PPL

I’m a newbee at ww and looking to get myself my first bent shaft paddle. My reason for considering it has nothing to do with wrist or joint pain of any kind, rather, it has to do with orientation, meaning I will more instinctively know the angle of my blade especially on a “blink of an eye” brace or when a quick roll is imminent. Because of the fact that straight shafts are more prevalent I haven’t had the chance to find one to borrow to see for myself. The only other choice is to purchase one but I’m reluctant to pay out the dough for a good paddle unless I here from some of you veterans that I am or maybe I’m not in lala land.

Also for those of you who are bent shaft aficionados is there a big difference in feel between the Werner neutral bent shafts vs the AT type shaft?

There isn't much difference, its really whichever you prefer, and if you are new to the sport, you might as well save $100 and go for the straight shaft. then you'll have more cash for other gear, and you can get a b/s once its time to get another paddle if you like them better.

Really, I'd stick with the straight shaft. You save a couple of hundred bucks and Wrist problems is really the only reason the get a bent shaft. I started with a straight shaft last summer and I have switched because my wrists started to swell but I'd d the same again, I know many more people with no problems than with them.

As to whether there is a difference, yes there is, but neither is better than the other, it depends what feels best. The AT has a sharper bend and is more flattened and I prefer the Werner, if you go for one of them, grab hold of them in the store and play with it for 10 minutes.

Hope it helps.

kayakSA wrote:

If you don't have wrist problems, then I'll stay away from a bent shaft/cranck shaft. I'm currently paddling a werner straight shaft, but also tried the H2O cranck. It is very comfortable, but they break. I just struggle to trust the bent shaft paddles. Been to the Nile and at one camping spot they have a couple of paddles on the wall which broke. of the 15 paddles on the wall 13 were bent shaft. Again on a trip to Chile last year we ran a 15m slide that leads into a 5m drop. Not hectic concidering the amount of the water going down. I ran it and hit the water in a low brace position (not what I planned to do) and my paddle held. My mate ran the same drop and tucked his H20 c\bent shaft perfectly and snapped. Don't get me wrong, if you are looking at doing grade 3/4 rivers and play boating, i would think about a bent shaft. Steep stuff - straight shaft.
Good luck man!

To make cranks as strong as straight shafts would make them even heavier than what they are. I do agree that they are weaker. The bends add in a factor which results in higher stress concentrations during loading. Philip always gives me hard time with my H20, everytime... H20 does offer an 18 month warranty against manufacturing faults.

BUT, I still love mine Suppose it also depends on luck, or the lack thereof.

If you're just looking for the orientation aspect, (knowing where your power face is facing), no need for a bent shaft; many paddle companies have oval-shaped grips for that very reason. I know that Aquabound has this feature, but several other companies do the same thing with their straight-shafts. Incidentally, you could probably put several layers of tape on one side to thicken it up, and then wrap a layer around the whole thing for grips.

Hope this helps.

jestering wrote:

If you're just looking for the orientation aspect, (knowing where your power face is facing), no need for a bent shaft; many paddle companies have oval-shaped grips for that very reason. I know that Aquabound has this feature, but several other companies do the same thing with their straight-shafts. Incidentally, you could probably put several layers of tape on one side to thicken it up, and then wrap a layer around the whole thing for grips.

Hope this helps.

Yeah thats what a lot of people do here. Even just a strip or two of plastic, like from the lid of a 2 litre ice-cream container. Makes a more oval shape. Then just tape if up or if you have the blades off the shaft then some heat shrink tubing is a bit neater. Obviously only on your control hand. For most people this is your right hand.

I agree with everybody on this one that a decent paddle with a straight shaft will have an ovalised grip and so be easy to orientate.

Having a top of the range paddle might make you a bit of a better paddler (say 5%). However having a great paddle will make your enjoyment of paddling, just putting your blade in the water, increase 500%!

Wrist problems all have to start sometime so starting off with a bent shaft is not such a loopy idea. I'd say it depends on how much you paddle in a year. More than 200 days? Go for the bent shaft.

I've not felt that much difference between AT and Werner and after a couple of weeks paddling you get used to \"your\" paddle. One thing to note is once you have used a bent shaft you don't want to go back to a straight. Same as once you have owned a great paddle going boating with some plastic snowshovel just doesn't cut it anymore!

neilnt wrote:

One thing to note is once you have used a bent shaft you don't want to go back to a straight. Same as once you have owned a great paddle going boating with some plastic snowshovel just doesn't cut it anymore!

I couldn't agree more! Sometimes it might seem like a lot of cash to fork out, but worth every

On the orientation front, yep lots of straight shaft paddles have a groove or whatever so you know...check them out!
Try out a pair of Waterstick Zens...awesome

no more Waterstick. Steve designs for H2O Paddles now.

Bent shaft is for more than just your wrist. It relieves a bit of stress on your elbow and shoulder too.

If it's only a grip orientation thing then I'd suggest starting to experiment with your own solutions. You can take a cue from slalom paddlers who are constantly playing with their equipment (shafts).
Glue a few layers of cork onto the grip area and you can sand it to the shape you want. If you get really motivated you can make a nice, four finger pistol type grip. You can do the same with minicell foam, wood, plastic.

I am a big fan of bent shaft paddles because of the \"locked in\" feeling I get from them. And even though I never had wrist problems that I noticed while paddling straight shaft, once I made the switch I noticed that my grip was stronger (which indicates that I must have been putting some extra strain on my wrist and forearm)

ScottBarnes wrote:

no more Waterstick. quote]


That seriously sucks.