Guide Paddle

[rhm]

rambler, check out

JIMISTYX

the man is a legend in the kayaking world. his paddles are incredible pieces of woodwork. i don't know if i would guide a raft with one though. i would hate to break one of his paddles pushing a raft around.

i bought a perception paddle when i was guiding rafts. it was a great paddle. then they changed the shafts the next year. the new ones broke all the time. i don't know if their quality has gotten any better. mine lasted from 1993 until 2000 i think. it was awesome. it had a lot of flex in the shaft and the blade. never had any tendonitis issues, even guiding close to a hundred days a year.

it broke when some fat dude fell on it climbing into my boat. from then on i just grabbed a customer stick from the rack each morning. they are much cheaper. when you loose one, or break one, there are always several hundred more back at base, or floating in an eddy somewhere on the river. plus the blade is smaller, you won't end up hurting yourself, or giving yourself tendonitis from using a big bladed paddle. and talk about flex. those things are so flimsy. you can easily bend one by just doing a big draw stroke or a big pry.

[EZ]

When I was guiding (1996-2005) I only used a guide paddle as a rookie. I soon found that the big Carlisle guide sticks were really only good for making my shoulder sore. The blade on that thing is the same as a Carlisle oar blade. I don't know about the newer ones mentioned in this thread. I've found the flex in a regular paddle to be great. If I bend one, I just unbend it. Sometimes you even end up with a bent shaft similar to an AT kayak paddle.

The fancy guide paddles are expensive, pretentious, and only carry any weight amongst fellow guides on the Gauley.

Besides the physiological problems associated with guide paddles, the single best reason is that when the shit hits the fan and I'm in the river with an upside down boat and seven dipshits, the last thing I want on my mind is, "Where's my hundred dollar paddle? Shit, I gotta find it or I am gonna owe somebody a twelve pack of beer for it."

If you need a fancy paddle to get your raft to go where you want, then you've got problems. Remember, you are just guiding a raft, not splitting atoms.

[TakemetotheRiver]

I can relate to this because last summer I lost a fellow guides' "favorite" guide stick. It wasn't expensive but had sentimental value- I not only owed him a 12pack but also had to buy him a new guide stick coz he whined about it for the rest of the summer. The funny thing is, I only took it because I didn't want one of the rookies to lose it- the river came up over a grand overnight and was chocolate. While I was pulling a swimmer back into the boat, he pulled the paddle out- it disappeared immediately, never to be seen again- it's probably in an eddy in Farmington.

I also snapped a guide stick last summer doing a big draw stroke in Corner Pocket.

Needless to say I learned several things that day- A. Don't be arrogant- I have as much chance to lose a guide stick as a rookie. B. Don't get attached to your paddle. and C. if you weigh a buck ten, get help pulling a 350 pounder back into the boat in high water.

Originally Posted by EZ

Besides the physiological problems associated with guide paddles, the single best reason is that when the shit hits the fan and I'm in the river with an upside down boat and seven dipshits, the last thing I want on my mind is, "Where's my hundred dollar paddle? Shit, I gotta find it or I am gonna owe somebody a twelve pack of beer for it."

If you need a fancy paddle to get your raft to go where you want, then you've got problems. Remember, you are just guiding a raft, not splitting atoms.