Shuna Carbon Straight Shaft Paddle

Love this paddle. I have a wide kayak and the 240cm is perfect. Highly recommended

As soon as I put the paddle in my hands I could feel the difference. Lightweight and yet comparing it to the started Bending Branches paddle the Fiberglass blade was solid and has almost no flex at all. After paddling my yak around the lake and river several times searching I can honestly say it is one of the best purchases I have made for my time on the water. Now at the end of my trip when I've been paddling my shoulders feel fine and wrists are not sore from constantly readjusting my position. The Smart-View Ferrule system let me easily put the paddle into an offset while maintaining the solid 1 piece feel. Do yourself a favor and pick up this paddle just to feel its weight and swing. I guarantee you'll be impressed!

Even with the fiberglass blades, the paddle is significantly lighter than the Nordkapp. Honestly, I never thought that the weight of the Nordkapp was a problem, nor did my paddling suffer from it. If anything, the extra heft gave me confidence in it's durability and reliability. So far, the Shuna has also proven durable, though I haven't abused it anywhere near as much as I did my Lendal.

The carbon shaft has just enough flex to be comfortable but not so much that it feels noodley or inefficient. The ovaling on both the left and right sides is subtle, but sufficient, and it's nice to have the feather indication on my non-control side for offside rolling. I miss the crank shaft and may upgrade next season, but the straight shaft hasn't posed any issues.

The blade is well made. It enters the water smoothly with a fairly clean entry. The pronounced spine on the backside does pull some air down with it, but it's not excessive. If I keep a loose grip on the shaft, I do notice some blade flutter when I'm paddling forcefully, so I've slightly increased my grip and tend to use a faster cadence rather than a more powerful stroke with this paddle. The blade has enough surface area for good acceleration and high cruising speeds, but if I sprint, paddle through surf, or do intervals, I can tell that there's less grip. That said, it's still a powerful paddle and is extremely comfortable for long distances at regular paddling speeds. I usually cruise around 4 to 4.25 miles per hour for full day paddles and the Shuna accommodates this well if I use a high cadence rather than a powerful stroke.

When rolling and bracing, the blade is perfectly sufficient. I have no issues with it's movement through the water when performing support or maneuvering strokes, and it links strokes smoothly.
Overall, I'm very happy with it's performance and quality.

The index numbers are a bit lame. It's just a decal that will not stand a chance of remaining over the life of the paddle. A minor quibble. The paddle is beautifully made, crisp and clean. Since the blade is laser cut it leaves a sharp square edge.

I got a tip from Alder Creek Kayak in Portland to "detune" the blade by gently rubbing a round over to the edge of the paddle with some fine (180) sandpaper. The paddle does it's job, but it works me more, at least early in the season as I get in shape.

I have also noticed that as a high angle paddle, the blade traveling close to the gunwale, that I get wetter than with a low angle, longer stick. Just a consequence of angle and arch.