Ovation Paddle

At about a pound-and-a-half the Werner Ovation paddle is easy on the joints though hard on the pocket book. I use a 220cm bent when sea kayaking. Though they warned me at the shop when I bought it that its light weight makes it fragile, within ten minutes of its first use I stuck it in a hidden sandbar and put a hairline crack in the left blade. Since then I reinforced that crack and some other parts of its edges with Gorilla Tape without adding too much weight. It’s still working fine, though I baby it as much as possible. Would I buy another Ovation? Probably not, but I would opt for the sturdier Kalliste instead.

I have the 240 straight shaft 2 piece paddle. I've only been kayaking for a couple of years, so I'm no expert, but this paddle is fantastic for me. I heavily research all equipment I buy, and I started out with a 2 piece Cannon Nokomis 240 Carbon straight shaft paddle with plastic blades(28-30 oz). I liked it a lot and thought it was light, until I picked up the Ovation in a kayak shop. OMG this thing feels like a feather in your hand. Eight ounces of weight is VERY noticeable in a paddle, and the all CF build quality is top shelf. The Cannon is a nice paddle, but it takes two people pulling and twisting to get it apart after a day on the water. The Ovation ferrule is surgical tight, but slides apart easily with the push of a button.

This thing is expensive, but I love it. It's certainly much better than I am. And the Werner product support is outstanding. Great piece of equipment and great company.