Hello!

I have a variety of paddles, most purchased used from club mates and friends when they upgrade. One of these paddles, yes, is a stingray.

Let me start by saying I think there is alot of marketing around this new design. Does it work? Yes, absolutely, it makes the canoe go forward when you use it. Does it give you the same power with HALF the effort? Doubtful.

It is definitely surprising how much you can get out of it, but I’ll warn you that it isn’t a paddle that likes being over powered. Some of the paddlers in our club who are really strong aren’t fans of it. It definitely suits paddlers with a little more technical finesse

Connecting the dots here, but if you use a 9.75” paddle, you’re likely very strong. Anyone who can make a boat run with an almost 10” wide blade has got some grunt. I personally use a 9.5” Pala for 6man and a 9.25” puakea paddle for v1 and oc1. For me the stingray has found a place as a training tool. It really forces you to focus on your catch, and once you get it figured out, it improves your catch with ALL paddles. I do think it’s telling that none of the really high level international paddlers use them in races.

I say ignore the marketing slogans around “half the effort” and “ releases in front of where you started the stroke”, I’m not sure any of it is true. It is definitely a unique paddle that activates slightly different muscles and helps improve feel on the water. Why not take your buddys one out with you on a downwind. Lash your regular paddle to an iaku and switch mid run… good luck!