The Nimbus Inskip is nice looking, but rather rough hewn.

The joint between the ash/spruce shaft and the spruce/mahogany blade is the chunkiest of those tested, and the thick edges of the blade are nearly square. The blade is surfaced with 6-oz. fiberglass cloth, with many large pinholes in the resin. The semi-gloss varnish has a slightly slick feel and many embedded dust particles. Inside the ferrule, a partially hollow shaft is seen in which bare wood appears to be visible. (All other two-piece paddles tested had solid epoxy coating the end of the shaft.) The Nimbus was the heaviest paddle tested.

The blade had a shape that cleared the gunwale well. I could have used a paddle at least five centimeters shorter. It was easy to get a quiet entry and an unventilated stroke, and I didn’t detect any flutter.

In the pool, the thick throat of the blade splashed noisily. Sculling was effective if I pitched the blade just above parallel to the water and swept quickly, but it took a couple of unexpected dives. This was the most difficult paddle with which to scull. Its lift in sweep rolls was below average.

Although made well enough, the Nimbus is overshadowed by the overall performance of the other paddles and, at 46 oz., it is the heaviest of the paddles reviewed.

Redfish - Blackback