Lighter paddle
 

Guys, forgive me if there is already a thread about this, but how do you select and eventually buy / upgrade your kayak paddle? Mine is a "standard" aluminum paddle that came with my setup. I KNOW it's heavy as I've carried a buddy's paddle and noticed a world of difference. Shall I expect to spend $100 on some super light composite version?

Try
 

350? - 500 $ plus . If you are staying in the sport and paddling is your primarily source of propulsion , I would say it's well worth the investment . It could prevent long term injury , definitely reduce fatigue . Which translates into more time on water . :paddleersmilie:.:reel:.

I always love seeing guys with $800 worth of Avets onboard, and a $100 paddle haha

Hands down the most important and best investment I ever made was a Werner Ikelos blade. It is the lightest, stiffest and most badassest paddle ive ever tried and it makes 300% difference on long days and in surf launch situations. nothing worse than grinding into a strong current or trying to catch a school of yt with a limp noodle for a paddle. I had no idea what a huge difference it would make until i felt it. worth every penny

I could not agree more, I have a Werner skagit for my kayak, and it is a very nice paddle it cost me $225, 8 years ago worth every penny. I paddle my L2FISH SUP with a Werner Nitro F , arguably the best SUP paddle on the market and they both make a world of difference. spend the dough and get a quality paddle, you wont regret it.

You guys bring up a great point. Since I'm new I've limited myself to local harbors, yet after 4 hours of very casual paddling my shoulders are super sore immediately afterwards and the next morning! makes perfect sense to spend some good $$ on your sole source of propulsion.

With that in mind, do you guys have a good source of info regarding which paddle to get? Maybe something that compares material with weight and price? Or... shall I just visit Andy? ;)

I've owned and paddled the Werner Ikelos carbon, the carbon fiber Cyprus, camano performance and I also have an Ovation (Werners lightest most expensive paddle). I've also paddled other brands of carbon fiber paddles and I would say the best overall paddle would be the camano or kalliste. The ovation is amazing but almost to light for heavy ocean fishing.

I have the Werner Camano and it is a great paddle.

Onno makes great paddles and super light and very responsive.

They are in hawaii but used to be in mission bay.

At one time the turnaround time to get a paddle was long but worth it.

I think they have improved since then.

http://wernerpaddles.com/paddles/camano

http://www.onnopaddles.com/

Best thing you can do is to go see Andy. Everyone has their favorites, but yours will depend on lots of factors (kayak height and width, your height, your reach, what you plan on doing with it just to name a few).

He has some good stuff on the rack
 

He hooked me up . :paddleersmilie: Werner carbon fiber

Pick the right tool for the right job. I use the Aqua Bound Hybrid. Got it because of how rough I find myself to be with the kayak. Pushing off docks, jetties, shallows, smacking opportunist sea lions, digging tourists out of the sand... etc. Those durable nylon blades take the abuse like a champ. The carbon shaft is light enough where I don't feel sore at the end of the day and it's adjustable to boot. And if it ever breaks it's only another ~120 bucks for a new one.

My dad and I have had great service w aquabound/bending branches. We both have broken shafts (after many years) and they hooked us up after writing them. So another investment isnt a given if you take the time to tell the company about it.

Back in 2011 when I bought my Stealth 14 from CJ at OEX Mission Bay, he sold me a Adventure Technology Exodus FishStix paddle (240 cm) and it was well worth the investment... I love it...

wow guys. all these paddles you are referring to are in excess of $300 on average. that's how much my yak costs LOL. I know I know... If i'm going to be serious about yak fishing AND want to avoid injury, it's worth it. I AGREE.

Anyhow, my current yak is just a trial yak to see if I even like getting out on the water. the answer after a couple months is YES, so I'm saving up for a good yak with propulsion system, preferrably. if not, then one of these paddles for sure!

Actually the Aquabound that Skrilla recommended is sub-$200. I use an Aquabound Sting Ray (carbon shaft, nylon blades) and have been for many years. Check them out here...http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/...sories/paddles

Besides a good PFD and a comfy cozy seat...a carbon fiber paddle is the best coin you can spend. $.02:)


(copied from Onno's site)

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this is why carbon fiber is worth the $$.

very interesting and cool calculation. I appreciate quantifying how a lighter paddle will benefit you.

I love my adventure technology oracle angler. That paddle is designed for the kayak fishermen....

After joining this site I noticed a number of posts about sore wrists/arms/shoulders and the occasional injury. Well, along with my back injury I also suffer from DeQuervain's syndrome which is like tennis elbow but in the the tendon @ the top of the wrist. I suggest you research everything you can about "how to choose the right paddle".
Just my .02
FFY :sifone: