple of years. Sometimes they are selling the same thing but change the name.
It makes all the wonderful that we’ve collected seem like it came out of a yard sale because of planned obsolection
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That’s really only an issue if you need parts or fall prey to fomo. My mt bike is a 98 that I bought right after high school. My road bike is a 2005. Both are perfectly fine.
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I got a chuckle out of right after high school in '98. For me it was '66.
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@kdogg788, mine is from '92. Basic chromoly frame, but everything has been upgraded or replaced between at least once and up to three or four times. Two hand-built wheel sets in 21 then converted hubs and wheels to 27. Three drive train upgrades. Market has changed evrrything. 26" is out and in favor of 700. Front and rear gearing is different. Everything chsnged and replacement parts are getting hard to come by. At least we csn get replacement parts for our bodies.
You’d be a Senior in HS an Id6 be a freshman. 
I had a 93 or 94 Trek 970 when I was a sophomore in high school. It was the first real mountain bike I had with a cro moly frame and all XT. I wish I knew what happened to it. I did the sea coast century twice on it.
The problem I have with reading these forums is that I had a Rudge & Whitworth 3 speed derailleur in high school. My dad rode the California coast with it and it was a perfectly good bicycle, though all I ever got to see on it was the miles of corn between where I lived and the small town where “what was happinin” was located. It was good preparation for the years of ribbing I got while paddling a Grumman though… 
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Mine was actually a 1990 Giant Butte. Cheaper components upgraded to LX and DX, then went to 24 speed XT. Finally XTR, 27 speed, replaced Ritchie 36 spoke with Mavic (new hub was 32 - didn’t trust going to 28 on rear). Should have spent another hundred for a Sedona for the frame. 33 yrs later, who would know. Somehow my frame tools went missing: drop out alignment gauges, derailleur straightening tool, head tube race knock-out and reamer. I think my wife put them on a yard sale, but can’t prove it. Went over it last year and did a few trips. Replaced worn grips and saddle last month. Ready for the new season now.
The 970 is nice. Still fine. I believe that series was US made.
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What paddle do you fellas use with those bikes?
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