Stand Up Paddle Board Paddles

[Zach Matthews]

Hey guys –

My friends have been making fun of me for years about paddling around in my canoe with a standard canoe paddle while standing. They call me Gollum. I finally saw a picture of me in full Gollum mode the other day and they were hilariously correct. But more importantly all that stooping over was killing my low back. So I went ahead and sprung for a basic stand up paddleboard paddle.

Man, this thing is a revelation. Thanks to its scoop structure it is a far more powerful paddle than the standard flat canoe jobs. Further, since I am now standing tall, I can transfer the load into my pecs and shoulders instead of my low back and sides. This is probably going to really make Tracy happy with the effects it should have on my physique, but for now I’m just thrilled at how much faster I am. I can go upriver probably 30% more efficiently than before.

My only beef with this paddle is that it turned out to be a travel model which breaks down. I’m not thrilled about the possibility of losing the blade by accident if one of the tensioners gives up at a dangerous moment. So I thought I would hit you guys up and see if you had any recommendations for a really stout all carbon fiber SUP paddle at a reasonable price.

Thanks,
Zach

[T. Wiles]

I am quite pleased with all 3 Boardworks paddles I own. The 3-piece fiberglass/carbon hybrid is great for stowability and quite sturdy—it weighs abo1 lb 12 oz.
Both the Slater Trout and the black/yellow on the right are Carbon/Kevlar woven, and are super lightweight, and designed to take abuse. They weigh about 1lb 6 oz.

I’ll send a PM after I check on costs.

[Zach Matthews]

That’s a good recommendation, Travis. Thanks man.

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