Stingray kayak paddle

Loving this paddle. Works well, light and strong. Some great reviews out there. I have a small press button to split the paddle into two, which can be a little fiddly sometimes. But I do recommend this paddle.

I do like this paddle (straight, fiberglass). My experience is with a 230 cm length. Nice and light, but with a solid feel and the ability to paddle firmly if desired. The smooth blade-edge transition down to the shaft helps keep the water drainage attached to the shaft until it reaches the drip rings. The drip rings have no cupping, so they don’t catch quite as much drip as they could, but still OK. Overall a keeper at a fairly reasonable price.

I'm new to kayaking and had only rented kayaks (and paddles) until I recently got my own gear. The paddle I selected was the AquaBound Stingray and I was absolutely amazed at what a difference a good paddle makes! The Stingray is light, strong, easy to use, well-made, and the standard size shaft fit my smaller hand just fine.

I am so glad I took the advice of folks on Paddling.Net to buy the best paddle I could afford. Rental paddles I had used hurt my hands, caused blisters, and aggravated my minor arthritis. I paddled for a much longer time with my AquaBound Stingray and the light weight shaft and blades left my hands feeling great.
Love it!

Many years ago I realized that your most important purchase if you want to be serious in kayaking is to get a high quality paddle. My go-to stick is a bent shaft Werner Cyprus for kayaking. But I also have an old beat-up Old Town Discovery 119 solo canoe that I would like to try with a double blade paddle and my kayak paddles are too short. I wanted a 240 cm paddle for the canoe but did not want to buy junk because I know I would not be happy with a clunky aluminum shaft paddle. So I used a gift card from my birthday and put it towards an Aqua Bound Stingray with the new Posi-Lok ferrule.

It is a good quality low angle paddle. It is light enough that its 240 cm length does not feel cumbersome. The Posi-Lok system seems very solid. There is no looseness in the ferrule and it snaps together soundly and then comes apart just as easily. The blade has been whacked against a couple of riverside (and river bottom) rock to no ill effect suggesting that it will stand up to normal abuse. The surface finish on the shaft seems fine and does not appear to lead to excess rubbing or blisters.

Within its price range, this seems like an excellent paddle. Within its price range I would give this paddle a 10 - compared to the best that are out there I will give an 8.

Bought the Sting-Ray paddle to replace a cheaper aluminum-shaft paddle I had bee using. Much lower swing weight makes longer paddles much easier. The paddle seems stiff and efficient. Overall, I give it a 10.

Be conscious of when you purchased your Sting Ray. Aquabound took new ownership in 2008 (I believe), and brought the manufacturing to the US. I had a Sting Ray that I bought in 2004 or 2005 and I had the same issue… sticky ferrule. I contacted Aquabound a few years ago and got my problem fixed. Here is what their customer service said…

We recommend that you store 2 or 4 piece paddles completely disassembled and apart. Check the blade fit up before each use and if the fit up between the blade and shaft is tighter than you prefer, use sand paper and sand down the blade peg to achieve the fit up you desire. If your blade is already stuck into the shaft, we recommend placing a cold compression ice pack around the shaft at the joint area and wait 5 minutes. After 5 minutes remove ice pack, make sure the push button is depressed. Grab a partner and place the blade under the armpit of one person and secure the blade tightly under the arm. The second person then can twist the shaft back and forth to loosen up the blade from the shaft. Repeat process as many times as needed.

Last summer I wanted a new paddle, so I ended up giving that paddle to my son. Because of Aquabound's reliability and weight for the price, I bought another Sting Ray. I don't know if it's the new ownership or if it's built better in the US, but I have had no issues with my new Sting Ray.

Be sure if you buy a nice paddle, like an Aquabound or Werner, you take the paddle apart between uses. Seems like the people that rated this paddle poorly had that same issue.

I am on my second Aquabound 4 piece paddle and I am very aggravated that the paddle does not come apart at the blade end, I've tried just about everything. This is very frustrating as I currently paddle with and Advanced Elements framed inflatable which I have put in a bag with pump, life jacket and accessories, but since the paddle will not come apart it does not fit in the bag, and I would also prefer not to announce that I have an expensive paddle in the car.

I believe the Stingray was quicker to get the sticking problem, perhaps in part because of the smaller blades. But the sticking the first pair is one reason I bought the Stingray in the first place, but I do prefer the blade of the Stingray.

Buy the best paddle you can afford. These were right up there. They make them lighter, but not much. We both the 4-piece paddles to use and travel with our inflatable kayak and are very happy with them. At about 1 pound apiece, it's hard to remember what paddling with a normal paddle was like. Only after 6 ore more hours on a river do I begin to feel tired in my neck from holding the paddle up off the gunwales -- something you have to do if you're paddling. One caution, the "plastic" blade can swell up when wet, making it almost impossible to separate it from the shaft. Follow the manufacturer's instructions about lightly shaving the ferrule to make it slightly smaller. And ALWAYS wipe all dirt and dust off the outside and inside of the ferrules before joining the pieces or you will have a very hard time taking them apart. My wife and I love these paddles and are happy we traded in our lightweight wood ones, which did require yearly maintenance.

Update to my 9/27/10 post:
Replacement paddle arrived 4 business days after shipping. Replacement paddle is an upgrade with a 22% stronger blade and stronger carbon shaft. The light weight is amazing. Branches LLC / Aqua-Bound provided outstanding after-sales service on their warranty with no scruples in replacing my damaged paddle.

My Stingray tubes were sometimes difficult to separate. I lightly sanded the ferrule and sprayed it with silicone. Do not use grease or oil. It may seem nice for assembly and maybe one dis-assembly but as soon as any dirt or sand sticks to the oil, grease, Vaseline, etc. faggeddabowdit. Rarely do mine stick now unless the grand daughters drag it through the fine beach sand!

Excellent paddle for the price. Light weight, very durable. Did experience some of the sticking problems during dis-assembly of the shaft. Lightly sanded the the solid portion of the shaft and have not experienced and further sticking problems. Definitely recommend this paddle.

These paddles work very well in practice. They are light and strong. However, I am experiencing the shaft sticking problem that others are talking about. I doubt that I will buy any other products from this manufacturer. I have been disappointed.

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Disclaimer: Aqua-Bound changed ownership the summer of 2008 and bought the production of their paddles to the United States. Significant paddle quality improvements have been made with the new ownership and customer satisfaction is guaranteed.
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The stuck together shaft ferrule is a common problem with Aquabound. I belong to a club so I paddle with a variety of people. I have seen several tug of wars with two people trying to pull apart an Aquabound paddle. A good product otherwise, but they have a serious problem with that.

I have used several AquaBound paddles and have found them all very durable and light (carbon). Excellent paddle for the money.

The white blade/carbon shaft Sting Ray is my first paddle, and I'm loving it. 'Tho still a "newbie" to the sport, I can't even think about getting another paddle in the future. This baby is light and powerful! And easy to disassemble and store. Congrats, Aqua-Bound -- you guys got it right!

This is a follow-up to a review on 5.15.07.
Aquabound replaced my original two paddles with updated (I guess) models. I wish I could post a positive report but we continue to have problems with the locking mechanism. Now, one is hard to lock and the other is hard to unlock. Yesterday we stood on the beach for >15 minutes trying to get one of them to lock. We finally gave up and paddled with our spare. The paddle that does lock cannot be unlocked with wet hands. We have to either dry the paddle and our hands to get a good enough grip to unlock it or wait until it dries.

I am disappointed with the locking system for an otherwise great paddle.

Great Paddle! Money well spent! Great, light swing weight and balance with no discernible energy-sapping flex.
I was skittish about the price tag but with a Christmas gift card, my REI dividend, and 20-percent-off coupon I got the all-carbon version of this paddle for ~50 bucks out the door. If I had it to do over knowing what I know now I'd pay the $200- without a blink.

I've paddled easily over 100 miles this summer in all kinds of boats, my own craft being a Heritage Marquesa/Redfish 14. The majority of those miles I've covered with my girl as my faithful sidekick AFTER the ~horror story I'm about to relate:

Looking to save some room in my Xterra for a long trip from NC to PA this past June I stashed our broken-down paddles in my girl's Ultimate 12 which sits in a J-Rack on the truck's roof. Up to PA and all around all week this arrangement worked just fine. On our way back I must've caught the wind just right and, hearing a double-thump, I checked the mirror to see half of my paddle sailing up, up... and then sailing to the pavement of the freeway somewhere around Annapolis, MD during morning rush hour. In the interest of not making any exaggerated claims I'm going to assume that the resulting damage occurred upon the female half of my paddle returning to Terra Firma and not as the result of being run over by any one of about 8 cars that were (thankfully a good distance) behind me. What resulted was the removal of a good chunk of plastic about 1/2 inch wide and reaching up almost to the hilt on the outside collar of the TLC system (female half, remember). There was and is a gap of plastic missing there. I thought my paddle was done for, but no. It still locks fine and holds a feathered angle with no problem. And, as I said... I've paddled easily 100 miles with it in this condition, from leisurely after-work stretches to a 3-day Pacific Northwest expedition in a touring boat the month after it was cracked. My Stingray has held true and the backup paddle has not been needed.

I purchased the Stingray Carbon at La Cordee in Laval in March. I tried it the same day amid the ice floes in the St Lawrence.
It's a beautifully balanced paddle with a dangerous flaw. While paddling hard to run up on an ice floe, it unlocked without warning, feathering in the water resulting in a near capsize. Thinking that I hadn't locked it properly, I realigned the shafts and twisted the locking mechanism as tight as possible. Despite this, a light twist with thumb and forefinger was all it took to unlock it. When I returned the paddle, I checked all the Stingray paddles in the rack. All would unlock with next to no torque regardless of how tightly the locking knob was turned. I exchanged it for a Werner Camano which has a positive locking mechanism.
Paddlers have to be able to trust their equipment. This simply isn't possible with the Stingray. Beware!

This was the paddle that the EMS store suggested for us. It lists for $95 (the standard version and not the carbon shaft). I was considering getting a real basic paddle at LL Bean for $35, but after looking at these paddles and reading this board, we went to the $95 one.

We have NOT had any problem with the joints. Ours still can be disconnected. The shape of the blade is nice.
Very light...last weekend we rented a boat for a friend and my fiancee use the paddle that came with it. She was begging to have her Stingray back.

We have 230 cm models -- good length for what we do. Very durable paddle that has stood up well.
Best of all, not made in China. Made in Canada.
Good basic paddle. Do wish it had a better grip on the shaft, and that the rubber splash guards did not slide down the shaft. Minor details though.

I bought the Stingray all carbon paddle from REI.
Couldn't ask for a better handling paddle for touring. Feathering while in the kayak is simple and easy... the locking mechanism works very well... the light weight is great for long distances... superb paddle.

Extremely durable poly/fiber resin blades, a light carbon wrap shaft, under 31oz and retails for $140? I had to get one.

I was not disappointed. This paddle performs far beyond its price. It is a near perfect combination of construction, low weight, value, and performance. I have a distant feeling that this paddle will do VERY well in the marketplace as more local shops begin to carry it. REI is stocking it regularly now as well. NB: A small shaft is also avail.

There is also an all carbon Stingray with a braided shaft (as opposed to wrapped)that retails for $180, if an additional $40 buys you carbon blades too.... although for rocks and docks, the resin blend is a surefire way to keep the blades intact and pretty for the long haul.

Bomber reputation for the rec paddles brought this company up in the world... now the entry carbon tour paddles for this price level are going to make a whole lot of people take a close look. Don't pass this up without a close look. The alternative will empty your wallet at least another $75-100 bucks.

I was in the market for a rec/touring paddle to go along with a bout like the Necky Manitou. I went to local outfitters who had wide array of paddles, but all of them seemed either too expensive or very novice and heavy. The sales people's advice was "Werners always work good..." Turns out, this paddle was 6 ounces lighter than the Werner for only $15 more. The carbon shaft is amazing. I could feel a great difference just by paddling air. In the water, it’s great. The medium sized blade is good for medium sized trips. At $140, I don't think there is a better light touring paddle made.