canoemaker,
The Levas paddle does have a slightly spoon shaped powerface. The catch is fairly remarkable. I do have some pics of the paddles but they aren`t on my computer , they are on my yahoo group website.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/easternoutrigger/
http://maineoutriggerchampionships.blogspot.com/

Canoemaker,
Been meaning to write for some time now ....
Where are you located ?
Can you give me a shout @
[email protected]
I think there is a lot we could talk about.
Sub 7.5 ( 212gm ) is the magic number to beat.
Aloha,
pog

With a round shaft, and carbon-weave construction instead of wound, like most all carbon paddles, KIALOA's Keone feels so good in my hands. The shaft flexes perfectly - I like it better than my hybrid Axel II...

I used a quickblade for about five years and couldn't be talked out of getting a new paddle until I forgot it for a practice and borrowed one of Al Chings Mudbrook blades, won't paddle my one man with anything else now. As far as the superlight paddles go, I have found that there is a point when a paddle is almost too light and gets carried about by the wind too much.
Anyone else find that?

ZRE PowerSurge medium with flexible shaft gets my rocks off. Was perfect for the Murray Ultra Marathon. Just don't hit your OC1 with it, cuts like a knife. Prefer my Axel2 for control in heavy going and high wind conditions.
Les Looks Makana Ali'i , is nice too but you must treat it with respect.
Rambo

While we're on lightweight, may as well chuck in paddle length.

Long or Short .. you decide
A very Detailed Analysis of Long Vs Short paddles ... by Leo Young MD Bsc.
Part 1
From a bio mechanical point of view, I believe it's a major, but unfortunately deeply entrenched misconception, to assume that a taller paddler should automatically use a longer and/or bigger outrigger paddle.
Generally speaking, tall and short people have relatively similar torso heights. Overall height differences occur primarily in limb lengths. Accordingly the average height person has a wing span that closely approximates their height, whilst shorter people generally have wing spans less than their height and taller people normally have wing spans longer than their height.
A taller paddler's shoulder height above the canoe seat is usually going to be very similar to that of a short person, but because of their longer arms, their hands will be much lower relative to the waterline. Accordingly, a taller person actually needs a shorter paddle to reach the water effectively.
Furthermore, the effective gearing you are working with when you paddle, at any given blade size, is determined by the distance from the medial center of your scapula (the middle of your shoulder blades) to the tip of your paddle, when your arm is stretched out straight at the catch. The longer this distance, the longer the work lever is and higher/harder the gear you are working with, that is the more work you are doing for any given angular range of motion.
The length of that lever is primarily determined by the size of your wing span and how far up the shaft you grip. So any paddler can increase their working lever, by simply moving their hand up the shaft. But obviously, at any given grip position, taller paddlers are working with a harder gear (longer lever) and doing more work for any given angular range of motion. A taller person using the same size paddle as a shorter person and gripping the paddle in the same position, will feel more load on the end of their paddle.
So a taller paddler can not only get away with using a shorter paddle to get to an effective catch position, but can actually use a shorter paddle to achieve a given amount of work. I believe a lot of taller paddlers unknowingly put themselves at a significant disadvantage by using longer blades that effectively have them way over geared.
I'm 196cm tall, with a 208.5cm wingspan and normally use a 51" paddle, but even feel quite comfortable with a 50" paddle, gripping closer to the blade than shorter paddlers.
Remember, just because using longer paddles for taller paddlers is what everyone normally does, doesn't make it correct.
Now before everyone starts enthusiastically challenging these heresies by quoting established kayaking paddle length norms, be aware that whilst exactly the same principles apply, taller paddlers potentially will need longer kayak paddles to give them the appropriate and comfortable spacing they will need between their hands. However, some of this extra grip spacing required by taller paddlers should be achieved by them gripping the shaft slightly closer to the blade, to compensate for the longer lever gear created by their greater wingspan.
Part 2
I need to clarify a point with regards to my earlier post on paddle lengths and gearing. All my previous comments really only considered how heavily the bottom arm is being geared for the primarily important pulling action of the stoke.
For a given paddle length, moving your bottom hand further up the shaft, increases the gearing on both the bottom hand (where creating a longer lever below your hand gears things up), as well as on the top hand (where a shorter lever above your hand increases the gearing effect).
A longer paddle only gears you up more heavily if you move your bottom hand further up the shaft. If you use a longer paddle and keep your bottom hand in the same position, nothing changes directly with regards to the gearing of the pulling action of the stroke, however, you effectively lower the gearing effect for your top hand and consequently the pushing component of the stroke.
Conversely, using a shorter paddle and keeping your bottom hand the same height up the paddle, still gives you the same bottom arm gearing, but automatically increases the gear your top hand is working with.
So Al, before you change paddle lengths, first play around with your hand placement on your existing paddle and differentiate between how heavily geared your bottom and top hands feel. First, find a hand position up the shaft that feels correctly geared for your bottom hand, which is the most critical of the two. At that position, only then decide how appropriately geared and positioned your top hand feels. If things feel to light for your top hand and your hand position is relatively high with reference to your shoulder, you need a shorter paddle. Alternatively, if your top hand is too heavily geared and your top hand is well below shoulder height then you will need a longer paddle. I'd suggest that if in doubt, err towards a shorter rather than a longer paddle.
Of course, the surface area of the blade itself is also critical in determining how heavily geared you are. Once again, I'd suggest using the smallest blade size that you can effectively paddle with, without cavitation through water, even when sprinting. The better your technique, and consequently your catch, the smaller the blade you'll be capable of using and still be effectively catching plenty of water to work against.
If you're producing big puddles that pop out behind the back of your stroke, it means you're missing a lot of water and dragging down a lot of air on the catch. A good catch should be creating either no splash, or a tiny splash in front of the paddle away from you, rather than a back splash towards you.

Eh Rambo,
Excellent post ....
Spot on about reach/ body geometry.
You are right on the edge of where I begin to think 'outside of the box' when it comes to paddle sizing. IMO, the guys just a little taller than you need to factor in some other stuff too.
Beside mechanical leverage you big guys scale the boat down of sorts. Wider shoulders and reach are an advantage for paddle placement too.
To the weight question. Yep, nice to have a bit of 'gyroscopic effect / feedback' to let your brain/muscles know where to place the paddle. Hard to argue superlight for cumulative savings over the long haul but sometimes you just don't know where it is when out in the wind.

Couple of paddlers from other nations? I remember when the Hungarians (or maybe Czechs) came to Molos with a crew of assorted Olympian flatwater guys. They were of course really fast in the flats, but they got absolutely smoked in the channel, coming in the 30s. Eventually they did ok (12th or so) years later, but never "dominated" like they thought they were going to. True, this does not constitute full scale international competition, but supposedly these guys were some of the better flatwater racers of that time. Additionally, throughout the years there have been crews of people w/ similar marathon/flatwater backgrounds who have competed in the channel, but none have done really well aside from the Illinois brigade crew, who won in ca. 1980 with Serge Corbin and others aboard. Furthermore, canoemaker, worldwide there's probably way more outrigger paddlers right now than flatwater/whitewater paddlers. Isn't the flatwater/whitewater world dominated by just a few small eastern european countries and Canada? So before you go dismissing the Hoe as not a "true" world championship, I suggest you do some research and figure exactly which crew of French Canadian/Czech/Polish/Russian or whatever elite flatwater dudes you could put together to average 6'40" miles the whole way across Kaiwi. These people are paddling at an extremely high level, and the really funny thing is when someone from an arguably even more obscure sport comes along and suggests that it's sooo primitive. Maybe in 1979 you'd be right, canoemaker, but not anymore. Love, Jim P.S Just be glad those Tahitians and Hawaiians you speak of leave your little whitewater principality alone for the time being.

Jim,
LMAO. I prefer Shredded Wheat.

WOW, Jim-aling-aling-long in rare form! I'm just glad LeBron James doesn't paddle!

Jim, don't forget trampoline is an olympic sport as well.
BTW, from Zre's web site.
http://www.zre.com/catalog/powersurgepro7ozcarbonfibercanoepaddle-p-162…
7oz paddle...

oop's

They're separate. Check out their website, I'm too retarded to post the link. The only bummer is they come w/ the palm grip, but I'm pretty sure you can special order a T-top. Just having fun w/ the posts, it's all tounge in cheek, broham. Hell, I ain't even the slightest bit patriotic, unless some Frenchman goes insulting my imperialistic, racist, homophobic, homeland. U-S-A!

Would there not be be too little space to utilize a bladder for the typical outrigger paddle if using 2 part closed mold method. Carbon frame Tri-bikes are made the bladder way, but they have larger diameter sections.
I've not paddled with the Levas so cannot comment. But the thin cupped blades like the ZRE powersurge enter and exit cleanly, and i really like that.
If an expanding core material could be activated (in a closed mold) in lieu of the bladder and retained as the core, that would be ideal. But i think most are using pre -shaped cores. Balsa still seems to be the strongest, lightest core material.
Cheers Rambo

From a compression standpoint Balsa still rules over everything. (#'s to weight wise) I have not checked in a while but I think the lightest available is 5lb. or so ... but I bet they are GRO-ing 3 pound as we type : 0
Rambo, they have it and is is being used in Wheels like Spinergys for example.
Picture CNC cut foam ( pre molded too ) that 'activates' @ X temp and expands just right to compress prepregs when resin goes viscous.
The bladders can work but need pressuse... then to withdraw them ?
All this human powered equipment has its own set of rules that many of the 'high tech' methods do not cover without people who know ( actual users WITH comoposite knowledge ) whats needed involved. Those French blades are sooooo pretty and made really well but they are still not so light. ( I only know specs on kayak blades here and did not check on canoe blades : ) Same with AT kayak paddles ( canoemaker, suggest checking these out too ) ... cool but still almost isotropic and not really that light either.
IMHO ... I think Zavs are the closest thing to a perfect product out there. Some might like or desire the shapes but from a construction standpoint, there is almost no way to improve on these things 'till some new material comes along.
The ZRE P.S. Is my favorite.
Might actually get over to Quatro composites by next month.