Wondering what your experience & opinions on paddle shaft shape & texture that can affect critical paddling times.
I have two paddles. One where the shaft is rough in texture & has an oval shape. The other is smooth in texture & is round.
I have found when on my knees & not holding the handle that the paddle with the oval shaft & slightly rough texture gets me paddling quicker. Mainly after I have wiped out & when I have to get back on board & paddle as quick as possible against the white wash to get back out. Sometimes this is critical at making it back out past the sets or getting smashed all the way back to shore, which can be a real frustration! The oval shape sets the paddle right in my grip.
I have found the round smooth paddle can slip in my grip & the roundness doesnt always ensure that the paddle face is square or perpendicular to be able to push water. Instead the paddle blade will slice through the water at an angle & not push any water at all & can sometimes bang against my board. So this will leave me with one or two wasted paddlestrokes that sometimes I cannot afford when watching a looming wall of collapsing water heading for my head!! Lol!!
Some grip on the shaft is always good, but not too much as to cause blisters.
I used wax, now I just slightly sand (400 grit) the shaft
I used to prefer oval shaft, but round shafts are definitely easier on the joint as they are a bit more flexible (construction being equal). Also, prepreg shafts (which have the best strength/weight ratio) are easier to find in round shapes.
I used to use a Kialoa with the oval shaft and used to put a bit of wax on it.
I thought it was the ducks nuts for a while but suffered a lot of shoulder pain.
I now use a KeNalu xTuff or xTuff (s), enough flex so it's easy on the shoulders and I love the texture just enough to ensure good grip without blisters or having to use wax..
For surfing I use it at about head height so there is usually no need to choke the paddle and when you have hold of the ergo T handle the blade will naturally be square.
I sold my old paddle to my brother and have used it a couple of times since, whilst I still don't really mind the feel of the oval shaft there is no way I could go back to it due to the lack of flex and smoothness of the shaft.
Also a round shaft seems to spread the load better if you know what I mean, the oval shaft is sharper radiius so cuts into the hand/fingers more when really loaded up.
I don't think round shafts are much of a disadvantage for flat water paddling, but any time you have to take your hand off the handle, eg. when choking down or as you say, knee-paddling to get out of a critical situation, an oval shaft is FAR better. I think in general they give more control. I think this is why so many of the top racers use the Quickblade oval tapered shaft. I regret that Kialoa have moved to round shafts for so many of their models. But I guess that round shafts are easier, and therefore cheaper, to make, and my local retailer tells me that pretty much the only things that matter to most people in their buying decisions are cost, looks, and weight, with cost being the most important factor. So, while having an oval shaft is for me a deal-breaker, it probably isn't for most people. But then most people SUPing worldwide are probably just snooze-cruising around on flat water on an all-round inflatable rather than doing anything too extreme, so they'd probably rarely feel the benefit of an oval shaft.
