| Second only to the kayak itself, the kayak paddle is | | | | cost about the same. In addition to being a little more |
| widely considered to be one of the most essential | | | | rare, wood paddles also have a pleasing appearance |
| pieces of equipment for those who enjoy kayaking. In | | | | which some prefer over the look of fiberglass paddles. |
| addition to being the only feasible means for propelling | | | | Fiberglass is also an excellent material from which to |
| the kayak through the water, the kayak paddle also | | | | make kayaking paddles. Fiberglass itself consists of |
| can greatly affect the paddling experience. Among the | | | | woven sheets of fabric that are soaked in resin and |
| best features to look for in a kayak paddle are weight, | | | | then formed against a mold. When the resin hardens, |
| ergonomics, and length. Kayak paddles are typically | | | | the fiberglass retains the shape of the mold. The |
| double-bladed and made from lightweight materials | | | | woven fibers give strength to the finished product. |
| such as aluminum, plastic, wood, fiberglass, and carbon | | | | Carbon fiber paddles are less commonly seen on the |
| fiber. | | | | water than fiberglass paddles, but are still popular |
| Aluminum and plastic paddles are usually the cheapest | | | | because of their light weight. If you are used to |
| and also the heaviest. Even though they are cheap | | | | handling heavier paddles, you may be surprised the |
| and durable, most serious paddlers have upgraded | | | | first time you pick up a carbon fiber paddle. Some |
| from plastic and aluminum paddles because they | | | | carbon fiber paddles can be a few ounces less than |
| weigh so much. As very paddler knows, the weight of | | | | similarly sized fiberglass paddles, which are already |
| the paddle is extremely important because the paddle | | | | pretty light. A few ounces may not sound like much |
| must be moved repeatedly and continuously during | | | | when you are handling these paddles in a kayak store, |
| paddling. Thus, the amount of work done by the | | | | but remember that the difference in weight is multiplied |
| paddler increases by the additional weight multiplied by | | | | over thousands of strokes over the course of a |
| the number of strokes the paddler takes using the | | | | kayaking trip. A typical carbon fiber paddle can weigh |
| heavier paddle. This can add up quite quickly! However, | | | | as little as 26 ounces. The trade off is that carbon |
| because they are cheap and sometimes come with | | | | fiber kayak paddles can be double or triple the price of |
| the kayak anyway, a lot of paddlers keep their | | | | otherwise comparable fiberglass paddles. |
| aluminum or plastic paddles around as spares in case | | | | As with many things, a good rule for kayak paddles is |
| they lose their primary paddle. | | | | to buy the best one that you can reasonably afford. |
| Wood or fiberglass paddles are very popular among | | | | Since the paddle is so important, you probably don't |
| kayakers because they are lightweight and only | | | | want to settle for a sub-standard one just to save a |
| moderately expensive. They are also strong and rigid | | | | few bucks. When allocating your budget, save money |
| materials that can take a lot of abuse. Wood paddles | | | | on other non-critical gear items where cost is not so |
| are a little less common than fiberglass ones, but can | | | | correlated to performance. |