I bought a Zaveral about 14 years ago and I love it.  It is a bent shaft (not sure of the angle) and think its 11 or 14 oz.  I have pushed off rocks and log jams (gently) and regularly paddle the J-stroke with it.  The older I get, the better it feels.  I'd buy another one in a hut-beat.

terp

I love my Zav!  Almost lost it last week while bushwacking!

I do carry a spare just in case, I need go into some real nasty area, but for the most part just use the Zav. 

I have been careful, over the years to asnad out any frays and seal those areas with epoxy.

Old Salt, you're not alone.

After years of "rental" canoe paddles, I bought a Grey Owl (wood) bentshaft, and it was love at first stoke. It might weigh a bit more than today's state-of-the-art carbon-fibre jobs, but to me, it felt light as a feather. The extra power you get from the bend makes straight-shaft paddles feel like a car running on three cylinders.

The only drawback to bentshafts I've found is when soloing a tandem canoe in the wind: the extra reach you get with a straight shaft seems to make a significant difference to course-correcting strokes.

All that being said, I also have a wood Redtail "Ottertail Deluxe", C$35 from MEC. It's a great paddle too, and still head-and-shoulders above those old brick s'house rentals. Gotta love that Redtail grip design too.

So the bottom line is it's all about priorities. The more you spend, the more you get, but with canoe paddles, the law of diminishing returns kicks in at a very low price range.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) has cf ottertail paddles, I've had my eye on one just waiting for the extra cash to buy.

I'm certain I'd notice a difference after a couple hours, more at the end of a long day.