(10/23/05)
(Bryon on Inner City Strife / Photo: Stephen Wright)
I was introduced to H2O paddles and John & Steve from H2O this year at the OR show in Salt Lake. Besides the bright colored blades and carbon bent shaft paddles immediately catching my eye, these guys were more than friendly to boot! I immediately wanted to get one of these paddles out on the water. After returning from OR I ordered a Team model paddle to my exact specs. I ended up picking up my 194cm, 30 degree offset, bent shaft, Team blade paddle at Gauley Fest.
Immediately I was really impressed with the overall feel of the paddle. The grips are the first thing that you notice and are extremely comfortable and make it so you always know where your hands are. The shaft is a neutral bent shaft design made of carbon. I really liked the stiffness of the shaft and the bend is quite comfortable on the joints. The Team blade shape was designed by Billy Harris and Pat Camblin and provides tons of initial power. The blades are made of a special Dupont plastic that makes them extremely stiff while still remaining very durable. The internal stiffener in the blades also helps to make the blades both stiff and durable. The blades also lock into the shaft, which makes for a responsive feeling paddle while making for a stronger bond between the blades and shaft. The swing weight of the paddle is quite good as well, with a majority of the weight centered on the paddle, in the shaft.
I've had the paddle on the Upper Gauley, Upper Yough, Mather Gorge (Potomac), Great Falls (Potomac), Muddy Creek (PA, at Flood), Inner City Strife (Black River, NY), and Independence Creek (NY). This paddle is specifically designed for freestyle and really excels in this arena, but does quite well in all conditions. All the initial bite that this blade provides makes for really snappy freestyle moves. I found that the paddle handled really well in big water as well, getting me were I wanted to go in a hurry. I was really surprised, but the paddle was quite well suited for low volume creeking as well. I found it quite nice to be able to beat the thing on low volume slides and such without worrying about chipping or breaking the blades.
I've also gotten a chance to try the Team-C-1 paddle from H2O. Vincent DuPont designed this blade. The paddle looks more than a bit funky, but handles awesome! Again this paddle is designed specifically for freestyle and provides a huge amount of initial bite. I used the bent shaft version and loved it. It is the only bent shaft C-1 paddle that I've ever liked at all! You have to try this thing to really appreciate it.
H2O has a whole line of whitewater and touring paddles. The whitewater paddles line has everyone covered: Freestyle, Riverrunning, Kids, C-1 Freestyle, and C-1 Riverrunning. The paddles also have a wide price range with everything from full custom carbon bent all the way down to glass straight shaft/plastic blade. H2O has something to suit every paddler's needs and budgets.
Be sure to express your interest in trying one of these paddles to your local whitewater retailer. The guys at H2O are more than willing to get demos out to your local shop. Expect these paddles to hit the market with a vengeance in '06!
See you on the river- Bryon Dorr
(Check out H2O Paddles at: www.h2opaddles.com)
