You may call this cliché but it has happened to me TWICE this season with a group. I haven’t been so disappointed in myself on a paddleboard adventure as those times. Always coming prepared with my toolkit, extra water wicking clothes and enough duct tape to wrap an entire paddle board – I should come with an extra paddle. Let me add another cliché to the pile, ‘you get what you pay for’. Silly me, I bought paddles that were pretty cheap and we were no more than ½ mile down the river when the paddle split from the pole….sinking deep into the waters below.
Firstly, your paddle should not split at minimal force, let alone sink. All thinks water ought to float. In any case this was the culprit. Right where the paddle met the pole, it split off. In this case, I tethered to the paddleboard with no paddle and paddled for two. Once in the clear, I gave her my paddle and took the pole. All survivalist mode, I paddled close to shore, sticking the pole into the sand and launching forward. On a positive note, I kept up and probably burned a whole lot of the anguish (and calories) on the effort.
This led me to a paddle exploration. My journey was to find the best paddle for the job. To my amazement, I didn’t have to look further than my own backyard. What are the odds? Bending Branches |Aqua Bound located in Osceola, Wi are the WORLD’S largest paddle distributer. Keeping to my passion too – buy local! This company is amazing. After calling them up and telling my exasperated story, they were cool, calm and collective as they said, ‘come on over, we will make a paddle right here for you’.
I’ve now used Bending Branches in all my latest excursions and with no avail. They are sturdy but light and accommodating to all heights.
I bought 10. One of which is so beautiful, I can’t bear to use it and is a fixture in my living room.