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PAY YOUR RESPECTS. PHOTO: LARRY RICE
[ WILD RICE ] Power to the Paddle
YOUR (SECOND) MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT
Paddles are like Rodney Dangerfield, they don’t get no respect. We spend days, months, even years, pondering what type of canoe to buy. Then, when it comes time to choose a paddle, we nonchalantly grab the closest one off the rack. Years ago, I purchased a new Kevlar solo cruiser, a sleek 32-pound gem of a canoe as
wispy as a heron’s feather on the water. Since the boat put a serious dent in my savings account, I thought I’d economize on the accessories. Instead of splurging on the ultra- light, bent-shaft carbon fiber paddle I really wanted, I bought a cheap, heavy aluminum and plastic bent-shaft. After only a few days of use, I admitted that my new clunker paddle was a total mismatch for my high-performance craft. So I marched back into the paddlesports shop and did what I should have done at
the outset: I snagged the best bent-shaft I could afford—a high-strength, graphite paddle made for touring. All it took was a half-hour on a nearby lake for me to realize that I had made the right choice. I could paddle my hot little cruiser all day. My new blade made each stroke more productive, meaning I could cover longer distances with ramped-up speed, ease, and, yes, even more fun. Not one to learn my lesson, the next year, I went through an identical epiphany with
my whitewater canoe paddle. In the end, I gifted myself a high-performance, all-car- bon stick with a low swing weight, curved blade and well-configured T-grip. Whether or not my paddle upgrade made me a better whitewater boater, I don’t know. But I cer- tainly did notice that it felt great, gripped right and gave me extra pulling power when I needed it most. You don’t have to go out and drop a wad on a high-end paddle to enjoy paddling. One
of my spendthrift boating buds does just fine using an el-cheapo plastic and aluminum raft paddle he salvaged from a riverbank in Colorado. I’m merely suggesting that the purchase of a canoe paddle deserves the same care and consideration that goes into choosing the canoe. Your paddle will be in your hands every moment you’re on the wa- ter, no other item—except the canoe itself—will more affect your efficiency and com- fort. Think of the paddle as an extension of your own body, a conduit of energy that powers you across lakes and down rivers and streams. They deserve a little respect. Larry Rice’s favorite paddles reside in his collection of hand-carved wooden paddles from around the world.
www.canoerootsmag.com 21
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