Tell me about your favorite paddle

[Jonas Sjöblom]

I really like the curve on that grip Phil! It's exactly what I mean I like on grips. It lets you angle the hand so the thumb points down just a little bit.
What do you mean by a bit rounder? Rounder seen from the side or a rounder top curve?
Which are the fixes you made to it?

 

[Philtrum]

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Jonas,

In the first picture, you can see my Grey Owl freestyle paddle. It's the second one from the left. That's what I call a round grip. It's the template I use for reshaping grips. I reshaped the grip on the paddle on the far left - a Bending Branches Expresso Plus - but made it a little flatter (and gave it a thumb notch and a little flat spot for the heel of my hand).

The following pictures show what was wrong with the paddle you asked about. What I didn't photograph was the misalignment of the shaft indexing and the irregular shape of the center rib from the throat to about mid-blade. I was able to correct both of those problems.

 

[Jonas Sjöblom]

It's very helpful to see the changes you made phil! Especially on the grip where it's actual design changes and not just corrections of carving mistakes.
I too have found those hard edges on grips annoying. I made that mistake on my first paddles and have had to go back and correct them. It seems many here like a flat area on the grip, and I do too. So I will try such a design on my paddles.

 

[Muskrat]

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I thought about starting a favorite paddle thread tonight. Figured it had been done so I did a search and look what I found. I don't think my favorites have been mentioned yet. For flat water I love my Badger tripper. It is the now called classic style with the round shaft and small grip. I have smaller hands so it fits great. My girlfriend was griping this weekend when I brought us four paddles for a couple hours on the lake. She was right in the end. I used all three of mine for a bit, while she was content with her bent shaft bending branches, until I stuck with the Badger. It just feels so right on open water. For river tripping I have several to choose from, but I'm always drawn to my Sawyer Ranger X. I thought it was over the top when I bought it, outright gaudy, but it looks better to me every time I pick it up. It is a beast. Weighs as much as a Carlisle or maybe a little more, but that never stops me. The only wood paddle that might be stouter is a Mitchell with an aluminum edge. It's a total beater paddle that makes you feel like it's so much more divine. The Aquabound Edge or the Werner Bandit sit lighter and jealously bungeed into the backup position along the thwarts, hoping the ranger will go floating downstream never to be seen again.

 

[Odyssey]

My two Grey Owl paddles. The 54" "Voyager" on the left is just big enough for moving us along in a hurry, and comfortable enough for pitch and Canadian strokes. The 57" "Chieftan" on the right feels more subtle with in-water strokes. Both have identical shaft lengths.