Paddle Love
Published August 8, 2011 | 
We all have gear that we love; A favorite paddling jacket or PFD, favorite shoes, camera, GPS, kayak and of course our favorite paddle. Athough not high on the outline, I think it’s fair to say that you can’t fully concentrate on your paddling skills until you’ve got your gear love sorted. If you’re still wrestling with an uncomfortable drysuit or a javelin-length paddle , you just can’t put 100% focus into your skill development. Sound silly? Well, maybe.. but I’ve watched plenty of paddlers spend most of their time on the water complaining or fiddling with some errant bit of gear while missing everything going on around them. Gear that is too short, too tight, too this or too that.. or simply doesn’t jibe with you’re soul is nothing but distraction.
I’ve got my paddle love sorted. It took some time. I’ve gone through wooden paddles, plastic paddles, plastic paddles with aluminum shafts, low-end big brands, expensive high-end, ultra light paddles, straight shafts, bent shafts… you name it… and that’s just standard paddles. In 2007 I finally found the standard paddles I could spend my life with. I bought a set of Werner Ikelos. The Ikelos is an aggressive high angle design that provides lots of power when you need it. They’re light, strong and on request, you can get them in a 4-piece design. They’re best suited for power paddler types. When I’m using standard paddles, I’m definitely a power paddler.. Although amazingly light & buoyant, the big scoops offer precise control & fast acceleration in flat and moving water. I love ‘em.
Of course part of that love is a personal thing. It’s a “feel”, a connection with the gear. No company can create that soul-mate vibe. You may just as easily love your Lendals or your Bending Branches or whatever. You can’t help who you fall in love with! LOL! But beyond the mystical is the practical as well. I’m really happy to still be bashing away with my Ikelos after 5 years. They’ve been everywhere, they’ve been tossed around, used for WW paddles, left sitting in the water & the sun for days. They’re faded, the blades are chipped up.. they get stuck together sometimes… Oh.. and that bit of tape that tells me what angle they are set at is gone… But still.. I can’t imagine paddling without them.
Blue Velvet
On the other hand… One love is not enough! Call it paddling polygamy if you like. I can’t just stay on the straight and narrow. I spend quite a bit of time exploring the dark recesses of my paddling soul with a Greenland stick as well. Greenland rolling is an addiction, but that’s not all there is to it. There’s also something special about a skin boat and a thin blade when you’re out exploring a wandering stream or wildlife-filled slough.
Like my with my standard paddles, I’ve been through lots of Greenland “sticks”. In my shed I still have about 6. My problem as usual is that I’m not all sweet and lovey-dovey with my paddles. I don’t buy expensive cases, wrap them in felt, or otherwise coddle them. I’m all for tough love. Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet paddle love even.. Yeah, I smack ‘em around!! In the end, only my Novorca paddles can take the rough stuff show up to do it all over again. Sure, they’re pretty and light, but ultimately what stands out to me most, is that they can handle the stress. Bad technique or big guys using them for outriggers on rocky shores won’t generally kill them. I like the feel of wood and Novorca does those too. But but buying a Novorca carbon fiber paddle gives you an insanely light paddle while at the same time giving you a “life paddle” that you’ll probably never need to replace.
So why the paddle love today? Well, I was digging around in my shed yesterday (If you saw my Facebook post, you’ll know yard work won!) and I realized I had a lot more paddles than I thought I did. Most of them just sit. I can remember buying them. I remember what I thought back then and what I expected. Most never lived up to expectations, broke or I simply didn’t get the “vibe”. Over time many of those paddles became all but forgotten. I eventually found what I was looking for and settled into a routine. Whenever I paddle, I load the Werners and the Novorcas. That’s it. It’s habit, it’s routine.. it’s love. I don’t even think about new paddles anymore.. You know, when it comes to any sort of gear.. that’s exactly where you want to be. Well, unless something really HOT comes along!! 
** For the sake of disclosure.. Novorca has been a sponsor at Quix for some years now. So you can call “bias” on me for Novorca. It all started because I was breaking paddles trying to learn a reverse sweep roll. Ron said, I’d never break his under normal conditions.. even if I sucked… Well, here we are, 2011.. Ron is selling more paddles than ever.. and I still suck… well, maybe not as much as I used to.. LOL!
*** The Steampunk image of the heart was created by xtopher42 and is licensed under CC.
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