With small blade ( carbon ) roughly what should I expect to pay ?

Thanks in advance

hows 3 to 5 hungie sound

Spend the bit extra being about $500 for a good quality blade that will outlast any cheaper ones on the market. Start with a friends adjustable to get the right length, then shell out on a Ke Nalu, Quickblade or Kialoa paddle. If you're racing or just surfing, a more type specific will be better for that discipline.
I have the Ke Nalu which will do both very well, also if you buy the extended T handle, it can be reset to a longer or shorter length quickly without fuss. Having a lighter paddle is a bonus, also the better brands will offer dealer support in the event of a rare breakage. Good luck.

Hi Sands,

A better question is what paddle suits my paddling style. There are heaps of good paddles around ranging from $200 to over $500. For the most part, (but not always), you are buying performance.

If you are a recreational paddler and into longer paddles up/down river or just enjoy paddling with the missus and kids, then full carbon may not suit you. Yes carbon is light, but also stiff, and stiff isn't necessarily good unless you need to lay down some power.

For surfing and racing, a full carbon gives you the rigidity to put down power without performance loss through shaft or blade flex. Very stiff paddles are great for sprinting and accelerating quickly but may cause you some elbow or shoulder pain. A softer flex may be of more benefit if you don't need that big acceleration.

Blade size and shape also play a big part as well as dihedral etc.

Bottom line is that the paddle is a really important part of the kit you use and can be a fair old investment if you are going to buy a quality paddle. Drop in to see your local shop and ask some knowledgeable staff member to give you a hand in determining the right paddle for you. You may find you don't need a full carbon paddle. Perhaps a combo of glass blade and carbon shaft is the go or any variation on that.

Just food for thought.

DM

Agree Sparx. They are tough as nails. Comes complete without a cover. No need to cover these tough things up. My personal opinion is that a cover is waste of time! Unless checking into an airline, or similar.

Hey SandS, have a look at the video DJ made of the Great Melbourne Paddle www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Starboard-Great-Melbourne-Paddle-vid/ and watch Annabel paddle, she really gets her legs, glutes, hips into each stroke. A lot of forward motion generated from bringing her hips forward as she prepares for the next catch. Jacko and Ang look similar, obviously I'm simplifying things too much here, would be great to hear from Jacko on this. Paddled quite a bit with her over the last couple of weeks and she has changed my stroke, she says that paddling is NOT an upper body sport and that you get the real power from your strongest biggest muscles, glutes and quads. Anyway I've started using shorter paddles and getting more body motion into my stroke (well trying!) and it takes a huge load off the shoulders. I've been having trouble with one shoulder and it's partially because I was just powering everything from upstairs, started using my surf paddle which is 7" overhead for everything and going to go shorter for surf.
Don't get too caught up with changing paddles to fix things like sore shoulders, I'm convinced at lot of it is to do with technique. Of course light is good, you are just wasting energy with heavy paddles, super light paddles are like night and day to 'regular' paddles, spend a little more and look after your body IMO. I'm really noticing the difference my very light KenNalu makes to fatigue over longer distance. (pimp alert, I'm importing them!!)

Having had 2 laminectomies, I have gone to a smaller blade and tried several different brands that friends had including Naish adjustable (great paddle and value for money), Werner, Quickblade and have found the Kialoa Pipes to be spot on for my needs. The smaller blade makes getting onto the wave easier and faster increasing the wave count. I also use it in the flat as it just makes the paddle more enjoyable for me.

Disclaimer: (My daughter is sponsored by Kialoa)

Phill

If your having shoulder issues it may also be better to change the shaft not just the blade. Carbon may be too stiff for you and you light need to look at something a bit heavier like fiberglass.

As jonathon mentions paddling isn't at its most effective when just bring driven by up stairs. Check out theoceanathlete blog that Woogie is constantly adding to. His philosophy is that you have to start with a good base i.e. the feet/legs/hips etc. I think he is up to his eighth vid and is only just getting onto the actual stroke and all great stuff you can do at home.