Video How To: Choosing the right flatwater kayak paddle

Hi, I'm Nolan here at the Next Adventure Paddle Sports Center. Today I’m going to talk to you about blade shapes and paddle lengths for flat water paddles. This is the Adventure Technology Search, it has a hybrid blade shape that is not super elongated or super short either. A shorter fatter blade is going to have more of a power phase, while a longer slenderer blade is going to have a lower paddle angle and going to be better for long days on the water. This paddle utilizes a lever adjustment, giving you 5 centimeters of movement, allowing you to infinitely adjust the feather as well as length. Feathering is the offset from one blade to the next. On my right blade, I have it at a 180-degree angle and I can switch it. If I'm right handed, I'm going to have my left hand loose and I'm going to tilt it forward to create a 30-degree feather which is pretty typical. This allows you to customize your paddle for comfort. This is a 230cm paddle, it’s going to be good for most people between 5’ 6” and 6 feet. A smaller person might drop down to a 210cm paddle, while really tall people might go above 234cm. This adjustment allows you to use a little bit shorter paddle length in order to get those power strokes on days where really want to get after it, then on your way home if you're tired we can switch it up and add 5 centimeters to get you a lower paddling angle. As your paddle is stroking through the water, the opposite blade is slicing through the air. Air is a fluid just like water itself, so as you're paddling it will naturally achieve the proper angle to slice through the air as well. Coming back to the Adventure Technology Search, you have a carbon blend shaft with a nylon blade. It's going to have more flex in it, as you can see, than the fiberglass and the carbon blades will. Here, on this Werner Camano we have a fiberglass blade with less flex than the nylon. Werner has their own adjustable system for feathering, you just bring it out about an inch and you can feather in either direction. This system is different than the Search and saves weight by having a smaller mechanism in there to adjust the feather. Going up the line, we have the nylon plastic, the fiberglass, and the full carbon. Carbon is going to be for those lightweight seekers who are looking for a lighter blade to deal with all day. The Werner Ikelos has a large surface area and a cupping which helps engage with the water. This is a Bent shaft, it does come in a fixed as well. This is going to be for that flatwater paddler that really wants to get after it, and might want to either just get some distance or is more of a power paddler. Again, I'm Nolan. This has been a look at how to identify different paddle features and choose one to fit your needs. You can find all these paddles here in the shop. We're happy to tell you more about them. You can also find them on our website at https://nextadventure.net/