PADDLER 4
Ainsworth Carbon Crank Shaft SUP paddle www . ainsworthpaddles . co . uk By Helen Nightingale
PADDLER 4
REVIEWS
Ainsworth Carbon Crank Shaft SUP paddle www . ainsworthpaddles . co . uk By Helen Nightingale
I first saw the Ainsworth cranked paddle on social media and was excited when I was asked to review one , although now I kind of regret saying , “ Yes , please .”
Because the paddle is quite different and described to me as ’ a bit weird ’, I rang Ainsworth to ensure I got the correct size . I ’ m 5 ’ 0 and 55kg , and I prefer a short paddle . The small blade was the obvious choice , and a 70 ” shaft was suggested , a few inches longer than normal for me but a more normal length for the average short paddler .
My paddle arrived well-packaged , and my first impression was that it was light and weird ! I flung my ancient old brick of a board onto the canal - a 10 ’ 8 33 ” Red . It ’ s far too wide for me , very heavy , and has the glide of a breeze block with lead weights attached . Straight away , I was impressed by the power of the paddle . The distance per stroke improved , and paddling felt easier .
Despite being over a foot wider than my race board , the blade ’ s shape and narrow shoulders made it easy to stack the paddle properly and almost run the shaft along the rails with no need for swapping sides . The catch felt very strong , and the power was there immediately . Towards the end of the stroke , it was clear to feel the power fade , making it easy to bring the blade out of the water at the right time .
The carbon blade felt very grippy in the water and felt safe to lean on . This paddle is much stiffer than my Black Project , a soft flex so easy to whip forwards during recovery phase . My recovery phase felt slow , and feathering was awkward . This is a weak spot of mine , so I knew I needed to work through how to improve my technique and adjust to the differentshaped shaft . The crank feels stiff compared to a standard Ainsworth shaft . Ainsworth continues developing the paddle as they get more feedback from their paddlers . Mine is one of the stiffest shafts , and while I ’ ve been out testing it , Ainsworth has been working on making a softer flax shaft .
PADDLE SKEDADDLE
That evening , I set off to Norfolk for the Paddle Skedaddle , a 27km race on the Norfolk Broads . This was the only paddle I took . I chose my inflatable race board , a 14 ’ 28 ” Bluefin Nitro . Life got in the way of training , and I felt my fitness wasn ’ t there for taking my Sprint , which has a minimum speed . The Nitro is much slower but very stable , so it would let me focus on the new paddle in conditions I don ’ t enjoy - wind and boats .
Drafting was allowed this year , so I tucked in behind a lady in my class and focused on working on the paddle . Swapping sides regularly made me paddle on my weaker side and made me swap more than I normally would . The crank didn ’ t feel too weird during the swaps . I learned to feather the blade with a firm wrist action , which soon started to feel natural . The paddle did feel long , but my bottom hand was comfortably nestled into the top curve of the crank . I know I struggle to keep my arms straight and in a strong A position , but the crank kept them straighter , so it was more powerful .
One aspect of the cranked section I grew to love is its flattened shape . I had developed a bad habit of letting go of the shaft with my little finger , causing overreaching and letting the blade enter the water at too steep an angle . The flat shape of the crank made it much more intuitive and comfortable to keep all of my fingers in contact while pivoting on my lower hand .
The last few km of the Paddle Skedaddle are known to be hard . You paddle through the finish line , carry on through a weedy bit of Broad for a couple of km , then turn at a buoy and back to the finish line for the actual finish line . There was wind , and the water in some of this stretch felt like paddling through concrete . An old neck injury reared its ugly head , and I was not happy . That curve at the top crank would not let me move my hands too close together and wouldn ’ t let me slip into a weaker position . I would have struggled far more during these last few km with a straight shaft .
THE CORRECT POSITION
After the race , I caught up with the Bray Lake team . Their comments emphasised the importance of getting the crank in the correct position for the individual paddler . I felt mine was in slightly the wrong position , and the shaft was too long . Ainsworth