Tripping Paddles

[Black_Fly]

I'm in the market for a new single blade paddle for solo river tripping. Been looking at the BB Expedition Plus, but you folks probably have some better options in your garage. First priority is durability, then weight and efficiency.

 

[recped]

I like my Werner Bandit (full carbon). It's held up better than any of the wood paddles I previously used (I'm know for destroying gear).

 

[yellowcanoe]

I'm in the market for a new single blade paddle for solo river tripping. Been looking at the BB Expedition Plus, but you folks probably have some better options in your garage. First priority is durability, then weight and efficiency.

I have a BB Espresso ST ( no longer listed) it has held up for ten years. It has a palm grip for lake paddling but the T grip on the BB E+ would be better for rivers. Durability is not an issue. But I ordered a Sunburst and sent it back right away.. Be very careful measuring shaft length.. For example the length of the shaft on the 58 inch BB E+ is 39 inches.. Meant for a very tall torsoed person.. You do want to go long for cross draws on moving water but that might be a tad much.

 

[Black_Fly]

Yeah, ordering unfamiliar paddles is a crap shoot without holding it in your hand. The BB Explorer Plus I have is just a smidge long in 56", whereas other paddles in that length work well.

 

[Alan Gage]

I cracked the blade of my BB Expedition Plus 1 1/2 weeks into a 6 week trip. I think it got wedged between two rocks while paddling up a rapids but can't say for sure since I didn't feel anything unusual; just heard the wood crack.The paddle was relegated to light duty after that. My lightweight carbon paddles have taken much more abuse without issue.

Alan

 

[Canotrouge]

What kind of river trip are talking about, ww or just moving water, or a combination of both? for moving/flat water, I really like my hand made sitka spruce or cherry paddles, but for ww I really like my ZAP paddle, I use to use Werner Bandit carbon, but they ware out too quick. If you like bent shaft there is a few option, but none of the ultra light weight one are durable enough IMO, Maybe LeVass they are a bit sturdier than Zaveral for the same weight!
paddle are so personal, it is hard to give suggestions.

 

[frozentripper]

My guess would be that carbon paddles are more likely to show uniform durability from paddle to paddle, within the same type. Wood can be variable from board to board and might be variable wrt strength characteristics. Individual boards can have internal flaws that can make the odd one snap easily... paddlemakers will say that they select only the best boards but there's always a chance (I once paid top price for a board and it snapped right away after some bending).

There is a cherry paddle that has evidence that a knot existed near the throat, it still has not snapped, but since it was a gift, I don't complain. Carbon paddles shouldn't be subject to that kind of variability.

I make my own now and the most durable wooden ones are probably overbuilt for what they're going to be subjected to... and weigh in heavier than carbon.

 

[Iskweo]

We have a carbon bent ( Raven) that is a joy to use on long paddling days but only on flat water. It flutters a bit when you really dig in hard. If the going gets shallow or rough I like to swtich to my wooden ones.
I tend to use two wooden paddles most of the time. MEC products, grey owl I think. I am more concerned with the shape than the material. I have a nice otter tail and a lovely sugar island that is tough to beat.
A $100 paddle is a lot better than a $30 one but a $300 dollar paddle is not noticeably better than $100, for me anyways.

I have tried some of Doug Ingram's paddles though and they are really really nicely balanced. Maybe a retirement present to myself?

Christy

 

[Woodsman1776]

The paddle I use most when paddling my larger canoe (Mad River Royalex 17') is a Grey Owl Bent-Shaft. I've been using this paddle for more than 30 years. I probably bought it with the intention of only using it on flat water, but it turns out I use it everywhere; flat water and quiet rivers, streams, and rocky bottom rivers complete with rapids; thus it's taken a beating.

It's been put through it's paces and has held up extremely well. I have other paddles that are the same age, but cost a lot less. They have splits in the blade where the Grey Owl does not. The grey owl is reinforced. I like my grey owl bent shaft paddle. Because I don't know any better, I'd buy it again.

It's 52" long, the blade is about 9" wide. It weighs about 27 ounces. Here's a picture...

 

[Mason]

My new Expedition Plus also split early in a trip. Duct tape saved that and two other new BB paddles in the trip. I've also had good luck with Grey Owl paddles, some over 30 years old.

 

[memaquay]

https://greyowlpaddles.com/project/sugar-island/ Reasonable price, ok weight, feels good, looks good. My paddle of choice when I'm not using one I built.

 

[recped]

When I started serious paddling in the mid 80's I used Grey Own Hammerheads, I still have them and use them for spares even though they are very beat up. About 5 years ago I bought the Werner when I had to abandon all my gear on James Bay (retrieved later). Now I wouldn't go back to the Grey Owl except in situations like this year when my paddles etc. were being shipped back from Ungava Bay. I also take along a nothing special Otter Tail (Redtail) to use on flatwater portions of my trips or when I'm feeling weak.

 

[gumpus]

I agree with Alan Gage. My Zaveral carbon paddles have taken many hard hits on rocks while driving upstream and they take it well. You may owe it to yourself to get one and use it hard and start building confidence in carbon fiber paddles. I also agree with frozentripper in that wood paddles have much more variability in weight and flexibility and blade shape too...if you order a wood paddle it may flutter (unless you order a Quimby and then it almost surely will not flutter). You're going to have to take 2-3 paddles on a trip anyway. Zaveral offers 4 lay-ups...ultra light, light, medium, and recreational. In my experience they are all durable on rivers but for me the medium actually feels better than the lighter ones. You could order the recreational lay-up if you want max durability but overall I'd still recommend the medium. You can order a custom zero degree angle so you get a straight shaft paddle. You can order it a bit long (like 57 inches) and ask them to leave the grip unglued. You can hold the grip on with electrical tape so you can easily remove it and trim the shaft with a hacksaw a little bit at a time until it feels perfect to you. The Zav does not have a symmetric grip but their grip is indeed very comfy for most uses. Zav also offers various blade widths and I recommend 8 1/4 inch blade width (my favorite) or 8 1/2 if you like bigger blades. If you want to drive up to SW Michigan I might be able to give you a good deal on a straight shaft Zav and maybe even size it to you.

 

[Guest]

I cracked the blade of my BB Expedition Plus 1 1/2 weeks into a 6 week trip. I think it got wedged between two rocks while paddling up a rapids but can't say for sure since I didn't feel anything unusual; just heard the wood crack.The paddle was relegated to light duty after that. My lightweight carbon paddles have taken much more abuse without issue.

I have cracked a couple wood paddles in just that wedge scenario, and another when I whacked a submerged rock while desperately back paddling.

On the other hand I have yet to crack my BB Expedition Plus.

I think some of that it is attributable to the vagaries of wood from one paddle to another, even without obvious run outs or other suspect areas in the grain. I have cracked a couple of laminated wood blades across areas that looked sound and well grained.

A high quality carbon paddle, aside from the delightful weigh savings on every swing, should be made to more exacting standards than nature’s peculiarities in wood.

I would not buy a wood blade paddle without inspecting it first (and even then you really can’t tell), but buying a reputably made carbon stick sight unseen is a different story.

 

[Alan Gage]

Some pics of my cracked BB Expedition+. There's the obvious split on the very edge of the center paddle section but also a less obvious (but longer) one that extends through the back of Sadie's head. I think the fiberglass on both faces kept it from being a catastrophic failure.

20170313_009 by Alan, on Flickr

20170313_008 by Alan, on Flickr

My Zaveral carbon paddles have taken many hard hits on rocks while driving upstream and they take it well.

The only weak spot I've found on Zaveral (and presumably other carbon paddles) is tip abrasion. It's a thin edge and carbon doesn't have much abrasion resistance. It's fine for regular usage and banging off rocks but the years take their toll when you're paddling upstream in shallow water and it's scraping over rocks and gravel. I started wrapping the edges of my carbon tripping paddles with a layer or two of dynel. It's ugly as heck but doesn't add noticeable weight and really seems to helps with wear.

This is a carbon covered cedar paddle I made but you get the idea:

20170313_002 by Alan, on Flickr

20170313_001 by Alan, on Flickr

I used fill coats of epoxy and sanded to blend it in before the final finish (not seen here).

Here's a Zav after one of my trips. You can see the dynel that wrapped the edge was scraped away but even then it greatly slows down the wear. This one had two layers.

20150904_002 by Alan, on Flickr

Alan

 

[gumpus]

So Alan, how did you manage to break that blade? The paddle still looks plenty serviceable, maybe with a bit of gorilla tape.

Agree with Alan's comment about tip abrasion on Zav's with heavy river use but on other hand the tip is solid carbon for more than half an inch and that's a lot of abrasion...plus you'll be lucky to live long enough to wear out a Zav or two. Just FYI I have sometimes just mixed up a small batch of epoxy and dipped in a toothpick and just rolled the toothpick along the tip of the paddle blade to provide a sacrificial edge and I also sometimes put a strip of electrical tape over the edge to hopefully give the blade tip a bit more impact resistance...like on the Moore Cue shown in the pic.

I also wanted to comment that once one finds a great wood paddle and then breaks it, it is still likely that it can be repaired! Pic shows two Grey Owl Freestyles which was my go-to paddle in the 90's. Both were broken repeatedly by hitting rocks while paddling upstream and both were eventually repaired by Ron Sell of Unadilla Boatworks and with carbon reinforced tips both are now better than new.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

Broke a Grey Owl freestyle one time and the wife broke her Sugar Island. When I was repairing that one I was disappointed to find that the contrasting wood stripes were simply dyed.

I've had an old expedition plus for for many years with only minor edge repairs required

Foxworx paddles are worth taking a look at. We have a couple that have good edge protection. They don't get as much use as they have a big blade area that I find hard work on my shoulder.

 

[memaquay]

I've broken two Grey Owl Sugar Island paddles, but they were abused well past the point of moral righteousness. When I was younger, I snapped many shafts on a variety of paddles. I also broke many poles while cross country skiing. I don't know if there is a correlation, but the only snapping sound I hear lately comes from my shoulder joints.

 

[Odyssey]

I don't have much experience with assorted paddles but have been fussy with final choices in a moderate price range. But if I ever feel compelled to pour lots more money into that hole in the water we call canoe & gear I'll run right out and get another canoe or two, and fill out my wish list with a carbon and another more attractive wooden paddle, but I'm not there yet. In the meantime I'm making do with a couple Grey Owls and am very happy with their durability, weight, efficiency and cost. I never tire of them; at the end of a day on the water they still feel good and right. They will outlast me no problem. I am not hard on my stuff. That helps. I also made the point of handling them in the store. I won't buy pants I can't try on in the store. I won't buy a paddle I can't try on in the store.

As an aside I wonder why no-one considers the economy end of paddles? https://store.carlislepaddles.com/ca.../Canoe_Paddles
I loved these provided by outfitters. Durable? Yes. Weight? Fairly light yes. Efficient? Um. Next question please. Cost? Attractive yes. Fashionable? Don't be silly.
I would use these as beater blades with value. But if you are beyond this then by all means move on up to nicer sticks.

 

[Zac]

I've used a few wooden, bent shaft Grey Owl paddles and I think highly of their durability. I have found them to be heavier than other brands.

I've used plenty of BB's, mostly specials, and the new ones have some great abrasion resistance with their "rock guard" going all the way around the edge. Last summer my family group had a BB Special crack in the blade similar to what Alan experienced. I gave it two wraps of gorilla tape and we paddled out without any problems. Now I want to take it on another trip just to see how long it will last before breaking into two pieces.

I believe Caviness makes the cheapest wooden bent shaft paddles. I have used one and found it equivalent to the BBs I normally run.

The only paddle I've ever broken was being used to pry a canoe off of a submerged root ball so the way I see it the paddle was not to blame.

I started refinishing abused wooden paddles a couple of years ago. Sanding the finish off, filling gouges with epoxy, reworking the grips, fiberglassing the blades, epoxy-ing the edges and varnishing. In the last year I've made a couple laminate bent shaft paddles as well. I'm quite the novice woodworker and even less of a glasser but I've produced some functional if ugly paddles. I'm a user and an abuser so finish level is pretty low on my list. The two bent shafts I've made were with WRC and Aspen. The shafts I made with 1/4 inch strips that I put through a home built steamer before clamping into 2x6 molds. With both sides of the blades covered in 4oz glass and varnished they are lighter than the (shorter) BBs and the Caviness laying around here. Durability has not been tested much yet but I have confidence and will be on a mission to destroy them next summer.

What I've done with the edges is really simple and primitive: straight gflex. I add a big gob of warm epoxy to one edge of the blade near the shaft and then stand there patiently holding the paddle just right to let gravity pull the epoxy down the edge all of the way around, leaving a uniform bead. Most of the time I do this standing in front of a wood stove to keep the epoxy's viscosity up. I purposefully leave 1/16 of an inch or so of fiberglass on the edges for something extra for that epoxy to bite in to. I will 'tool' it with a spitty finger towards the end (I am a caulker by trade) to maximize adhesion and produce a smooth-enough finish. Eventually I want to start using Dynel rope for this but for now they've held up alright and I know repairing this simple edge will be easy.