this summer i lost my paddle in a nasty beat-down at high water, and finally i've gotten myself to buy new one. i've been looking around the web, but i cannot really make up my mind..

my first paddle was a robson red, but i didn't really like it too much. since i lost it, i've been borrowing a tywarp warp 11 form our kayak club. even though it's supposed to be crap, i've been quiet happy with it and wondering whether to go for a crank warp 2.

some czech friends of mine highly recommended galasport, but i don't have any experiences with those paddles. i've been wondering about the talon alpha blades, probably with bent shaft, but it's pretty hard to tell from the pictures on the web..

anyone having some experiences with those paddles? especially galasport? i know, everyone is talking about the werner's, but i have to keep the budget quiet low..

when i e-mailed galasport about the prices, they thought bent shaft isn't really that neccesary, even though some prefer it. is that right? i've been having quiet a lot of problems with my elbows after kayaking, but the crank paddles are supposed to take off the pressure rather from the wrist, aren't they?

any advice will be really appreciated!

(i'm a girl, about 160 cm tall, doing some playboating and some creeking, up to class IV)

If you can, try out an H20 paddle:
www.h20paddles.com/whitewater.php

I've got the H20-Team and the H20-2 and I'm super happy with both of them. Bloody comfortable and the grip is amazing. The neutral bent shaft is awesome. The blade is sweet and has zero flutter. Seeing as though you're also into play boating, try the H20-Team. It has a little less power than the H20-2 blade and should suit you quite nicely. They are not that expensive. It may/may not help with your elbow. Get someone else to check your forward paddling stroke. That may be the cause. Good luck and have fun.

Cheers,
Adrian

if you're looking for a cheaper pair of cranks you could go for a set of AT4s their pretty cheap for cranks (£150 uk) or i paddle a a set of werner cranks, a bit priceier but i like them

hth

Do not buy galasports - they live from month to half of season depends on how intensive u use them, than one of your blades gonna broke. This happen with 5 paddles from 7 bought in our city last 2 seasons.

Do not buy Mitchell - it's really light and good shape, but they braking even oftener than Galasports, I have one, but use it ONLy on wave or in pool.

Take somethin like werner sherpa - a bit expensiver than galasport, but reaaly good shaped and strong paddle.

thanks a lot!

yeah, i think you're right! it's playboating that is the big beast...before i started with whitewater, i was kayaking those racing kayaks on flat water for a couple of years, so that technique seemed going kind of smooth. but when i got into the shorties, it didn't really work, because i struggled keeping the direction. i'll start working on it again!
thanks!!!

hi buffa,

i can only recommend ty warp paddles. i have been using warp 10 for quite a while with no issues at all. i really like them blades and they are a good deal, too.

cheers, holger

I reccomend a Lendal Kinetic.
Its got nice wide blades and is very light
I've used mine for 2 seasons on some grade 2-3 water and I haven't had a problem with it.

They're also Quite cheap (£70-£90)

..Ross