Dragon boat regatta season is upon us...time to get a new paddle but which one?

Dragon boat paddles are pretty much a specialty item. Outside of MEC and the GWN website, it's pretty difficult to find a reseller of high end paddles in Toronto. Whether it be Apex, Burnwater, ZRE or whatever, it's not like you can just walk into any Sport Chek or paddling store and just score one in the exact size you need. More likely you'll have to order one off the web and pay $20 for shipping, which is like having a dog kick dirt in your face after she makes you pick up her poop.

I'm a pretty firm believer in having the right tools for the job and a former constant victim of the saying a poor man pays twice. Unfortunately, I also make poor decisions all the time.

So I just sold my 46" Apex Accelerator on Sunday and am looking to score a new one ASAP for this weekend, aka the Pickering Regatta. Let me tell you that going from carbon fiber to wood for 2 practices was like going from 3-ply quilted with lotion to 1-ply recycled...it did the job but it was kinda rough.

Yeah 46" is pretty short, but I thought my type 2 shoulder separation would mangle me permantnely for life (and yeah it did feel like that for a while despite the painkillers). Luckily, thanks to physio it turns out I recovered pretty well and got most of the flexibility back so time to go longer. Strange that how a few inches makes a big difference (that's also what she said...).



Anyway, I had pretty good experiences with Apex Paddles so I'll probably end up buying the exact same paddle again - they're also located near Toronto so I can save on shipping. I mean if you were to throw down $300 for a piece of plastic carbon fiber that weighs 400 grams you'd expect good things form it, luckily Apex makes some good products. For the years I've used it, it didn't dent, scrape or chip on the blade and I gave it a beating, so it's pretty durable. I think most of the paddles supplied at Ontario regattas as well are Apex Durablades too.

The only qualm I have about it (that similar paddles like the Burnwater share) is that you need to use that wax for your bottom hand because the material is so smooth. I found that on paddles with matte finishes (like the ZRE), it's not that bad, but unless you wear a glove or have rough man hands it'll be sliding up and down that wet shaft all day...ftl