I've never seen so many sizes/options available: 0-15 deg bend in increments of 1. blade width, length. looks nice....

Just to let you all know I took delivery of my new Zaveral Z Medium (10 oz.) straight shaft.  It's so light it feels like a toy.  I can't wait to get it in the water but I don't imagine I'll really get a sense of it until the 8th or 9th hour of a long paddling day.

I recommend Bending Branches' Espresso ST.  It's made of black willow (used to be called the Black Widow) and weighs about 19 ounces.  Not superlight but lighter than the usual 24-ounce wood paddle.  I use mine in all conditions except whitewater and it's just fine.  For tripping when paddling bow I use either a Sawyer Kai bent (bamboo and graphite) or a Bell bent, both under 20 ounces.  The Bell looks like the Mitchell Leader (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links).

I have the 10 oz ZRE paddle, bent shaft. After that, any other paddle feels like a Volkswagon on a stick. If you are willing to spend the money and treat it right, then it is an easy choice.

xcskibum1 wrote on Feb 16^th, 2012 at 6:16pm:


You can call Michel Levaseur in Quebec at 819-533-5108 for a custom built paddle made to your specs.  Ordering now will probably get you a paddle by the 2013 season.

i use a 54" bending branches bent shaft 8.5 in wide rectangle blade paddle (as opposed to the teardrop, my brother has the teardrop and i prefer the feel/power/control of the rectangle blade). id vote for a bending branches but i havent used any of the other mentioned brands. if i ever bought more paddles id go with bb again because ive been nothing but happy with them.

im a traditionalist in the sense that i will only use wood paddles. something about being up in canada in the middle of the wilderness dictates that you need wood to fit in.

My family and Me included have raced canoes for over a decade, and when in comes to paddles there are two options that will make your long journeys heaven. Levas or Zav. you can buy the lightest possible model and unless your pounding rocks in strong current they arent gonna break. for deep water paddling that isnt a concern. Lavas is canadian made and hard to get ahold of..(made in a basement somewheres in Quebec) Zav is much easier to find. only difference in my opinion is grip style. Levas is slightly bigger. I hope this can help anyone looking to find a light paddle. If you want more info just ask, i didnt want to ramble to much!

Kerry,

the 8-1/4 seems about right to me.  If I were to order another ZRE, I'd stay with that width.  It seemed that I had plenty of power if needed, but still easy to paddle.

I used an 8" wide Aquabound paddle yesterday and I did notice a slight lack of power.  I had been using an 8 1/2" x 21 1/4" bladed Werner Rec paddle for a couple of hours or so, at a fast cruise pace getting a workout and trying to get to the takeout before the afternoon winds kicked in, and then switched to the lighter AQ Odessey for the last 1/2 hour of paddling at a more relaxed pace, but with a higher cadence when the wind was blowing upstream - 15 miles for Sunday.  Based on that, I think an 8" blade width would be just a bit too small, at least for my preference.  Yet with the 8 1/4"  Zav, I didn't feel that way. 

Hard to say/guess how much difference an extra 1/4" of width would make?

Thanks for all your input - very, very helpful.  I especially appreciate your report MM since it sounds like you use your Zav pretty much as I will be.  And I agree, if I want to save weight on a paddle and plan to spend $200+ anyway, why shave a mere 3 or 4 ounzes when, with the Zav, I can shave close to a pound.  That's a lot of weight over an 8 to 10 hour paddle day!  One question, MM.  You mentioned noticing the difference in the blade width between your Bending Branches and the Zav.  If you were to do it again would you consider adding an extra .25 or .5 inches to the blade width or does the standard 8.25" seem about right?
Thanks again folks, much appreciated.
Kerry

I vote carbon