Sea Kayak Paddles 

(Note: We no longer sell paddles but continue to publish this information to help you choose a paddle you will love)

We are serious about the paddles we use. You will use your paddle to make upwards of 10,000 strokes a day. Your paddle is the last place you should try to save money by buying lower quality. We’ve performed many experiments to discover what paddle attributes are the most important to us. Our goal was to use the best ourselves and sell both the best and the best values. Perhaps you have read Matt's article detailing paddle experiments in the Spring 1992 issue of Sea Kayaker. (p.39). We hope you can also benefit from our research (and obsession) to find the best. Every quality paddle that came in our door is weighed (and the weight is listed on the price tag). 

1. Are light, especially in the blades for a low swing weight. (This means they are easier to hold and require less effort lifting the blade each stroke. They are quicker bracing and shorten the interval between strokes -- less time for the kayak to decelerate.)
2. Are strong and durable
3. Are well balanced (some equate this with low swing weight, but we mean it doesn't spin in your hands -- until the heavy side is down -- if loosely held)
4. Are solid and predictable with either face when stroking or bracing
5. Don't flutter, zigzag or circle around its "spoon" during a stroke
6. Don't leak
7. Don't readily transfer heat (don’t cool hands)
8. Require little or no maintenance
9. Have plenty of oval over a long area of the shaft (providing better control with a looser more relaxed grip)
10. Don't pick up and throw a lot of water into the air, and on us as we paddle
11. Have a blade size (or shape) that clears the deck at the start of a stroke without the paddle being too long
12. Does not ventilate (get a lot of air behind the blade on a hard stroke)

There are some areas such as blade feather where knowledgeable paddlers disagree so we stock most of the rational choices--including left feather paddles. Warning: avoid feather angles around 45 degrees, while seductively nice to paddle with they become unmanageable tyrants when paddling into a strong wind. One blade dives down and the other lifts up as you swing it forward. This problem disappears by around 70  degrees of feather angle. Also paddlers using unfeathered paddles might want to consider smaller blade sizes for less resistance in head winds.

We once stocked the paddles that had the best feel, lightest weight, and top quality construction in each price range. We stocked paddles from Lightning, Epic, Grey Owl, and Aquabound. Each of these companies have models or features that made them the paddle of choice for certain styles, purposes, or price range. The models we stocked were the ones that best fit our above criteria. We felt confident offering our money back guarantee of satisfaction on any of them.

LIGHTNING PADDLES
Standard fiberglass Lightning paddles feature a heat and pressure cured epoxy/fiberglass shaft made especially for paddles by a firm that produces pole vaulting poles This blue shaft is not cheap (except when compared to ultralight graphite shafts) but its reputation for liveliness and durability is unsurpassed.

Hank Hays, owner of Lightning Paddles heat forms the ends of the shaft and adds a urethane foam plug that fits perfectly into a two sided blade mold. The epoxy/glass blades are then formed over the shaft under heat and pressure (rather than glued on the shaft later as is most commonly done in paddle manufacture. The blades fit so evenly over the pre-shaped shaft and core that almost no filler material (extra weight) is needed, and leaks in the blade or joint are nearly impossible.

The smooth thin blades are laminated with S-glass or graphite cloth using epoxy resin (the toughest available). The swing weight of the standard fiberglass model is less than graphite paddles from most companies, yet they are stronger than most river paddles. The thin blades pick up very little water so you stay drier. The thin smooth blades allow effortless and neutral side to side motion underwater, making Lightning’s an absolute delight for virtuoso paddlers. We've used the thin strong blade to hack our way out of kelp that steep waves deposited over our decks.

In the past cosmetics took second place to function in the Lightning paddle line. Considerable weight would have to be added to the blades in the form of gelcoat to give them a more cosmetically perfect "shelf appeal. As of 2000 with the change to epoxy resin in the blades they are now shiny and  more visually appealing (although the fabric weave is still visible).

The Lightning is the paddle design both Cam and I have continued to use for many years. They just feel right. Low braces and back strokes are solid and consistent--not mushy like some paddles with too much spoon or curve at the ends. The blade is in line with the shaft so the weight is centered with the shaft ands as a result the paddle stays where you left it no matter how light your grip (we call this "great balance"). It flutters more than Aquabound’s dihedral blades if you accelerate hard with a loose hand grip, but the flutter is easy to control and disappears at cruising speed. [Note: we've found the best way to control flutter on most paddles is to use a wing paddle type stroke where the blade slides out to the side as you pull back during the times (like accelerating) when a paddle is most likely to exhibit some of the falling leaf effect referred to as "flutter".]  With Lightning's forgiving blade shape the blade angle changes needed for sculling high braces or draw strokes seem to happen automatically.

The Standard Lightning blade is so forgiving I’ve become lax about technique. All I need to do is throw the blade into the water in front of me (at almost any angle) and pull back. The blade straightens itself out and turns my sloppiness into a reasonable stroke. The blades are curved lengthwise rather than in a true spoon shape. True spoon blade paddles usually require perfect placement and a firm grip or they slide off to one side or the other as you pull back, bumping the hull or even slipping from ones grip to spin a full circle around the arc of the spoon. The Lightning's forgiving nature, balance and very oval grips allow me to paddle with only my pulling fingers hooked around the shaft and my pushing hand open and not gripping at all. A light grip that puts less strain on my hands, wrists, and forearms is easy with this paddle, in fact I can press the tip of my index finger and thumb together with both hands so the shaft rattles around inside the circle and still paddle quite well. What's amazing is that you don't seem to have to give up anything in the way of high performance to get this forgiving nature.

At our request Lightning's shafts are more oval than most others. Hank uses a longer shaft ovalling mold (that a decade ago we hounded him for years to build) giving his shafts a much longer oval grip area than most paddles. When you move your hands on the shaft you still get the same hand fitting oval "feel" (and great paddle control with a light grip that lots of oval provides).

So far we’ve been describing the glass Lightning paddle. Ultralight Graphite Lightning's have the same great feel and control but the overall weight and swing weight are scarcely noticeable! After paddling with an Ultralight Lightning the weight of other paddles will become annoying when you go back to them. So take caution: you will become addicted by trying an Ultralight paddle just once and may lose your tolerance for other paddles. A one-piece Ultralight weighs about 1# 5oz., half the weight of many quality paddles.

For years I resisted a graphite paddle. Graphite blades were black and this made them nearly invisible to other boaters. Blades waving up and down are the most noticeable part of a kayaker. It seemed prudent in a world of drag boats and drunks to have high visibility paddle blades. We could have added reflective tape or painted the black graphite blades a bright color but that would have added weight as well as visibility. We carried a few black graphite paddles for racers and customers that wanted them, but for the above reasons (and the high price) we couldn't get behind them for the average paddler. The price also seemed high just to save a five or six ounces (Note: this was before "Ultralight" Lightning’s were introduced, they were ten ounces less than the Standard glass paddle at that time. More recently some excess weight has been shaved off the glass paddles and the difference is now about 6 ounces.

When Hank introduced the Ultralight he sent us one for comment. Once we tried it we were hooked and knew others would love it as much as we did. However, we were concerned about the visibility of black blades. Deciding to sacrifice cosmetics for function, we had Lightning add some white pigment in the resin to brighten up the blades without adding weight. This works well but causes a mottled appearance where the graphite weave shows through. If you're looking for perfect cosmetics you will pay for the extra weight with every stroke you take. We'll take function every time.

I know $339.95 is a lot of money to pay for a paddle, but I also know that if you try an Ultralight Lightning you not only won't return it (under our "free trial" guarantee) but will consider the money to have been well spent. If you let your paddling partners try it "for just a couple of minutes", they won't want to give it back. You'll insist because now that you have been spoiled by your Ultralight, their paddle feels more like a shovel. When you finally get them to give your paddle back, the difference will be even more noticeable to them and they will be dissatisfied with their old club. They will soon be calling us to order their own Ultralight Lightning. We love it!

I feel like a drug pusher reminding you of the free-trial you get with our 30 day money-back return policy, because I know you will become addicted the first time you try an Ultralight Lightning. Because they aren't as tough the fiberglass version we don’t recommend them for paddling powerfully up shallow rivers where hard shocks on the rocks are likely or for use in ocean breakers big enough to cause your kayak to do an ender. Maybe surf waves are called BREAKers for a good reason. Because the shaft wall is thin and stiff you should also try to avoid hitting or pressing a graphite shaft against a hard edge or point load that could dimple the thin wall. Graphite shaft breakage is rare but, unlike the fiberglass shaft, breakage does happen on occasion. The present graphite shafts are now stronger some of the earlier ones.

Lightning Standard blades (7 1/2" x 16") are asymmetrical and the stock color is white,. We stock: 0 degree and 75 degree (right or left) feather. We also stock some with slightly narrower fiberglass shafts (for smaller hands). Ultralight shafts are the same diameter as the thinner glass shafts. (I have huge hands and they feel just fine to me.) We stock most Lightning's in 220cm. and 230cm. (and some in longer and shorter lengths). Custom colors are $10 extra. Custom lengths, flat blades, smaller and longer blade sizes and symmetrical blades are all available. If you want to design your own shape send a pattern that will fit inside 8.5" by 21". However, I have tested many other blade shapes and sizes (using a saber-saw for instant new blade shapes) and couldn't do any better than the standard asymmetrical shape.

Expedition Glass Lightning: