Ainsworth Carbon whitewater kayak paddle
I am pleased to have recently taken delivery of this beautiful paddle. It’s an Ainsworth Carbon Whitewater River paddle with a small blade, 30-degree feather, and 190cm long. I am petite at 5’0” and 55kg and normally paddle a teenager-size Perception Method.
My background is SUP, and I accidentally started kayaking over winter. I joined Paddletastic in Coventry for a time in the pool when it was too dark outside for SUP on the canal, and I quickly discovered the fun of no-rules polo and then Grade 2 rivers. My boat is old and pre-abused, and my first paddle is ancient, terrible and worn out. I was starting to find that, while I was loving river trips and the polo, I was surprisingly timid on some of the basics. My go-to SUP paddles are Ainsworth. I can trust them to support me in the water and deliver decent power. My kayak paddle does neither! As I wanted to do more Grade 3 water, I had to fix my weak points. I realised I was holding back because I knew I couldn’t trust my awful paddle. I needed to fix my mindset before my skills would improve, and trusting my paddle was vital.
When the new paddle arrived, I went out on the canal. Despite living on the canal, I’d never previously paddled a kayak on the cut. There were too many submerged bikes for my liking, but excitement got the better of me. My means of access is to seal launch off either my narrowboat or a neighbour’s boat. You must pivot 90 degrees to avoid hitting other moored boats when you hit the water. A tippy boat and a rubbish paddle make this a slightly worrying launch, but no problem at all with the new Ainsworth paddle. Heading down the canal on a gentle social potter was a pleasure, and even with a small blade, the paddle gave me so much more power than I was used to.
A couple of days later was a pool skills session and Paddletastic Polo. I have a bit of brain retraining to do, and I still need to learn techniques properly. I was so pleased with the difference in just an hour. Previously, bracing practice didn’t happen. I’d flap about or flip over. My first challenge was to start getting my shoulder wet and effectively brace.
Old paddle – no; new paddle – easy! Then, onto the polo session. It teaches you reactive paddling. It’s utter chaos! I always felt slow; I could never catch up with my opponent or speed up in a tackle. Instantly, on changing paddles, that changed. I felt faster and better able to keep up with the others. I could be braver and get more stuck into what is effectively a floating rugby scrum. You have to paddle instinctively and just DO.
Paddles go everywhere and can get knocked out of your hands, dropped or stolen by the other team. My old paddle had no ‘feel’; my hands always fell back into the wrong position, and each end of the shaft was the same. The Ainsworth has an apparent difference between the left and right hand on the shaft, and it was easy to get your hands back into an efficient position even when surrounded by carnage.
I then headed to the Llangollen Canoe Club for a peer paddle on the Dee. At Mile End Mill, there is a section of gentle water that is great for practising skills. I wanted to try out the new paddle on some basic skills in my boat and a few larger ones. I used to find ferry gliding hard. I’d put my paddle in, and nothing would happen. Often, the river would win. Trying out creek boats was a nightmare; I bobbed around, unable to do much. I had a new-found confidence in my paddle, and the simple things like ferrying across moving water became so much easier. Paddling bigger boats became less like hard work. I can’t wait to try the paddle down a decent bit of river.
If you’re currently using a rubbish paddle, seriously consider one of these. And if you aren’t sure what will be right for you, don’t hesitate to get in touch. The help and advice I have received from Ainsworth have been brilliant. If you are an unusual size, it’s worth asking if a standard paddle can be tweaked, such as my small blades. I haven’t felt any strain on my shoulders at all. A decent paddle is worth having at whatever level you are at.
Price: £299.99
