Carlisle 90-Inch Standard Polyethylene Clad Aluminum 2-Piece Kayak Paddle

Carlisle 90-Inch Standard Polyethylene Clad Aluminum 2-Piece Kayak Paddle It is on the heavy side, but if you need an economical, "no frills" paddle that is effective, can withstand some serious abuse, and is likely to last you a lifetime, look no farther! Cheap China made paddles abound these days. Many of them have the look of something high tech, modern and durable, but in the hands of a capable whitewater "river rat" most fall way short of expectations. Actually, cheap AND TOUGH paddles are harder than ever to pick out of the current, ever-growing and confusing line-up. Believe me folks, when it comes to even mild whitewater, fancy asymmetrical designs are not worth a toot without durability.I currently maintain a small fleet of sit on top and inflatable whitewater kayaks and related equipment to keep family and friends ready for fair weather "buddy trips" on the local class II/III beginner streams. (Ok, and because I rarely if ever get rid of anything.) I bought this paddle at Amazon recently because a much more expensive one broke and at this time I wasn't quite up to blowing another big wad of cash on a more "premium" paddle that might not be as tough. I have also owned another one of these for over 20 years as an avid paddler. It was my first whitewater kayak paddle, then my son started out with it, and it is still the paddle I lend beginners that go with us today. It has been used in every type of water from lakes to class IV whitewater and with every kind of kayak and canoe made, both hard and inflatable. It probably has 500 mostly whitewater river miles on it - seriously! I rarely make a paddle trip of any kind without it. When someone isn't using it I usually take it along as a spare, being that it also breaks down into two pieces and is easily stowed.I've been around whitewater for a while now and have seen most everything to come along, and the good old classic Carlisle 2-piece kayak paddle, while not the trendiest piece of equipment, is still a great value.

If you are considering this paddle, and have done your homework - as I did - you will know that Carlisle is a very respected name in the boating accessory business. Their products tend to be a bit more expensive, as well. If you shop in the 'big box' stores, you will find a few Carlisle paddles, along side their own choice branded paddles (their own tend to be about half the price). This is an outstanding buy at under $50 (I seriously doubt you will find these cheaper elsewhere), and is an excellent kayak paddle. I purchased the Olive Green (very difficult color to find) to match my kayak. I highly recommend Carlisle products.

The holes in the paddle were a little too small for the metal pin to pop into place, we had to re-drill the holes a bit (good thing we had tools up at camp!). This solved the problem. But for the price it would have been nice if the holes were drilled properly. Otherwise works as expected.

bought this for my husband and he really likes it, worth the money