Paddles

[cmcrooker]

What type of paddles are you all using? Are they feathered or flat? Whitewater or general purpose?
It seems like most of the folks at the Whitewater Rescue training in Jackson had Splats. I really liked my Manta Ray but lost it. I've been using an unfeathered paddle and am a little reluctant to go with the 45 degree Splats. I'm looking at the Aqua-Bound carbon Stingray 4-piece paddle (at REI for $160)
http://www.rei.com/product/767532
31.5 oz
"The Sting Ray is the "jack of all trades". Perfect for general-purpose recreational use and light touring, the Sting Ray excels at all kinds of paddling. Solid in the water and light in the hand, the soft dihedral cross-sectional shape of the blade gives flutter-free performance and great ease of use."
I used some kind of heavy, cheap paddle for the last half of my trip through Lodore and did fine with it. I'm wondering how much of a difference a whitewater blade makes compared to a general purpose blade.
Carol

[cmcrooker]

More info:
Both the Splat and the Manta Ray are 7.25x18"
while the Stingray is an inch narrower - 6.25x18"
Carol

[jshannon]

I had bought whatever that first paddle that was recommended a few years ago by alpacka on this site, probably a manta ray. I've used it mostly for other paddle trips from canoeing to kayaking and like it alot. I use it flat.

[andrewskurka]

Does anyone have experience with a Pacific Designs paddle? They seem to be about as light and affordable as PR paddles get. I found reviews of their T-1 paddle here: http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=1192, and they were mostly positive. At 190 cm this new Ultralight paddle doesn't seem long enough for standard use, at least according to my PR guide (Roman's book).

[Richard295]

Andrew,

I am responding to your paddle question from the perspective of a pack rafter, sea kayaker, and WW kayaker and I use a wide range of paddles. The Pacific Design's paddles are a good option for recreational paddlers but are not rugged enough for expedition use. Pacific Design's was/is? the OEM supplier of the Dory convertible rowing and kayaking paddle sold by Alpacka. Five people I pack raft with purchased Alpacka dories in combination with a Pacific Designs rowing/paddling convertible paddle.

I did two packraft trips last year with group members who broke Pacific Designs paddles. The first failure occurred on the Upper Sacramento River in CA. The shaft snapped from just powering a packraft during an up river ferry; the paddle did not hit a rock. That paddle set and the other sets owned by fellow pack rafters I know were then modified by the manufacture to add a reinforcing sleeve to the inside of the shaft about at the midpoint. After those modifications the shafts held up but the ABS plastic blades that are riveted to the shaft tore on a couple of blades that were next used on a SF Flathead river trip in Montana’s Bob wilderness. They have now all switched over to beefier paddles. I have used the same Werner 4-piece white water paddle for five years of packrafting and two multi-month folding sea kayak expeditions along the Alaska coast without any type of paddle failure. I have used a Werner one piece blade in my WW boat for five years without a paddle failure.

The Alpacka site recommends 210 cm length paddles for their boats. Roman recommends 215 cm lengths for pack rafts. I recommend that you purchase a copy of a forward stroke training DVD by Brent Reitz or Greg Barton and studying it. Learning this high angle racing technique will provide three packrafting benefits. First, you will learn to use your torso for propulsion rather than your arms. Your arms will tire but the large muscles of your torso will allow near effortless dawn to dusk paddling. Second, the high angle technique will minimize the yawing inherent in any short length boat such as a packraft. Third, you will be able to use a 210cm high angle white water paddle rather than a 215cm to help reduce the paddle weight. When you need to quickly power to avoid a rock or hole or brace in highly aerated water then the larger blade surface (min. of 1000 cm2) and higher thickness of a white water paddle provides a significant safety margin. 2 lb + is required for an adequate WW paddle. Also add drip rings to the shaft to keep you dry. Offset the paddle weight and drip ring weight by using a rubber bumper on the paddle shaft in place of hiking sticks. Use two halves of the paddle and drip rings to provide vertical friction in combination with rope or Velcro to hold up your tarp up.

With your long distance backpacking accomplishments legendary, you should easily qualify for a pro discount from a premier carbon fiber 4-piece white water paddle manufacture such as Werner or Lendal. For a lower price but less strength, Aqua Bound or Sawyer is also an option.

[andrewallan]

I've got a Splat, and other than problems with ferrules getting stuck (covered elsewhere), I think it's great. It has been EXTREMELY robust, and cheaper than anything similar I could buy in Oztralia. I do also use it for sea-kayaking, but I must say that my mate's expensive carbon fibre scooped out paddle (forgotten what brand) is a whole lot nicer and cleaner to paddle, but it's one piece and impractical for rafting. Overall I reckon the Splats are great.

[andrewskurka]

Richard295 -

Thanks for the excellent reply. What is the specific Werner model that you use and recommend? I'm definitely looking for something that will last -- not only because it's less expensive in the long-run but because on long expeditions I want to have confidence in the durability of critical gear, paddles included.

As a side note, it's been both fun and intimidating to enter the packrafting world. WW is mostly foreign to me and the volume of information about gear and technique is overwhelming at the moment. But, I see packrafting and other backcountry activities -- like climbing and skiing -- as central components of future expeditions that are more unique and adventurous than what I could do if I just stuck to backpacking.

Also, you mentioned the option of using paddles as trekking poles. Is this really worthwhile? My favorite poles -- the Backpacking Light STIX -- weigh just 8 oz for the pair (without straps or baskets, of course), and I'm inclined to think that the superior performance of legitimate trekking poles makes up for their weight, no? There is something to be said about the simplicity of using paddles for trekking poles, but there's the counter argument of weight v performance. Please share your insight...

Andrew

[Richard295]

Andrew,

I recommend that you use either a Sawyer packraft paddle or a carbon fiber Lendal touring shaft in combination with their carbon fiber XTi WW blades.

My pack rafting paddle takes substantially more abuse than the paddles used with my WW boats or touring boats. My experience is that backcountry travel typically includes a lot of shallow water (in which I end up using the paddle as a pole to push my self). Also while walking around the log jams and dangerous drops, I end up using my pack raft paddle as a walking staff to keep my balance amongst the river bank rocks.

I called Werner this morning to ask about a replacement for my Werner pack rafting paddle I have used since 2004. . That paddle is no longer in production. The closest current model is their fiberglass Corryvrecken. Their 4-piece WW shafts are only available in 194 and 197 cm lengths. They said that I could order a custom 4-piece touring shaft for their Corryvrecken (207-230 cm). Unfortunately they don’t feel it is strong enough for WW use at Class III and above.

Carbon reinforced nylon blades are used on the Aquabound Mantra Ray and Splat. Erin and Hig tried using the Manta Ray for an expedition but big chunks of the blade broke off after hitting rocks in cold weather. Another problem is that Nylon expands when it absorbs water and binds inside the shaft ferrules. Werner tried to use this lower cost material for WW blades and ended doing a recall. They ended up replacing all of these blades with fiberglass ones. If you sand down the ferrule so that it doesn’t stick after absorbing water, then it is too sloppy until it does absorb enough water. The Splat is a beefier blade but I think this material is still risky for cold weather use and it will still expand in the shaft ferrule and prevent disassembly.

The Sawyer hybrid material packrafting paddle was used by Erin and Hig on their most recent expedition. Since this was sponsored gear I don’t know if they are at liberty to candidly discuss any failures they experienced. Part of my paddling group has started using these paddles. They are definitely more robust than the Pacific Outdoor paddles. When I compare the Sawyer’s apparent paddle strength to my old Werner or a new Werner Corryvrcken touring paddle it appears sadly anemic by contrast. This may still be a viable option but, not the one that I am going to try next.

The Lendal 4-piece carbon fiber touring shaft (>200 cm length) in combination with their WW XTi blades appears to me to be the near ideal expedition pack rafting solution, although expensive. I have purchased this paddle configuration for pack raft testing this year.

If you are going to be backpacking more than paddling, then trekking poles are probably worth the weight. When pack rafting an equal or longer distance than backpacking I question the extra weight. I don’t need trekking poles for my shelter because the paddle is used in combination with one of my silnylon pyramid tarps (Gatewood Cape, Duo Mid, or Megalight). I use my PFD and foam torso pad on top of my inverted raft and under my silnylon tarp to sleep. When backpacking, I store my paddle blades in my packs hydration sleeve. I use the two shafts connected as a walking staff plus a rubber chair leg protector pushed onto the shaft bottom. It is similar to the staff that Colin Fletcher used to carry. I rationalize that it is one pound less in my pack and that it substantially aides my backpacking on rough terrain.

[Alpacka Raft LLC]

Andrew, I don't mind saying that - in this case as a representative of Alpacka - I'm really impressed by Richard's knowledge on this subject - and I'm enjoying learning more from reading his posts.

Our experience backs up what you're saying, Richard. Every paddle is a compromise. We recommend 210cm, because it seems to be the average-best for our boaters, but it ultimately depends on individual body mechanics, technique, etc. It's not a "right answer/wrong answer" situation.

Hig & Erin are at liberty to say whatever they want regarding any gear they recieved, paid for or provided, by Alpacka Raft. We don't do the "you can't say what you think" thing . Alpacka gave Hig & Erin some Sawyers to test for us - and they're welcome to publicly state all observations.

Cheers, -Andrew

[Hig]

Yeah, we really like to be able to say what we think. We certainly wouldn't accept a sponsorship if someone said, "Here's some cool gear. If you don't think it's cool, you're wrong, so you can't talk about it."

Before I go into the Sawyer Paddles, I'll say that neither Erin or I pay that much attention to the subtleties of the way paddle blades move through the water. In our experience the packraft's limits are not your ability to exert force on the water... we use a whitewater paddle on flat water and feel totally cool with that. What we pay attention to is weight (and swing weight), durability, alternative uses, and packability.

Sawyer Paddles:
Overall we loved these paddles. We were a little skeptical of those cedar cored blades and the clamp when we started, and then we beat the crap out of them for a year and were amazed at how well they did. They aren't perfect, but they're very good.

How we used them: We'd shove off beaches, run rocky rapids, and put our all into hard paddles around points against the tide. We also shoveled snow and sand, used them for shelter support, and packed them tight in our packs.

Blades: They are incredibly light. Basic construction is a cedar core, a transparent structural covering (fiberglass?), some carbon-fiber reinforcements, and a reinforced edge (also carbon fiber?). The cedar has a grain, so the easiest way to break them is straight cracks running the length of the blade. We had two cracks, one from shoving a paddle into a pack in a way that bent it along this line, and once when a large bear stepped on one. In both cases the crack was only through one side of the transparent covering, and we successfully repaired the paddle in the field using dental floss and Aquaseal (that's how we repair everything). The main sign of wear was along the edge. I think another month of abuse would probably wear through the edge in places. Also there was minor impact damage that extended into the wood at the point on the edge of the blade where the wood fibers are parallel to that edge. These happened fairly early on, but never spread.

Clamps: These paddles have a clamp that affixes to a cylindrical central shaft. We have a version of the paddle with two clamps, which is totally unnecessary and heavier, hence Sawyer has gone to one clamp and then a normal pin for their production version. The advantage to the clamp is that it allows arbitrary length and feather settings. We would change the length sometimes, I just measured it... Normally we'd use it at about 213 cm. To power against the current, we'd go down to the minimum of 204 cm. And when we were paddling the longboat we'd extend out to the max of around 235 cm. But we would have been fine with a fixed length paddle. The extendability was quite nice setting up our mid shelter, since you could pop the paddle into place and then extend to stretch the shelter tight. We also used the arbitrary feather to train ourselves out of feathering to a flat blade to lessen wrist fatigue. So overall the clamp is kind of nice, but not a necessity, and they add weight. The weakness of the clamp is that the coin screw that allows you to adjust the tightness bottoms out eventually. So once the shaft wears down a bit, it becomes loose even if you tighten the screw all the way. A host of ours, Kathy Todd in Valdez, pointed out an easy fix: Simply take the screw out and file off the end. In the field you could probably find an abrasive rock and achieve the same result more slowly.