Cyprus Paddle

Greatly love this paddle! Have used it both instructing as well as tripping. My only complaint is that the button on the two-part no longer clicks out. I have observed this issue with both my paddle, as well as my students.

As a professional sea kayaking instructor for the past 20 years, I've tried tons of different paddles. Hands down my favorite is the Cyprus. Over the past six years or so, it's been my go-to paddle for all but the roughest surf and rock garden conditions (when I instead grab my burly, Werner Stikine).

As someone who puts in literally hundreds of thousands of strokes each year, a premium paddle is well worth its weight in ibuprophen! I find the light weight of the Cyprus is easy on my aging joints, while the high-performance blade shape--with its foam-core "flotation"--is excellent for everything from touring to surfing to smoothly linking strokes to rolling.

For me and the majority of my students, the "mid-size" high-angle blade style is a perfect compromise of power and versatility. While larger blades do provide a bit more support for bracing and rolling, they also take more muscle for simply paddling; thinner "touring" blades are easy on the arms for churning out the miles, but lack power and performance for maneuvering and bracing. The mid-size Cyprus nails the Goldilocks Zone of "Just Right" for just about everything I do.

Care and Durability: I don't baby my gear (tools, not jewels) but do take modest precautions or switch to a beefier blade when paddling around rocks or when the surf starts to reach double overhead (to a seated kayaker ;-) I've gotten years of mostly trouble-free use from my Cyprus. It is important to regularly rinse the adjustable ferrule in fresh water and lubricate it to keep the button from getting sticky, especially if you paddle primarily in salt water as I do. If the button gets gritty, I shove the nozzle of a garden hose into the end and blast the grit out, then let it dry and spritz a little 303 into the mechanism a couple times a year. This seems to keep it happy.

I got this paddle 2nd hand about 4 months ago, and have paddled about 350 kms (~220 miles) with it so far, on a Necky Manitou Sport, and a Manitou 14 (reviewed both).

No, you may not take it, you may not borrow it, you may not touch it!

I started with the standard Aquabound Stingray, which felt loose, wobbly, usually caught in the water on the end of the stroke, and was easily overpowered. Then I changed to a borrowed Werner Tybee, and what an improvement! The blade shape, the construction quality, and the stiffness were all better. I was paddling about 0.5 kph faster according to the gps. However, that paddle wasn't mine, so I picked up the Cyprus when I saw the ad.

Same blade shape as the Tybee, so no real change there, but "Wow" is that swing weight nice! The overall stiffness is much better, the blade seems to bite the water, and then pop back out at the end of the stroke. Not having a reinforcing rib down the back of the blade also means it's better at quick turns (lean on the back of the blade).

I can generate a fair bit of power, and it is more than equal to the task. No wobble, no joint flex (it's a 2 piece), no structural complaining. It will flex slightly under sustained pressure on longer strokes, and then release that energy smoothly into the ending of the stroke. You can feel the cavitation when pulling hard, and the stiffness also makes it easy to "read" what the blade is doing.

According to my gps, it also made me ~ 1 kph faster than the Tybee.

The only problem I'm having with it is that when I go paddling with my wife, she decides that it's better for me if she uses it! And that's, ummm, probably true...

Bottom line: Get one. It's what a paddle should be.

I got a Necky poly Elias and needed a new paddle. I have been using a Aquabound Manta Ray hybrid with my Jackson that I really like but wanted a smaller blade. I felt I was beating my self up and the Sting Ray seemed a bit small. The Cyprus fell nicely in between so I took the jump.

This paddle is very smooth with little blade flex or flutter. The swing is very light. The ferule is a flush one button with internal adjustment for feather. A very sexy paddle and seems to move my boat and my 180 pounds well. I have not tried the paddle with a loaded down boat so I can only hope it performs well here as well.

The only down side (besides price) I have found is the Cyprus is unforgiving of sloppy paddling so it will make you a better paddler, hey maybe that's a good thing.

I gave a 9 because it has a few little voids in one blade edge. Oh so close to a 10, but not quite perfect.

I noticed the other day when I was out with my regular group that three of the six of us had independently decided that the Werner Cyprus had become our go to paddle. It is light weight; something that is much appreciated on an eight hour paddle. The bent shaft eases stress on older wrists and allows you to relieve pressure on wear spots on your hands by moving them a bit on the shaft. We figured that we had about nine years of wear on the paddles all together and no one had any issues with the ferrules – something that cannot be said for all paddles.

The medium size blade keeps stress levels moderate during long trips but provides plenty of surface area for braces, turns, and rolls or bursts of extra power when they are needed. Is it a perfect paddle – well, we did notice that the little sticker that tells you the feather angle had washed off over the years. What would be the first thing we would do if we lost these paddles – replace them immediately.

Unless you are one of those folks that like to paddle with wooden sticks, I cannot see how you could go wrong with a Werner Cyprus.

The Cyprus is the perfect high angle paddle. There is no deflection from blade tip through shaft. It is very light and well balanced. The blade is efficient from catch through stroke and the foam core assists on the release. I like the size as it is powerful, but easy on my joints. I got the natural bent shaft and it is providing my arthritic wrists some relief. My highest recommendation for the high angle paddler.