Larry Bussinger
12/11/17 #22333

I'm interested in trying a Jantex small + for a day. Is anyone interested in swapping paddles for a day?

Larry B

josh dyck
12/11/17 #22335

I have a medium minus…

Josh

Larry Bussinger

12/12/17 #22336

That one was too aggressive for me. But thanks.

Larry B

bill

12/12/17 #22337

If you are coming to Seattle , I have a Gamma Rio small + you can use.

Bill

Reivers Dustin

12/12/17 #22338

a bit confusing. OK, I can sort out the shaft: of the four grades I would be best with “soft”.

Of the blades, I see “Alpha”, “Gamma”, “Beta” plus “Rio” version of the Gamma and Beta. Then all these type blades come as “stiff” or “Ultra-Light” construction. I'll skip the optional re-enforcement extra. The non-Rio blades all show three version of blade area in square centimeters. I don't see plus or minus terms under these. But under the Rio version there are medium plus and minus things.

Looking like most recommended surfski men would be Gamma Rio soft shaft with either medium minus or small plus. In Ultra light construction. For old fart like me, probably small plus.

gracious sakes. Now I'm too tired to paddle. Oh, I get it. These are named for the three types of radiation. These have kryptonite. totally destroys my super powers. Only for use by arch villains.

rd

bill
12/12/17 #22341

I can only comment on how it works for me.. obviously.
I have used an Epic small mid for years and a Mid for a while. I found the mid just too big on a long paddle and too much for me to pull as fast as I would like catching big waves. I have a preference for a faster cadence in my paddling over all so I have my Epic Small mid at 207-209 depending. I use 1 cm-1.5 cm shorter paddle length in the Gamma Rio small + than my Epic small mid.

I have the ultra light blade which seems normal and tough and thicker and tougher than the Epic blades. I have the Jantex flexi soft shaft, their softest, but it’s not exactly what I would call soft. To me it’s more like an Epic maroon shaft in stiffness. It’s not nearly as soft as the Epic Green club shaft which I really like. So if you are old and have dodgy shoulders like me.. get the flexi soft shaft for sure. I find the paddle (Gamma Rio small +)has two powers. It feels a bit less powerful and a bit more vague than the Epic small Mid when cruising, but if you dig in it really bites and feels more like the Epic mid in bite if not more. So it feels kinda under powered unless you crank on it , then it’s more than enough. It likes a forward weighted stroke and if you bring it back very far it looses much of its support and forgivingness. But as long as you keep your stroke forward and get it out at your hip it’s very stable and forgiving. So I had to adjust to that somewhat. The really stable end of the stroke with the Epic small mid isn’t there in the Jantex so its better the get the blade back in the water up front and use the more stable beginning of the stroke in the Jantex for boat stability. The Jantex felt less stable when paddling skinny skis initially for me, but now there is no difference as long as I get the blade out at my hip. In fact the front of the stroke is more stable that the Epic so it just takes some adjusting. The front loaded stroke and real bite when digging in seems to help me pop onto waves with maybe a stroke less than the Epic small mid. It also winds up quicker than the Epic small mid and I can spin it faster. It also comes out of the water faster for a quick brace. It just feels quicker over all. So all in all after some time getting use to it I really like it on a downwind. I feel there is more power on hand when needed but over all less tiring in a proper downwind. On the other hand I find it hard on my shoulders on a flat water grind and if I had to go grind out 15 miles I think I would grab the Small mid instead … Its a less aggressive paddle and easer on my shoulders over the long haul. It also, at least for me, doesn’t like just cruising. It wants to be digging in and used aggressively or it’s soft and mushy feeling. In the gorge though, I feel like the Gamma Rio small + is perfect for me and exactly what I was looking for in a Downwind paddle. It has power when you need it and then it’s an easy swing when paddling at 50-75%, fast to wind up with none of the speed limit I feel in the Epic sometimes. It’s super quick on a brace never feeling stuck in the water and never ever catches when skimming. It would be perfect if it had the Epic Green shaft though. It’s still a bit too stiff for my liking. I can’t even imagen what the stiffer shafts must be like.

I also think you need to have your stroke mostly sorted for the Gamma Rio to work well. You need to dictate where it goes rather than the paddle so much. It definitely bites best when you rotate and the paddle works away from the boat, but doesn’t really have a tendency to do it on its own. If I get sloppy /tired about rotation it lets me know by feeling mushy looses support and power. The Epic is more forgiving in this sense . I think the Gamma Rio would be a thought paddle to learn on.

That’s my 2 centavos

Bill