Woah ....  I'm in love.  I got a blemish, 52" with graphite handle and 12 degree bent.  It's my first bent paddle in 33 years of going tripping.  I haven't gotten to use it yet but I'm smitten with it's beauty.

Once you get used to the bent shaft you won't go back to a straight shaft.  The bent shaft is more efficient.

I agree, once you use one your hooked.
I have to admit that on more than a few occasions getting a laugh out of seeing them used BACKWARDS until someone points it out that they're holding it wrong.

I almost did the same thing first time I used one but the GRIP shows you the right way if you pay attention.

Solotripper,

To your point, here is the LAST page of an account I wrote of my own very first trip into Quetico, a LONG time ago ("Wet Behind the Ears" in the QJ "Campfire Stories" section).  There were three of us heading down Nina Moose Creek and we had just finished a long, frustrating night dealing with nocturnal pests in camp:

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We broke camp on our tenth and last day in the pre-dawn twilight, surrendering the site to the fishers. Tired and frustrated from our lack of sleep, we wound our way slowly along Nina Moose Creek, making our way towards our appointed rendezvous with our outfitter. Our thoughts drifted to civilization and to the first beers we might be able to get our hands on. Little did we realize that the Quetico held one more "newbie revelation" for our small fleet, adding insult to the injuries already sustained by our pride.

A weathered little old man, sporting ragged clothes, a white beard, and a baseball cap glided towards us easily in his solo canoe, apparently just heading into the Park. His short greeting quickly deflated what little self-respect we had accumulated as paddlers during our ten day trial.

"Hey, fellas!" he chuckled. "Why don't you flip those bent shafts around and use them the way God intended?"

Ugh. We had never seen bent shaft paddles before this trip. I suppose it might be reasoned - in some universe - that the proper application of a bent shaft paddle is not exactly intuitive. Regardless, we had a full ten days and a 50-50 chance of making a correct decision on this question. Sadly, as newbies to the Park, we got this one wrong, too. Yikes!

Humbled, but wiser in the ways of the North, we flipped our paddles around and resumed our trek homeward. Somewhere, not far ahead now, there would be cold beer in which to drown our sorrows.

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My paddling party was - at the time - from North Carolina & Texas.  Despite being somewhat experienced paddlers (southern swamps, whitewater, Maine's Allagash Waterway), none of us had ever seen bent shaft paddles before.  In fact, among us was a damn good "engineer"... & even he didn't figure it out!

During that first trip we did just about everything wrong that one could possibly get wrong... starting with putting 3 guys into a tandem canoe and TOWING a solo canoe laden with all of our packs.  That, too, was a dumb-ass nightmare but, after 5-6 days, our engineer DID figure that one out.

Our first Quetico experience exemplified the wise old adage that I often repeated and learned to embrace during a lifetime in the HR profession: "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE MORON FACTOR."

It's a bit of a wonder that I/we have been back 30 - 40 times since that first humbling experience.  I think that has something to do with the positive charge I get when learning something new.

A "smart" moron knows when he is licked.  Shortly after discovering "QuietJourney" (almost exactly 5000 days ago), I began to trip with QJ'ers who had a great deal more experience in northern waters than me. 

"Positive charges" came in rapid succession after that... one of the smartest moves I've ever made.

Jimbo   8-)

I remember reading that story and thinking but for the grace of God and the fact the first bent shaft I used had the grip/palm swell made in such a way it was uncomfortable to do it wrong.

Your 50-50 comment cracked me up too. I've seen canoes where one had it right the other wrong and it didn't look like either one was going to change. ;) ;D

After four seasons of use of my 8oz ZRE I think it is probably the best bit of gear I've purchased. Two years ago when my brother agreed to a trip I had to buy another cause I figure he'd be super pissed off if he ever discovered the difference between the Zav and the paddle I stuck him with.

Be careful when you set it on the gunwales on breezy days. I always secure it to the canoe (like it was going to be portaged) when in camp.

Solus wrote on Jun 13^th, 2016 at 8:27pm:

After four seasons of use of my 8oz ZRE I think it is probably the best bit of gear I've purchased. Two years ago when my brother agreed to a trip I had to buy another cause I figure he'd be super pissed off if he ever discovered the difference between the Zav and the paddle I stuck him with. Be careful when you set it on the gunwales on breezy days. I always secure it to the canoe (like it was going to be portaged) when in camp.

Yeah, there's a huge weight difference from my Bending Branches wood Expedition Plus.  Good tips on lashing it down.  I'd hate to have it go missing at a campsite.

And ST and Jimbo - I've seen people using them backwards and didn't have the guts to tell them.  I was actually inspired to pull the trigger on this by watching the Bob Volhaber (BeaV) trip videos that are up again on Youtube.  Watching him use a racing stroke as he paddled his Kruger Sea Wind "To, Through, and Around Alaska" was inspiring as heck.  He didn't use a Zaveral but a BB carbon fiber bent shaft.

If you haven't seen those videos it might be worth checking out.
BTW, I'm just about finished with Phil Peterson's book on the life of Verlen Kruger called "All things Are Possible".  What a life and what a story.  I'm so ready for my two weeks in September! 

Last year on Quetico Lake a father and his daughter passed me on my campsite.  They were close enough that I could see that they were using the bent shaft paddles backward.  I yelled to them that they were using the paddles backwards.  They heard me and flipped the paddles so they were using the paddles correctly.  The father yelled thank you and they continued on their way.

Quote:

And ST and Jimbo - I've seen people using them backwards and didn't have the guts to tell them.

I get that. It's a 50-50 proposition sometimes.
You have people like the ones Westwood helped and they thank you. Other's are 'mad" you openly pointed out their error.

Verlen Kruger is one of those larger than life characters everyone that loves the outdoors secretly wishes they could be. 8-)

solotripper wrote on Jun 14^th, 2016 at 12:16pm:

Verlen Kruger is one of those larger than life characters everyone that loves the outdoors secretly wishes they could be. 8-)

I feel bad telling my wife I want to do a two week solo.  Verlen was like "Honey, i'll be back in 3 years".  "Oh, and my new paddling partner is this nice woman I met who's 30 years younger than me.  See ya!"   :o

TomT wrote on Jun 14^th, 2016 at 9:01pm:

solotripper wrote on Jun 14th, 2016 at 12:16pm: Verlen Kruger is one of those larger than life characters everyone that loves the outdoors secretly wishes they could be. 8-) I feel bad telling my wife I want to do a two week solo.  Verlen was like "Honey, i'll be back in 3 years".  "Oh, and my new paddling partner is this nice woman I met who's 30 years younger than me.  See ya!"   :o

Tell her that one of the best things about going SOLO is you have time to reflect on the things that are REALLY important in your life.  ;)

The WHOLE absence makes the heart grow fonder thing. ;D

Just don't take any pics of NUBILE Canadian gals canoeing topless or you'll blow your cover story. ;) ;D ;D

TomT wrote on Jun 14^th, 2016 at 9:01pm:

[quote author=solotripper link=1465682834/8#8 date=1465906618] Verlen Kruger is one of those larger than life characters everyone that loves the outdoors secretly wishes they could be. 8-)

My joke is obviously an exaggeration and I was going to delete it thinking it was disrespectful to the man.  But I'll just post a quote from him that I love.

"Happy are those who dream a dream, then have the courage to make it come true".  --  Verlen Kruger

"Once you get used to the bent shaft you won't go back to a straight shaft."  - I disagree;  never did get to like my bent shaft, a straight works better for my style of paddling I guess.

But yeah, once you start using a ZRE, you don't go back to other paddles - after using it for a while, then switching to my wooden paddle for a rapid, its like I just picked up a length of 2x8.  Worth every penny you spend on one.