I'm in the market for a new paddle. Light and good for fitness paddling and the odd race.

Several years ago when I bought my last paddle it was pretty much Quickblade or nothing else. Has anything changed since then?

Any advice would be great.

Cheers.

quickblade paddle are nice though they cost a bit more than others but if you really want one you should buy it.

I would suggest giving the new Starboard Bolt a try. I love this paddle. I tried the QB but couldn;t justify the cost.

Only advice i would give is make sure you try the size paddle you want for a good 30minutes plus. I got the Large and hindsite should have got the medium. My own mistake.

To answer the question yes imo they are still the best race paddles, but try wich one suits you best.I tried the Vdrive and that is almost an anchor where you pull on so much grip has the blade. The slightly more gentle Trifecta (97) suits me better.The tapered oval shaft is nice, but I choke a lot in the sprints and because of that I preferred the non tapered shaft (and make them a little bit less expensive as well)
Size: you really should try them. I,m 42, 188x92kg and paddle sometimes 2-3 times a week,but when its cold or when there are wind of waves periods once a month on my racer (more frequently in the waves). That is not often enough to keep the really high pace of the younger and fitter guys who put more effort in it. Because my pace is a bit lower I prefer a slightly bigger blade (97). a friend of me with a much faster pace loves his 84, but that was just too small for me....but again it really depends on your personal preferences and pace.
To compare, before the Trifecta I owned a QB Magic 90 and the feel the same in pull, but the Trifecta goes much easier in and out the water and feels smoother. Sounds weird but experience it yourself.

.Are the best for everything? imo not. In the Surf I prefer Kialua shaka, the methane and the Ke Nalu paddles with stiff Glass shaft for a bit more comfort.

TalkToMe said..

Markmyword said..
I would suggest giving the new Starboard Bolt a try. I love this paddle. I tried the QB but couldn;t justify the cost.

Only advice i would give is make sure you try the size paddle you want for a good 30minutes plus. I got the Large and hindsite should have got the medium. My own mistake.

Thanks all for your comments.
Thanks for that Markmyword.
How do I determine which size is best for me? Any advice here would be greatly appreciated.

Only way to find out is by trying different paddles. Go down to SurfFx or Roar. These guys have demo gear and i am sure will only be too happy to let you have a go. Alternatively if you come up to one of the BrisSup events, we all use a wide range of paddles and you might see/use something that never crossed your mind.

Go back a few years and the specialty paddle brands had it all over the board manufacturers paddles. It's not so cut and dry these days so I would check all offerings.

seaFreaks said..
Your paddle is the most important part of your kit!

So true. Basically, you can weed out the bad ones easily from their description (the heavy ones and the ones with crude - flat - blade shapes), and then we are all different, especially on our stroke cadence.

Then you should try find the most efficiency ones that still doesnt make your joints the least bit sore after a session.