Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
I’ve been using Vertical Element full carbon custom crank paddles for some time and love them. I was able to get a custom set of paddles (left handed) on a cranked shaft ordered and delivered within a couple of days (inc a weekend). Awesome service and a great British product.
James Bebbington has put this little promo together about VE.
You would think that choosing a paddle would be fairly straight forward. All paddles look the same and after all perform the same function. The difficulty lies in the huge range of paddles available. Walk into any kayak store and you will be presented with a wide array of what appears on the surface the same bit of kit.
Shaft options:
Shafts are available in lots of different materials and each has there own set of advantages and disadvantages. At the cheaper end if the market is the aluminium shafted paddle. They can feel cold to the touch and often have some form of insulation or covering in the areas that they make contact with your hands. The shaft in such paddles will also probably be straight.
The benefits of a straight shaft is that they have a familiar feel and are cheaper to produce than their cranked cousins.
Below is a series of images courtesy of Nick Wright showing the repair of a set of VE paddles.
The 2013 Tyne Tour is getting closer by the day.
Here are a few images taken on Sat 3rd November 2012 from Rescue Rock.
Hastings gives us a look at some of the new blade shapes and designs coming in the AT Paddles lineup but also lets us in on a new technology that will help ensure you never find yourself up a creek (with a broken paddle).
Repairing a paddle shaft is very similar to creating a set of split paddles. I have a pair of Werner Players that were pretty much brand new but had snapped near the right hand blade. The technique I use here could be used to repair the shaft on pretty much any paddle and could even be used to shorten or adjust the feather on a sound paddle.
Part I can be found here.
Part II can be found here.
Part III
Setting the correct feather of your paddle is critical. In the past I have always used an existing paddle and lined the new one up by eye. This can be hit or miss.
In order to set the feather correctly on this paddle I have decided to deploy a little bit of maths.
I want my paddles set at 35 degrees and I know that the diameter of my paddle shaft is 30mm. Using this I can calculate the length of the arc (this will make sense later on). I can rotate the two paddle shafts to match this distance and therefore set the feather angle. Continue reading
If you haven’t read MYOG – Split Paddles Part I then you can find it here.
Part II
The 27mm spigot arrived and I offered it to the paddle shaft and found it was a touch too big – less than 1mm at the most. Therefore half of the spigot that was to be fixed into the paddle shaft was sanded down with some aluminium oxide paper until I had a good tight fit. It’s important to try and sand evenly at all points around and along the spigot to prevent slop in the system later on.
If you ever need to call upon the set of spare (split) paddles stored in the back of your kayak the chances are that it must have got a bit fierce for you to lose/damage your normal set. If that is the case your spare set must me up to the job. Having an inferior set of spare paddles may not be the best idea. However shelling out hundreds of £’s on a fancy set of splits is quite painful on your wallet. Now and again you can find split paddles on ebay.
A couple of months ago I started a search for a suitable paddle to modify into a set of splits. The tools for the job were assembled. 1 x saw, 1 x tube clamp/cut guide, 1 x tape measure, 1 x Vernier gauge (everyone should have one these!).
Today I spent a few minutes taking the care of creating my own spare set of paddles. This started by cutting a perfectly good set of Werner Wenatchee in half. The Wenatchee design is a superb symmetrical blade made by Werner in the late 90’s/early 00’s. This set cost £40 a few weeks ago.
Continue readingThe Schlegel Topline paddle was probably THE paddle of the late eighties – mid nineties. Tough, hardwearing and almost indestructible. The Topline came in a number of flavours but the most distinctive was the River Safety edition. They have one blade painted neon pink and the other neon green/yellow for signalling on the river!
Continue readingSchlegels classic model has dominated the rivers of our planet for more than 10 years. Now improved with the very latest materials: fibre-reinforced, high-density foam for stiffer blades, aluminium protective insert around the edge of the blade. In addition there is the comfort of soft foam hand grips which minimise heat loss to the hands whilst increasing grip control. The blade is reinforced by the shaft running along almost its entire length, allowing the most powerful paddlestrokes in the toughest white water.
I have had a set of Seven 2 Signatures now for 4 months, in that time I have used them for playing and river running. These blades appear to be radically different to anything else available on the market at present. They feature some innovative solutions to some classic problems inherent to kayak paddles. Not all necessarily work.
The blades I have are 197cm length, so for someone of my height (5’6”) are a bit long. I have found the grips to be the best part of these paddles, the plastic molded grips mean you’re hands are in the correct place on the shaft every time, they are warm and non slip meaning you don’t get blisters (about 10 years to late in my case). Although I have never suffered with wrist and elbow pain when paddling I am told that the angle of the grip reduces this, however this does mean they feel very strange initially. However if you are prepared to persevere it will pay off. Continue reading
OK first things first, I am right-handed but paddle left-handed and have done for decades. This makes the process of purchasing paddles a bit of a nightmare! My last two sets of paddles have been Werner Sidekicks and in the case of my full carbon versions had involved a long wait for them to arrive from the States.
I make no apologies for comparing the Vertical Element paddles against my Werner paddles in this review as Werner paddles are considered by many to be the best WW paddles on the market.
Vertical Element paddles are put together here in the UK, any length, any feather. So from ordering, paying and then receiving, in my case took all of four days including a weekend. This in itself makes them a very attractive option for me. My VE’s are full carbon, cranked shaft, set at 35 degrees and 197cm in length. So apart from the cranked shaft I have went for a set up that is identical to the Werner Sidekicks that I have been using for the last few years. I have been using the VE’s for a couple of months now so it’s about time to commit my initial thoughts to the site.
A little background on VE:
Vertical Element is a British company driven by elite paddlers with backgrounds in composite engineering and advanced design.
Using this experience and knowledge we have created a new standard in white water paddles.
After an extensive period of research and development by Britain’s finest creeking and freestyle paddlers, we are ready to share this innovation in paddle design with you.
VE offers a personalised service priding itself in the manufacture of lightweight paddles that optimize power and enhance performance
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