October 3, 2005

Werner Kalliste and Shuna Carbon Bent Shaft Paddles

Shuna
Someone handed me a Shuna one day and said 'paddle with this'. I'll never go back to straight shaft paddles except for teaching. There is just too much comfort I've gained.

1) The wide, thin blades cause me to focus on blade entry speed into the water. If I'm not careful I'll carry a bit of air in to the water with the blade and lose a bit of power with it, but no more so than most other blades I've paddled with. This blade is meant to be used at a high angle, and it does suffer a bit when lowered. Great acceleration and the blade sculls very well.

2) The overall paddle is so light I often find myself picking it up just beyond the top of the blade or twirling it freely in my hands when I pick it up wrong. Other adjustable ferrule systems I've seen add a bit of center weight to the paddle.

3) I paddle with a very loose grip which makes any flutter easily show up. This blade has a ever so slight flutter that is easily ignored and many times non-existent.

Kalliste
This is my second Werner bent shaft paddle. I wanted a lower angle, and thus, a bit longer paddle over my Werner Shuna for those days I felt like 'paddling low'.

1) The foam core, carbon-fiber blades with a slight cupping to the blade makes this one of the most silent blades I've ever paddled with. The foam core gives the blade 'thickness' that transitions smoothly from the thin edges to the thicker center spine of the blade. While with most blades, I have to paddle with them a bit to find the correct speed to enter the water in order to decrease the amount of turbulence with the blade, the Kalliste seemed to enter perfectly from my first stroke.

2) The easy-to-use, adjustable ferrule system's precise fit is a favorite feature of mine. I often switch between feathered and unfeathered underway depending on the wind conditions and this Werner system makes switching a breeze and doesn't lock me in to a fixed feather angle. The ferrule adjusts in 15-degree increments, allowing you to experiment and choose a feather angle that works best for your paddling style, or in my case, wind speed.

3) Neutral bent shaft reduces strain by guiding the wrists into a natural position and providing a stable leverage point during all strokes. Bent shaft paddles have taken the strain off my badly abused shoulders. This is the first season I have paddled mostly pain free from my childhood motorcycle accident.

4) No flutter that I've noticed. The dihedral powerface I'm sure is responsible for this.

5) The highly ovaled grip lets me know where the blade is in relation to my grip in an instant. No false sweeps with the blade while rolling to test the angle of the blade.

6) Because the blade enters the water with so much less cavitation, it really seems to 'stick' in the water as I pull it through. With my Shuna, the blade is much more likely to carry a bit of air into the water and with it's shorter shaft seems to pull through with a little less strain than the Kalliste despite the bigger blades on the Shuna.

In short, the Shuna is my favorite for high angle paddling where I want to paddle in 'low gear' and have the ability to apply a lot of quick acceleration power. But the Kalliste certainly fills my need for a touring paddle where I'm likely to just 'zone out and go'. The Kalliste will also be my first choice for those birding days where I want to paddle by without disturbing the solitude.