What do you think makes a good paddle? Width, length, angle, blade surface area, surf paddle vs race paddle differences. I know a lot of you have your personal preferences and have tried a fair few paddles. Interested to find out what people think considering we are always talking about boards.

Hi Adapt,

I think the question you are asking for is very non specific so you are going to get very broad non specific answers.

Paddles are even more personal than boards, length, stiffness, weight, shape, etc and then different paddles for different activities.

Maybe it's better to quantify your answer with what you use it for and for what level you are paddling at.

I personally like the Quickblade Magic 100 for racing and surfing. Very stiff, super light and a golf ball textured active face. I consider myself a fairly competitive racer and am 6'3" and 92kg.

For me, everything feels too soft in flex and heavy after using the Magic. These definitely won't suit everyone as the stiffness is serious, but incredible for changing power into speed.

DM

Hey adapt,

Fair call.

I'll throw down my thoughts for discussion purposes.

IMHO, cadence is more a result of shaft length than blade size although a smaller blade would be a bit quicker in and out of the water undoubtedly. A shorter shaft allows you greater leverage on the blade so the shorter the better in terms of direct power and control, but you lose stroke length so there is the trade off. With my style I prefer a longer paddle shaft and if I need to go shorter in the surf or in racing where I need to accelerate quickly with power, I just choke the paddle by a few inches which does the same job as a shorter shaft.

We have blades from as small as 83 sq in to as large as 120 sq in, and yes there is a difference in "slippage". I think for the average punter learning, you won't notice the difference between say a 90 sq in and a 95 sq in, but once you spend time on a paddle and then try something different, it is fairly evident.

IMHO things like Dihedral (which controls blade flutter) make a difference to beginners more so than experienced paddlers and are to SUP what slotted windsurfing fins were to the masses in the 80's, they solve the need for better technique with a band aid fix. If the technique is good, then you need less dihedral.

The dimples on my Magic? You notice the different "feel" immediately on your first catch. Is it any faster? Maybe ever so slightly, but hard to quantify so I wouldn't buy one for this feature alone. I'm more stoked on the swing weight and flex overall. The recovery is effortless as the paddle is only 16 ounces. Again, this reduces fatigue and allows a faster recovery stroke.

I think flex of the blade and also the shaft is far more important than shape of the paddle blade itself. This one is a real personal preference. I borrowed a friends paddle the other day at training and it had a softish flex, I found with the flex, that it kept the load more even on my body and actually made the effort more taxing on my arms thoughout the entirety of the stroke.

The stiffness of the Quickblade Magic allows the board to accelerate more rapidly and directly connected to input power in the forward part of the stroke. Once up to speed or mid stroke, the arms and body had a half stroke worth of reduced pressure which allowed a modicum of recovery and I felt less fatigue.

Hope this helps,

DM