What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner

Per novice:
>I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
>i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
>seems too expensive.

Do some Googling. I did it a few months ago and found some discontinued
Carlisles for about $160. Didn't buy - had already made the mistake of buying
another brand.

One thing to check is the exact nature of the connection. I bought mine
assuming that for that kind of money the connection would be reasonably
ergonomic. Wrong!... turned out to be a hose clamp (as in automobile radiator
hoses...). Ouch!.
--
PeteCresswell
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

Steve Cramer wrote:
> novice wrote:
> > I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
> > i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
> > seems too expensive.
>
> There's a reason Epics are expensive. Between your bargain basement
> training kayak and your unpopular cost-factored paddle, it sounds like
> you're trying to break a record for best finish per dollar. Kayak racing
> isn't really that expensive, compared to, say, bike racing (race bikes
> run $4K+), or even golf, but you can't develop very far without decent
> kit. Lance does not have a Huffy training bike, believe me.
>
> Good luck. Write if you get on a podium.
>
> Steve
>
> --
> Steve Cramer
> Athens, GA


I will rent a fast boat to practice with at some point. I'm an
extremely mediocre runner and mountain biker so in the end this is only
about getting fit.
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

Marsh Jones wrote:
> novice wrote:
> > I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
> > i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
> > seems too expensive.
> >
> Do some checking around John Abrams (john@superiorsurfsystems.com)
> usually has some fairly inexpensive non-brand paddles, not Epic
> quality, but not bad. I handle Andrew Martin which are slightly
> heavier, but bombproof, Quickblade is very, very light, and not quite as
> expensive (or as pretty) as Epic. It just takes looking around. In any
> case, you can expect to pay anywhere from USD $250-$400 for a decent
> paddle.
>
> Another poster was suggesting that boat stuff prices are not that bad,
> and I'd agree. Compared to a single TT wheel, a paddle is CHEAP, and
> generally will last longer.
>
> Marsh
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

Marsh Jones wrote:
> novice wrote:
> > I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
> > i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
> > seems too expensive.
> >
> Do some checking around John Abrams (john@superiorsurfsystems.com)
> usually has some fairly inexpensive non-brand paddles, not Epic
> quality, but not bad. I handle Andrew Martin which are slightly
> heavier, but bombproof, Quickblade is very, very light, and not quite as
> expensive (or as pretty) as Epic. It just takes looking around. In any
> case, you can expect to pay anywhere from USD $250-$400 for a decent
> paddle.
>
> Another poster was suggesting that boat stuff prices are not that bad,
> and I'd agree. Compared to a single TT wheel, a paddle is CHEAP, and
> generally will last longer.
>
> Marsh

thanks for the leads. looks interesting. thank you for the great answer.
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Per novice:
> >I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
> >i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
> >seems too expensive.
>
> Do some Googling. I did it a few months ago and found some discontinued
> Carlisles for about $160. Didn't buy - had already made the mistake of buying
> another brand.
>
> One thing to check is the exact nature of the connection. I bought mine
> assuming that for that kind of money the connection would be reasonably
> ergonomic. Wrong!... turned out to be a hose clamp (as in automobile radiator
> hoses...). Ouch!.
> --
> PeteCresswell

Good job. I will look into Carlisles.
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

novice wrote:
> I want the shaft length to be adjustable. cost is a big factor. I guess
> i'm looking for a good substitute brand that is not so popular . epic
> seems too expensive.
>
Do some checking around John Abrams (john@superiorsurfsystems.com)
usually has some fairly inexpensive non-brand paddles, not Epic
quality, but not bad. I handle Andrew Martin which are slightly
heavier, but bombproof, Quickblade is very, very light, and not quite as
expensive (or as pretty) as Epic. It just takes looking around. In any
case, you can expect to pay anywhere from USD $250-$400 for a decent
paddle.

Another poster was suggesting that boat stuff prices are not that bad,
and I'd agree. Compared to a single TT wheel, a paddle is CHEAP, and
generally will last longer.

Marsh
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

On 15-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:

> this is only about getting fit.

If you are only interested in getting fit and want to avoid the high price of
a wing paddle, just use a conventional paddle. Any paddle can be used
with a wing stroke. I even use a Greenland paddle with a wing stroke.

Mike
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

Michael Daly wrote:
> On 15-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:
>
> > this is only about getting fit.
>
> If you are only interested in getting fit and want to avoid the high price of
> a wing paddle, just use a conventional paddle. Any paddle can be used
> with a wing stroke. I even use a Greenland paddle with a wing stroke.
>
> Mike

I hope this is not a troll. Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic
paddles, then?
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

On 16 Jun 2006 21:48:11 -0700, "novice"
wrote:

>
>Michael Daly wrote:
>> On 15-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:
>>
>> > this is only about getting fit.
>>
>> If you are only interested in getting fit and want to avoid the high price of
>> a wing paddle, just use a conventional paddle. Any paddle can be used
>> with a wing stroke. I even use a Greenland paddle with a wing stroke.
>>
>> Mike
>
>I hope this is not a troll. Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic
>paddles, then?
>
for the same reason people pay huge amounts of money for magic golf
clubs. Tecnique and practice are a lot more important than graffite
shafts.
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

On 17-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:

> Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic paddles, then?

If you want high performance, buy a wing paddle. They will produce more
lift than a conventional paddle. However, a conventional paddle will produce lift
too, just not as much. If all you want is fitness, then speed is not the critical
issue. It you want to win a race, speed is critical.

Analogy: You can get fit by riding a $500 bike. You race on a $4000+ bike.

BTW - my conventional paddle cost $400. A wing costs $500. My Greenland
paddle costs $30. I use my Greenland paddle more than any other.

Mike
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner 

Michael Daly wrote:
> On 17-Jun-2006, "novice" wrote:
>
> > Why would people pay 500 bucks for epic paddles, then?
>
> If you want high performance, buy a wing paddle. They will produce more
> lift than a conventional paddle. However, a conventional paddle will produce lift
> too, just not as much. If all you want is fitness, then speed is not the critical
> issue. It you want to win a race, speed is critical.
>
> Analogy: You can get fit by riding a $500 bike. You race on a $4000+ bike.
>
> BTW - my conventional paddle cost $400. A wing costs $500. My Greenland
> paddle costs $30. I use my Greenland paddle more than any other.
>
> Mike

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience, guys:)
 >> Stay informed about: What type of wing paddle for racing sea kayak for beginner