Choice in Paddles

[Jimmyz123]

O.K. I have a cheep paddle so that I can at least get out on the water, but am looking to invest in one that I will have for a while and is a good choice. What do you all look for in a paddle? I know light weight is a 1st choice, but what else? Which brands are the better choices? Lengths? Thanks again for the information.

[BT]

I know when I got my Werner, I used their webpage app http://www.wernerpaddles.com/fit_guide/index.php and talked to Brent at OEX for help choosing a paddle. They ask you your paddling style, length of hands, height, width of your boat and give you options. I remember OEX didnt have the exact paddle that Werner suggested, but one extremely similar, and I haven't been disappointed.

[Jimmyz123]

So then I think I should be asking how do you choose the right paddle? I want to be sure I'm not just buying one to have one. The one I ordered is a $30 paddle to get me on the water, but I want to get sized I guess for the right paddle.

[BT]

Check out the link on the Werner page. It suggests the paddle, and you can look at the paddle and get lengths. Of course it is for their paddle, but you can translate that over to any other brand.

[Jimmyz123]

That was very helpful. Knowing now the type of paddling that I do and length of Paddle I should be using helps a lot in choosing the right paddle. The 2 paddles that they recommended will run between $100 and $150 and that's what I was figuring I would pay right now.