New Guy Needs Some Paddles

[mikeyrb1]

Hey, my wife and I are just getting into the sport and have purchased a few inflatable boards for lake and river paddling, building up to witewater.  I'm wondering what kind of paddles designs are best for both rivers and flat water.  I'd also like something that can pack down for transport as we plan to travel with the boards around the western US.  We are in CO so I lean toward Hala and other brands that are made semi locally.

Not so worried about price, but not looking for anything made of unobtanium that costs more than a ferrari, nor do I want something made of aluminium that'll leave me stranded when it breaks. 

So what do you nice folks have for this first post newb?

[Zooport]

Dang, sorry, all my paddles are unobtanium.

[PonoBill]

It sounds kind of silly, but paddles are a lot more personal and persistent than boards. Most people go through a lot of boards but find a paddle they like and stick with it. Those paddles tend to be expensive. You can go cheaper, but the first time you use something really good you'll be spending the money anyway. The top brands are Quickblade, Kialoa, Werner, and KeNalu. There's tons of stuff on the forum about all four. the new BluePlanet paddles are impressive, and there are some lesser know brands that build outstanding stuff. This forum has a seach function--enjoy.

[Bean]

For packability, something like a 3 piece Warner might work. And skip the carbon fiber blade for river/whitewater paddling, it will get destroyed in the rocks.  The irony is, for all other forms of paddling, full CF is the only way to go.

[Area 10]

Red Paddle make a 3-piece made for rivers (plastic blade) that is cheap and strong. It's not the sort of paddle that will have the guys in a forum like this looking at you with envy, but it gets the job done and you are unlikely to break it.

A Kialoa insanity swift might be an option if you are willing to forego the packability. Otherwise a Quickblade 2 or 3 piece with a fibreglass blade, and fit a good blade guard.

There is a 3-piece Quickblade V-Drive carbon that is absolutely fabulous. But it is probably getting close to your unobtanium criterion.

As stated above, carbon blades aren't great for rivers where you might crunch your blade on rocks etc. You can get round it - at least partially - by fitting a very thick blade guard however. Serious racers will look at you with pity, but if you don't care about that it is a workable solution if you want to use an otherwise top flight paddle. Non-adjustables, and one-pieces are generally much nicer and less hassle to paddle with. So if you can compromise on the pack ability then it might be worth it if you are going to be paddling a lot.

[spirit4earth]

You might want a Werner Session for whitewater, and a Trance 85 for lakes and rivers where there aren't rocks to bang in to.
A Werner Flow might work for both, since the blade is fiberglass, not carbon.

I have used Werners for SUP and kayaking, and I like them a lot.

[mikeyrb1]

Good stuff, thanks for the replies.  Since my wife will rarely see whitewater, I would probably be OK getting her an adjustable carbon paddle that I can use when she's not    I already have a cheap adjustable old rental paddle that suffices so maybe use that in the river, and get myself a nice carbon flat-water blade too. 

As a long time skier/snowboarder/mountain biker, I've definitely gained an appreciation for carbon. As a side effect, I've also developed a taste for high end gear and overcome the frugality and common sense which prevents some people from spending more money on fancy trinkets.  Thank you all for enabling me!

[lucabrasi]

Kialoa used to offer the Insanity in a travel paddle. Fiberglass and carbon. They still offer an adjustable but not the travel I noticed. Great break down paddle and I got a fiberglass one for my boy last summer. There are a few out there if you search around tho. I have noticed Kialoa does not offer that in a break down version and if you look at their site they recommend against using their Aloha travel paddle for whitewater. I am wondering if too many people were using the Insanity travel for whitewater or surf and seeing too many break? Maybe just fine for flat water and cruising and such but after seeing that it makes me wonder if one should not be considering a travel paddle for whitewater??? No clue, just a thought as I thought the Insanity travel was great.

[2Rivers]

Hey, my wife and I are just getting into the sport and have purchased a few inflatable boards for lake and river paddling, building up to witewater.  I'm wondering what kind of paddles designs are best for both rivers and flat water.  I'd also like something that can pack down for transport as we plan to travel with the boards around the western US.  We are in CO so I lean toward Hala and other brands that are made semi locally.

Since you need a paddle that's both whitewater and flat water worthy, travel worthy, and not to mention that you like Hala, I'd look specifically at these two paddles:
Hala Grafik Travel (Kialoa makes this paddle for Hala)
Starboard Enduro Tufskin 3 Piece Hybrid
For all other types of paddling applications, go carbon!

Speaking from experience, I have an older model Kialoa adjustable paddle that I mainly use for whitewater and as a flat water (beater) paddle to loan to friends. So far, so good!
I did change out the grip to a T-grip for better whitewater performance, but it's not necessary. The Hala paddle comes stock with the T-grip since they're more whitewater focused.