Your paddle shouldn’t be an afterthought to the purchase of your new ski, it is after all your primary connection to the water, your third stability, and a large factor in your ability to return safe to land after your trip. I have tended to upgrade my paddles with my skis as I have gone so even with my first ‘good’ paddle purchase, I was actually buying what would eventually become my ‘spare’. The carrying of a spare is a requirement for Victorian offshore trips so that’s probably not a bad thing!

Is carbon worth it?

Offshore kayak fishing in Victoria requires big distances, often much more than our warmer-watered neighbours which means on a trip you will lift your paddle many thousands of times. It goes without saying therefore that the lighter the paddle the slower you will fatigue. Carbon also gives greater rigidity so more of your stroke power is transferred and not lost to the flex of the blade. Most of the paddles offered by Sea Sherpa are carbon with both wing and euro blade models available. While the battle of wing vs euro (flat) rages on, ultimately only you can decide what feels right for you. My personal advice is to try both and try a paddle with adjustable length. Get out on the water and paddle some k’s adjusting settings as you go to find what works for you. As a starting point a length of 215cm works well for our skis, adjust either side of that to find what is comfortable for you. As for feather angle, most of the guys I’ve paddled with seem to run between 50 and 60 degrees. We have adjustable wing and flat blade paddles here for you to try, and they are always in the wagon on demo days so just ask!

A collection of products to help you install a fish finder or lighting on your ski.

A collection of products to get your kayak from the car to the waters edge in once piece.