Ainsworth Paddles Ocean crank paddle

When Andrew Ainsworth called me and said he had a new carbon sea paddle with a new crank shaft paddle that he wanted to test out, it could not have come at a better time.

I was about to embark on a series of sea trips throughout May, many of which were decent lengthy trips to test a cranked paddle out.

I took delivery of an ocean two-piece fully adjustable Ocean crank just before my trip to Alisa Craig. Andrew explained that the length adjustment would only be around 5 cm as the bend of the crank was close to the joint connector, which reduced the length of the spigot. If you order the correct length for yourself, then the 5 cm length variance is not much of an issue. It still gives you some adjustment of length for longer journeys, playing in the surf, and exploring tight gullies and caves.

The first thing I noticed was the weight of the unit. It felt as light as my straight-shaft Ocean blade, coming in under 1000g. The matt finish and the built-in oval shape give a very positive feel to the shaft. This, coupled with the double-dihedral blade shape, offers good power transfer without any flutter. The distance between the two hand grips of the crank is nicely spaced for mine and other paddlers in my group’s arm’s length.

Although the split system is a cumbersome, chunky connector, it is easy to operate and set. The angle measurements are stickers, which will most likely wear off over time. The real benefit of this system is that it fits easily inside the boot when carried in the car. You also have the option of a limited adjustment to the length for your different paddling venues.

Andrew sent me a Sea blade to compare against the more powerful Ocean blade. Having two different-sized blades to compare was an interesting experience, as I have always preferred the larger blade size so that I could pull more water when I needed that additional boost.

I enjoyed the effortless cruising feeling of the smaller blade, and I felt that it had adequate power for my needs. I loaned the Sea blade to a colleague who had just bought a two-piece straight shaft paddle, and he was very impressed with the feel of the crank. He liked the higher cadence of using the smaller blade area. Another friend who has been having issues with elbow strain loaned the Sea crank shaft for a weekend, where we visited the islands of North Berwick and the Firth of Forth. After these two 26 km trips, he had not experienced any pain in his elbows and was very impressed with the weight, the positive feel of the shaft and the ease of use.

I did make a classic error on the last day of my week-long paddling trip to the Lochinver region of Assynt on the Point of Stour. I put an Ocean blade and a Sea blade together for the paddle, carrying the two other ends as my spare splits.

I have no hesitation in recommending Ainsworth paddles for all types of kayaking. Their nearly 50 years of experience designing paddles have resulted in products that are incredibly durable and always state-of-the-art.
Price: £450