Hi Everyone

Looking to add a new paddle to my quiver, mainly i race distance and ultra distance. Always been a fan of QB and liked both the v drive and trifecta but as ive improved have needed to down size blade size a little. Currently i use the UV 82. I like it mostly but do find i am a bit splashy with it on the catch. Still i can get good speed and cadance with the paddle and can paddle for long distances with very little shoulder pain or fatigue on the muscles. Anyway i wanted another paddle for my dug out board (so shorter length). Was going to opt for a trifecta 86 but just isnt any about in the UK. I much prefer an oval shaft but the only paddle that seems nice to me at the moment and available is the BP Hydro or BP Hydro X, ?500 here in the uk and no option for an oval shaft, which is frustrating. However i am thinking of biting the bullet as cant find anything that looks as good or has as good reviews (if there real). Anybody have experience with the new hydro x or old hydro. Even be able to compare how they were compared to any of the QB paddles, or know of any other paddles that may suit my needs?.. I am 6ft, 75kg pretty fit and race distance and ultra distance on flat water often windy british messy flat water ??. Thanks

I'm not sure why Trifecta 86 if you wanted to size down from the 82 but I'll assume you meant the Trifecta 76 which is a very nice paddle.

I know all of the above and still have the UV 82 and Trifecta 86. Also tried the BP Hydro and didn't really like it, part of it is the shaft as well
as I am an oval shaft fan.

As for the splashing with the UV82, if you use it correctly you shouldn't have any splashing, I suspect you need to tighten your technic a bit.
with that in mind the Trifecta is more technical so not sure you'll benefit from it as much. I would go with the UV77 before I'd go with the
Trifecta 76 if I were you. It might take take care of the splashing problem as well which sometimes caused by an oversized blade.

If you can't find that one either, I could recommend the ZRE Power Surge: www.zre.com/sup-paddles/
I have few of those and they do have a really good oval shaft. These are truly the lightest paddles on the market ( I have one that weighs 306grams/10.8oz for when I used to race). The blade is similar in feel to the Trifecta only a bit less technical and a little more power for
the same blade size.

The latest shaft I got from them to try was made out of Textreme (not to confuse with the BS Texalium of BP which is a glorified fiberglass)
It is super light and really strong ( been riding it all winter in rough downwind conditions). It came 383grams/13.5oz for a 3 piece adjustable paddle (hot glue) for a 78sqi blade size/50inch shaft and 10 inch adjustable handle part.

They do ship all over the world and they are fairly priced for the quality which is top-notch.

Hi thanks for the reply. I previously owned a Tri 96 so thats what i was refering to in regards to sizing down, not sizing down from the uv 82. I worry if i go to small a blade size i wont have the fitness to keep up the cadence required to get the best out of a small blade over a substantial distance.

I have been looking at the ZRE you suggested it comes with a 12 degree blade angle, thinking of going for the 85 sizes blade, looks a nice paddle to be fair

Yes no doubt my technique is the issue with the splashy entry of my uv but never had that issue with Tri or v drive so find it weird!

For your size and weight I would still go with smaller blade size, especially in light of the type of racing you are aiming for.
A world class paddler in Travis Grant, who's 5'8 and about your weight, did his recored channel crossing using a Trifecta 86.
By reference you should assume your level of fitness and technic is quite a bit behind.

No matter how good I thought my technic was I could still feel the decline in execution when racing over distances of 10 miles.
Posted better results with my ZRE 75 vs the 85 for all the races over 20 miles.

The UV77 is better in that regard since this blade design helps in maintaining better catch even when technic is falling behind.
The ZRE 75 would be better than the Trifecta 76 for that type of racing for the same reason. Just one man's opinion base on one man's experience of course.

As for the splashing, sometimes the culprit is the length and by that I mean the length of the blade though same goes for overall paddle length.
If you are using same length paddle with blades of varying lengths, it might throw-off your technic a bit or as you mentioned, height above water level.

Hey thanks so much again for taking the time to reply back to me. Your comments do ring true as thinking about it i do feel my catch is cleaner actually on my flat deck board ( 2019 maliko).

So there is a uv available in a smaller blade size here in uk as there is a Zre not sure which to choose now!

The UV is the newer blade design but also for no good reason, it would be nice to try a different brand and more exciting (is that sad!) in the ZRE, is there a real difference in your opinion in performance. My fitness and technique is not pro level of course, its a good level though if thst makes a difference?

Hey thanks so much again for taking the time to reply back to me. Your comments do ring true as thinking about it i do feel my catch is cleaner actually on my flat deck board ( 2019 maliko).

So there is a uv available in a smaller blade size here in uk as there is a Zre not sure which to choose now!

The UV is the newer blade design but also for no good reason, it would be nice to try a different brand and more exciting (is that sad!) in the ZRE, is there a real difference in your opinion in performance. My fitness and technique is not pro level of course, its a good level though if thst makes a difference?

I always err on the side of exciting It is what keeps me motivated and stoked.
That said, there is a difference in performance and feel between the paddles and if you throw the shaft into the mix
it's even more noticeable.

I think the UV has more consistency in performance if your technic is not sharp but the ZRE will definitely help you tighten your
technic in way the stupid stable UV can't.

When the catch it dead on, the ZRE with its 12 degrees blade is more powerful than the UV for my stroke style. One of the things
I really like about the ZRE is that it's semi-custom with the range of adjustment you can have to each part of the paddle if you only
pick up the phone and ask.

Hey thanks again for the advise, i took all on board plus the experience i have had and went for The Zre power surge, gone for an 80 blade after much consideration, left blade angle as is for now. Went for the new lighter option, just zx4 i think its called, sure you know. Excited now to receive the paddle when it gets here. Looked at the New BP but thought price, how its made and look of the paddle, plus no oval shaft told me not to bother with that, imo a lot off marketing kool ade for that one!

Congrats! please post back when you get it and had a chance to test it.
What length did you get it cut to and what's the difference from your current one?

Sure will post back my feedback on the paddle! Got it cut to 77" to begin with

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burchas said..
Congrats! please post back when you get it and had a chance to test it.
What length did you get it cut to and what's the difference from your current one?

So got to use the Zre powersurge for a good amount of time now. Mainly flatwater distance training. Wow really impressed , got in the lightest construction and is lightest paddle i have used , really nice clean catch and exit , feels very natural for my style of technique. Id say best paddle i have owned. Shaft is thicker than my QB UV paddle and more ovaled which actually i prefer. Feels just the right amount of flex ie not to much and can get blade almost under hull when pulling after the catch. Compared to the UV i find it less fatigueing , lighter, better allround feel. Have equalled PB using it over a 5k time control in less than optimal conditions and have a slightly higher stroke rate than i do with the UV -82. I must say though the UV is the vector net version not the full carbon. On the zre i did go for a slightly bigger blade than advised on here and chose 85 in the end. That said i will more than likely drop another size next time. A real subtle paddle i think without all the gimmicks and marketing , got the platinum addition though which looks really cool i think !.....Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction!

Select to expand quote

maxmoore said..

burchas said..
Congrats! please post back when you get it and had a chance to test it.
What length did you get it cut to and what's the difference from your current one?

So got to use the Zre powersurge for a good amount of time now. Mainly flatwater distance training. Wow really impressed , got in the lightest construction and is lightest paddle i have used , really nice clean catch and exit , feels very natural for my style of technique. Id say best paddle i have owned. Shaft is thicker than my QB UV paddle and more ovaled which actually i prefer. Feels just the right amount of flex ie not to much and can get blade almost under hull when pulling after the catch. Compared to the UV i find it less fatigueing , lighter, better allround feel. Have equalled PB using it over a 5k time control in less than optimal conditions and have a slightly higher stroke rate than i do with the UV -82. I must say though the UV is the vector net version not the full carbon. On the zre i did go for a slightly bigger blade than advised on here and chose 85 in the end. That said i will more than likely drop another size next time. A real subtle paddle i think without all the gimmicks and marketing , got the platinum addition though which looks really cool i think !.....Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction!

Stoked! As for dropping size, one of the great things about the ZRE Blade is that you could sand the blade to get rid of few square inches
on the overall area. I've done it on 3 blades. Usually rounding up the tip just to get and even smoother catch.