Downcreek Paddles Swallow

As a rule, our choice of blade doesn’t really matter that much. We can surf downwind on open water with a big WW paddle. We can get down rapids with a bent shaft racing paddle. For some, nothing will trump a tough, durable, easily replaced blade that can be hurled around and abused without feelings of guilt.

Hand crafted paddles come in enough shapes and sizes to cater for all tastes. Those who use their paddle as their ‘get out of jail free’ card can find a dependable stick with a large blade area, perhaps glassed for durability. Those who love the look and natural flex of wood can find one that gives in unique ways. Anything’s possible.

The new Swallow from Downcreek Paddles is none of the above!

I very much doubt the Swallow will be for everyone. It is a development of a paddle that Jude of Downcreek Paddles, built for my daughter. Our friend Frank Münker took a shine to it at Kringelfieber. He was using it again at last year’s Quietwater Conclave and by the end we had a mission.

The resulting Swallow is what the manufacturer says it is: a magic wand of a paddle. It genuinely is, “Slender, lightweight, beautifully balanced, with a progressive flex, a slim rounded shaft, and a ‘soft-spot’ low-down in the blade,” – a connoisseur’s paddle!

Of course, Downcreek have been making very nice paddles for a long time but the Swallow signals a move into truly elite paddles. The blade area is aimed at enthusiasts with a good catch and great ‘feel’ for the water and the balance, stiffness and cross sectional shaping open up new levels of finesse-paddling.