So I've been looking for a neutral bentshaft whitewater kayak paddle, and have come to realize that you're paying a LOT more for bent shaft... Which makes sense, since it's more complicated to make. (Although AT has a fairly inexpensive Bent Shaft)

I was also looking at a review for Seven2's Axiom, and noticed that although it's a straight shaft, they've done two things differently.

1. Smaller diameter shaft - This gives the paddle more flex, which could be what you're looking for.

2. Angled Grips - These effectively turn the straight shaft paddle into a pseudo neutral bent shaft by angling the grip section of the shaft. It helps that the shaft is a smaller diameter, since this allows a more aggressive grip angle.

This is demonstrated in Michalis' review of the Axiom that can be found here .

A view of the grip:


Has anyone tried this to turn a small diameter shaft into a \"neutral bent shaft\"?

Will it work? If it does, I could take a $165 Werner Desperado Small Diameter shaft and give it the feel of bentshaft. This is quite a cost savings, seeing as Werner's cheapest bent-shaft is $305.

Any comments, feel free to post...

If a crankshaft is what you are looking for (after trying a few myself, even owning one, I know it is not my cup of tea) be aware that there is a lot of difference between crankshafts of different manufacturers.

One advantage of this approach could be that it would allow you to place the handles on where _you_ want your hands to be instead of where someone at a factory decides they should be.

This is the main thing I really did not like about crankshafts: the do not allow you to move your hands around like a straight shaft does.

It should be fairly easy to do this though: get yourself a paddle with a small diameter shaft without flattened areas (ie. a Werner is probably not a good idea). Or rather, get a set of blades and a separate shaft. Get yourself one of those oval plates used to make a grip on a round shaft (many slalom and polo paddles have this). Cut that oval plate in half and glue each half on either side of the shaft to create something like the Axiom's grip. At first I would do this with double sided tape so you experiment with the grips' positions. After you have found the perfect spot, glue the oval plates with epoxy so they won't come off. When dry, take some shrink wrap and cover the grip (it is not necessary but is easier on your hands in the longer run). (Re)Assemble the paddle (use heat glue so you can take the paddle apart if the grip is not to your liking) and give it a go. At worst, you don't like it and you have to start again or assemble the paddle as a regular straight shaft.

Just my 2 cents,

Cheers,

Michiel

Hey, yep I'm looking for neutral bent shaft, not crank, so that would be perfect, thanks for the post michielv!

I looked briefly for the oval plate grips you were talking about, but didn't see anything. Do they have a different technical name? Or maybe you could point me to a link/company that would have them if you would be so kind.

I'm wondering if shrink wrapping the grip will be durable and waterproof... What material would I use to shrink wrap it so that the shrink wrap wouldnt' be punctured and allow water to be trapped within the grip?

That's the one thing I couldn't figure out when I was initially thinking of this idea. I thought of wrapping the grip with a rubber racing bike grip, and perforating it evenly to allow drainage, or of fiberglassing a grip onto the paddle, since I have some extra fiberglass and resin on hand... Although that makes modifications more of a hassle.

The other thought I had was to shape the grips out of a light wood, and fiberglass them.

I like the idea of these pre-made grips though, it means a lot less work for me

I'll keep looking, but if you have a link, please share!

edit: All I've found is Yakgrips... which are not what is needed I'm searching for (Kayak Paddle Grips).
I also found this page which talks about buying smaller diameter shaft and using bike handlebar grip, as I had previously mentioned.


Kirk

The Neutral bent shaft is Werners shaft trade mark I believe? the reasoning behind them is that it bends forward then backwards for the bit you hold onto and then back again, thus keeping your hand in a neutral position and your wrist in a more comfortable alignment.

That said i have a set of Waterstick zen cranks with their own shaft ideas and they work really well and a set of AT2 on the way to me, feel very nice to use. I have also used the Robson and Lettman cranked shafts, and I can honestly say that they are all nicer on your wrists than straight shafts and each have thier own strength and weaknesses.

So the main types are Neutral bent/ Modified crank= werner Water stick, Lendal Double torque Robson, AT, H2o Lendal

another thing quite a few people in the UK found seven2 to be very poor quality kept breaking mainly the blades.

hope this helps

kirkmactavish wrote:

Hey, yep I'm looking for neutral bent shaft, not crank, so that would be perfect, thanks for the post michielv!

I looked briefly for the oval plate grips you were talking about, but didn't see anything. Do they have a different technical name? Or maybe you could point me to a link/company that would have them if you would be so kind.

I always call them that, they are used to make an index on the shaft so you know the position of your blades.

Most paddling companies sell them, especially if they assemble paddles in custom sizes and feathers. Double Dutch, Lendal, Rough Stuff all use them. Slalom paddlers and polo players know exactly what I mean

I'm wondering if shrink wrapping the grip will be durable and waterproof... What material would I use to shrink wrap it so that the shrink wrap wouldnt' be punctured and allow water to be trapped within the grip?

A regular shrink wrap tube should do it I guess. If you glue the oval index plate to the shaft (so the shrink wrap does not have to keep the index on its position) it should not really matter even if the shrink wrap gets damaged after a few years: its all plastic anyway.

I'll try to find a picture, otherwise I'll make one myself, of the oval index plate I keep talking about. I should have a few of those left in my garage.


Cheers,

Michiel