Re: [Paddlewise] Wing advice

From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen_at_imaginelan.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 15:32:10 -0400
At 08:48 AM 9/18/2002 -0700, sullivaned_at_pop.mts.kpnw.org wrote:
>Greenlanders are just too heavy for me...

There are carbon greenlanders...

>Shopping for a wing paddle for a race. Does anybody out
>there use one for touring? Comments?

I've got a Bratcha II wing, from Venturesport, 
http://www.venturesport.com/cgi-bin/products/products.cgi?search=cat_wing_pa 
ddles&title=Wing%20Paddles
that I don't love.  I find the paddle overly stiff, somewhat heavy and  the 
workmanship on the blades isn't great, and the shaft is a smidge too large 
a diameter - other than that it's fine ;-)   I've been lusting after an 
Epic wing, http://www.epicpaddles.com, for a while but haven't justified 
buying one yet.
Another local surf ski paddler has a Bratcha II that he uses during the 
winter and an Epic during the summer and for races - thats a logical usage 
pattern, to me.

The blade on the Bratcha II is larger than I like when I paddle a touring 
kayak.  I just can't get our touring kayaks going fast enough to get to a 
comfortable stroke rate, with the wing.

I do like the wing paddle, and the wing paddle stroke.  I find I use my 
greenland paddle with a wing stroke a lot of the time ;-)

I would have no qualms about touring with a wing paddle.  I went surfing a 
couple of weeks ago, using the wing, and didn't regret having the wing over 
a euro paddle - I was on a surf ski at the time.  I've done a bunch of 20+ 
mile day trips with the wing, all done without wishing I had brought a Euro 
paddle.

Kirk
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Received on Wed Sep 18 2002 - 12:38:33 PDT

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