We thought it would be enlightening to have the designers and manufacturers in the kayak industry provide us some insight into the products they make. In the reviews we publish in the magazine we usually look at the finished products, whether they’re kayaks, paddles, PFDs or some other element of our kayaking kit. Here we’ll look at the ideas and philosophies that begin the process of creating a product. We’ll start by taking a look at some of the thinking that goes into paddles.

We composed a list of questions on paddle design and sent that list to all of the paddle manufacturers we could find. We heard back from seven of them in time to be included with this first installment. In subsequent newsletters we’ll be presenting more of the answers we received. We’ll also be alternating between this discussion about paddles with similar types of questions and answers about kayaks, PFDs and other gear.

Is a lightweight carbon paddle a worthwhile investment for a beginner?

It is not whether you are a beginner or expert that warrants a carbon paddle, it is the respect and how you treat your equipment or tools. I have seen so-called experts who do not deserve quality equipment because of the abuse they give their paddles. If a beginner can appreciate what a fine tool a carbon paddle is, by all means use one.
--Dave Bain, Nimbus Paddles
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Absolutely, the paddle weight is more important in many cases than the boat weight. You hold it up the whole time. Of course appropriate blade design and paddle length also have a huge impact on the pleasure of the early paddling experiences. Later of course, we begin to sort out our personal preferences, but in the beginning we don't know enough to do that yet. Therefore, some truly sound advice from another paddler or sales person who is considering your needs rather than pawning off their own preferences is vitally important.
--Tom Derrer, Eddyline Kayaks
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I find that people are rarely disappointed that they have equipment that’s too good. They are more frequently upset that they were fitted with the wrong equipment or put in junk to start with.
--Dale Kicker, Bending Branches
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My first thought is that is depends on how much paddling they plan on doing. That said, we’ve been witnessing a trend where paddlers are making an investment in their paddles as they see their importance on par with that of the boat they’re paddling.
--Alistair Wilson, Lendal Paddles
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If they can afford it, a good lightweight paddle will benefit all kayakers. It all comes down to how much they can afford vs. how much time they will spend paddling. Buying a cheap paddle (or kayak) that is a chore to use can be a poor investment if they only use it a few times and give up. Quality equipment that performs well and is fun to use will pay off in the long run if they use it often over an extended period.
--Greg Barton, Epic Kayaks
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If they can afford it…heck yes. A beginner will benefit from any performance feature like lighter weight or a great design. Although carbon is awesome, a beginner will benefit most when a paddle fits (blade size, shaft diameter) and has great blade design…regardless of price.
--Andy Bridge, Werner Paddles
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A lightweight paddle is one of the most important investments a paddler can make. More important than weight is feel. If a paddle feels good in the hands, feels good entering the water, feels good on the stroke and feels good on recovery, then you will have a good day on the water. If the paddle is dead in your hands, nothing else matters, the experience will not be enjoyable. No amount of other high-end gear can surmount a clunky lifeless paddle.
--Peter Mitchell, Mitchell Paddles
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Is dihedral (the angle between the sides of the blade) an important aspect in the design of a paddle? Does the type of paddling determine how much dihedral one should have? Does dihedral effect sculling/draw/sweep strokes?

Some say that dihedral reduces flutter. But I have seen some blades with dihedral that flutter terribly. I have also seen some of the old wood paddles with perfectly flat power faces that have no flutter at all. I build all of the Nimbus blades with dihedral. If one overpowers any blade there will be flutter, some sooner than others.
--Dave Bain, Nimbus Paddles
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Is dihedral an important aspect in the design of a paddle? It certainly can be.
Does the type of paddling determine how much dihedral one should have? Yes, to a degree it does.
Does dihedral effect sculling/draw/sweep strokes? Yes it does. There are advantages and disadvantages to dihedral. Essentially, dihedral divides and directs the flow of water along and across the blade face. This can smooth the stroke, reduce the potential for flutter and cause the blade to lift, or plane to the surface when rolling, bracing or sculling. Too much dihedral reduces the power of the blade because it "spills" energy from the spoon. For this reason I prefer to reduce the amount of dihedral, particularly near the ends of the blade. In a true dihedral configuration, the centerline of the paddle is forward of the blade edges. If it is behind the blade edges all you really have is a double camber.
--Tom Derrer, Eddyline Kayaks
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Dihedral is to a paddle what wing design is to an airplane. The purpose of positive dihedral is to add stability in the rolling axis. Most paddling dihedral for roll stability is felt in the hands of the paddler. The dihedral angle is usually greater on recreational paddles, compared to flatter or even wing-style paddles for performance and racing designs.
During a forward motion, or stroke, water builds up on the face of a non-dihedral blade. When the water flows off a non-dihedral blade, it is more likely to flutter back and forth. By adding a dihedral angle to the blade design, water is given a direction to flow off, easily and more smoothly, minimizing flutter. Keep in mind, more dihedral means a smoother stroke; but loss of power when, sculling, drawing, and sweep will result.
--Dale Kicker, Bending Branches
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The amount of dihedral is important in achieving the correct balance across the range of strokes. We only use dihedral design in our whitewater range as in my opinion it is best suited for this discipline. It allows good control in stroke work and is reasonably efficient in forward paddling. For paddling that relies mainly on the forward stroke, such as touring, however, dihedral isn’t as necessary and going without may actually encourage and reward your technique.
--Alistair Wilson, Lendal Paddles
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Dihedral will give more stable tracking in the water, resulting in less strain. Too much dihedral can adversely affect steering and sculling strokes plus the entry and exit phases. The dihedral can be varied for a paddle specific to steering or forward paddling, but we find that a compromise is best as most people want an all around paddle that will perform well for all strokes.
--Greg Barton, Epic Kayaks
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Dihedral is a huge consideration when we design a blade. Dihedral is great for smooth forward strokes but creates a bit of turbulence when sculling and linking strokes. Slighter dihedral will create smoother sculling and linking strokes. So depending on how the design will be used most often will dictate the amount of dihedral we consider is appropriate. Low-angle paddling uses more forward strokes so we rank dihedral as an important feature. High-angle paddles generally use more variety of linking strokes so we design a bit less dihedral for the right combination of smooth forward and smooth linking strokes.
--Andy Bridge, Werner Paddles
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A dihedral is the equivalent of traction control in a car. If the blade is fluttering, then the paddler needs to reduce the amount of power he/she is putting into the stroke or get a paddle with a bigger blade that will allow the transfer of more power. A dihedral does not allow the paddler to transfer more power into the blade; it simply dumps excess power off to the sides of the blade. As opposed to a smooth-faced blade, a blade with a dihedral does not feather as smoothly and also does not feather in a straight line. This applies to any in-water recovery stroke.
--Peter Mitchell, Mitchell Paddles
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