I am no expert (famous last words) but this is what I have noticed in my experience about springy vs stiffer paddles:

1) Springy paddles generate the "power" portion of the stroke at a different point in the stroke.

2) Your stroke will change depending on whether you are using one vs the other.

3) Was quite visually satisfying to see the shaft bend when you really crank it up

Here's something really obvious from the OC scene.

It is very rare to see carbon shaft paddles. The most popular combination is a 'Hybrid' wooden shaft, carbon blade. The common consensus is that wooden shafts are more forgiving and have a more natural flex. Added to this in Hawaii the rules state that for OC6 racing with centuries old tradition you must use wood in the shaft and blade, it can be reinforced with Carbon. Here in OZ there are no regulations as such and even the most elite teams use wooden shafts. There are also no regulation for OC1 or OC2 anywhere yet people still use predominantly wood. The wooden paddles are as light or lighter than many carbon paddles. These guys have tried carbon and come back to wood.

Seeing this I decided to make myself a wooden shaft SUP paddle, I used PU foam vacuum bagged with epoxy for the blade and palm grip. Not only does it work it feels great to use. I now have some more exotic timbers and will resume the experiment for Mark 2 and 3. Strength is no issue as many timbers are laminated with fibreglass, carbon or kevlar between them.

The mechanics of the stroke are not different at all.

In fact the best OC paddlers (of which I am not one!) are jumping on SUP right off the bat and kicking everyone's butt. To quote Travis Grant 'exactly the same except standing up'

The only difference in the stroke is the cadence as per the longer paddle. OC especially on OC1 is much faster. Balance, try sitting on a OC1 in flat water at some point, OK if you lean left! It makes standing on your SUP feel like concrete. Then try paddling in the ocean or the waves. Then paddle at 5 times the rate while holding balance in either. You can get away (and most do) with average to terrible technique on SUP, not on OC1.

I do not believe that carbon shafts are significantly stronger (carbon as a material is very brittle) although I could be wrong, I would want to test them. Weight comes down to type of timber used and lamination technique. IMO we all use carbon for SUP as that was what come first to us not because people tried either and decided which was better.

Not suggesting you buy wood, merely that SUP is new, OC is far advanced in trial and error and in the end they use wood. There may come a time where wood becomes more popular in SUP also.

In the ASP 2 Mambo Story you will see a pic of Jason Westman doing a rippin layback with one of his hand made wooden paddles.

He loves them to bits

Phill

One thing I have found it that flexible paddles are easier on the shoulder joints than stiffer ones.

As I do a lot of "marathon" paddling I look for a paddle that will not cause me injuries over long distances. The size and shape of the blade are also factors in the mix. I don't think I have found the right combination yet as I are still doing some R&D...

I actually find the Quick blade to be less "springy" I have used Kialoa paddles for a while and find the shaft to be more springy in the Kialoa's. Personally, the Kialoa paddles feel better when surfing, but the quick blade is a faster, more efficient paddler and is easier to catch waves with. IMO. Right now using a Quick Blade Kanaha and loving it!

DavidJohn said...

Soft.. Flexy.. Springy.. and Stiff.. They are all very different.

I don't like soft and I don't like stiff... but that's just me.

I like flexy for normal every day paddling and just cruising along.. but try and paddle real hard and they can sometimes be a little too flexy.

Springy (what I think the Kialoa's are) is great for paddling hard and paddling into the wind.. and still offer some flex when cruising along.

I don't think you can really compare OC paddles with SUP paddles.. With OC your lower hand is only about a hand width from the blade so how can there be any flexing going on.. Maybe just a smidge.. With SUP your lower hand is half way along a very long shaft... IMO for SUP carbon wins hands down..

DJ

Don't be scared to say something that you think may go against Kioloa DJ, they make great wooden shaft OC paddles. In fact most of the elite paddlers use them. Ask them to send you a light weight wooden shaft SUP paddle and I think you will be pleasantly surprised of how much you like it. Try to get the exact same design as you use now for a fair and accurate comparison.

All I am saying is that just because we all used carbon first does not mean that in 10 years we will still be. Many of the paddles on the market not made by C4 (my favourite!) Kioloa, QB, Kia Kaha etc are a lot heavier than my $25 total, Miranti $4 a piece from Mitre 10 effort as an experiment. It paddles a lot better than most of them also. And yes I have tried quite a few. It is very difficult to explain but there is really is something that feels good about the flex and the way the weight is distributed, it has less of a pendulum effect during changes and stroke recovery than what you feel with most paddles with a super light shaft and weight in the blade. Carbon is not the end of the road, trust me. People are already experimenting.

My point is simply that until you have actually had the chance to try other things extensively nobody has any real basis to make decisions about what is best just yet. Keep an open mind, we are young, free and the future is extremely unknown.

mikeman said...

One thing I have found it that flexible paddles are easier on the shoulder joints than stiffer ones.

As I do a lot of "marathon" paddling I look for a paddle that will not cause me injuries over long distances. The size and shape of the blade are also factors in the mix. I don't think I have found the right combination yet as I are still doing some R&D...

Totally agree if you have rusty shoulders the more flex the better , the more paddleing you do shoulder strain becomes a big problem.

Rob