Hand Paddles
What are the advantages of hand paddling?
In a nutshell, using hand paddles provides a more intimate relationship with the water.
We believe that using hand paddles will enhance your overall whitewater skill set. Hand paddles naturally require the paddler to improve their water reading skills, to focus a little more on boat control, and to further develop their core strength. Rather than relying on speed or power to make critical moves, the hand paddler learns to more effectively use river features in the navigation of rapids. Using hand paddles can spice up your home run and will put a big smile on your face when you realize how much better soul surfing becomes. They also do wonders for the shoulder muscles!
Are hand paddles easy to remove?
The tightness of the straps usually dictate how quickly hand paddles can be removed. This is often determined by how comfortable one becomes using them. Basically, the tighter the straps are, the more difficult they can be to remove.
On our own line of hand paddles, we make different styles to suit different needs. Since our Pro Series hand paddles are designed to be very connected to your hands, they are the slowest to remove. Our Original Series and Dedo's hand paddles are easier to remove than the Pro Series because they lack the thumb loops. While they can be pulled off without first loosening the straps, loosening the straps does make it easier. The Dedo's have the added benefit of allowing the user to loosen the straps while still wearing them. Our Quick Draws were designed to easily slide off the hands when the fingers are in a relaxed position. Only by keeping some thumb tension on the paddle straps will they remain on when the water gets rough.
Our Stretchy Straps came about to address peoples fear of being able to remove hand paddles in a hurry. With about a 10% stretch, the Stretchy Straps have just the right amount of give to allow you to literally flick them off your hands. Coupled with the Pro Series paddles they provide the best combination of control and ease of removal of any paddle we know of.
Is it hard to roll with hand paddles?
Rolling with hand paddles is very easy. Because it is intuitive to use your hands to right yourself when upside down, rolling with hand paddles comes naturally to most people. Gone is the long paddle that has to be wrestled against the current and set into the proper position. With hand paddles, even if you miss your hip-snap, you can just doggy-paddle your way up.
What size of hand paddles do I need?
This is personal preference and largely dependent on the type and style of boating you do. Any of our four styles can be made into any size. We recommend smaller sizes for squirt boating and playboating and larger sizes for creeking and river running. One thing to note is that the XL paddles may not easily fit into the stern of some smaller kayaks, so if you are planning to use our hand paddles as a backup to a traditional paddle, consider the medium or large sizes unless your boat has plenty of rear storage space.
What size are your hand paddles?
We make five sizes to fit all kinds of boating and all sizes of people. Our youth size paddles measure approximately 8" wide x 9 1/4" tall, our small paddles are 9" x 10 1/2", our medium paddles are 9 3/4" x 11", the large paddles are 10" x 11 3/4", and the XL paddles measure 11" x 12 1/4". Due to the stiffness of the paddles, they will be noticeably more powerful than many other brands of similar size.
Do your hand paddles float?
Yes... sort of. Our naked paddles are buoyancy neutral. If you lay them into the water they will usually stay on the surface, but they will go with the current if left unattended, and this includes going under. A little strip of mini-cell foam glued on with contact cement will go a long way in keeping the paddles on the surface, and will make them easier to find if you happen to be displaced from one.
Our foamed paddles float very well and make recovery a whole lot easier. They also provide a little more comfort.
What colors do you offer?
We offer our paddles in white and blue, as well as black in a very limited supply. The straps come in a variety of colors and patterns, many of which we keep in stock, including several Shockerz branded straps. The lead time for out of stock strap colors and patterns runs about two weeks.