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Forum: BoaterTalk
Re: Feedback on H2O paddles?  Are they durable?  Do they flex, or are they stiff? analogkid70 New
Date: Nov 18 2008, 2:56 GMT
From: williepdx

	I'm on my second H2O-2, a 12-degree, 197cm, small bent shaft, not-team blades.  The first was a 30-degree, 196cm, standard bent shaft, not-team blades. I ended up demoing H2O after breaking some AT2 paddles, and liked them right away.  I do mostly IV-V creeking, III-IV play, and some ocean surfing up to 9-10' feet with my H2O-2.  My comments apply to both models I've owned. They have very bomber construction and the blades wear slowly.  I have taken some pretty shitty lines and preserved myself by bracing off the bottom while capsized, including graceless maneuvers well beyond what I've done to break an AT2, and the H2O paddles have held up well.  I snapped a blade off my original H2O-2 landing at a 45 in a low brace coming off a low-volume 32' falls (about 22' of it freefall), being hungry for a first D even though the landing was marginal and shallow -- can't fault the paddle for that.  IMO, they are tough as nails. There is some flex in the shaft, but more of the initial yield is in the blades, at least when one end is on the ground a.k.a. the in-store flex-test.  There is no mushy feel in the blades when I'm paddling, though.  The shaft has more flex than an AT2 but less than an AT Flexi, I think.  (Haven't held a Flexi for a while.)  I feel there is plenty of flex without sacrificing performance, but that is pretty subjective. I've had a hard time breaking these paddles, and been surprised a few times when they haven't broken.  While nothing paddles like an AT, I've learned I can't have nice things, and I'd recommend H2O if you want something bomber. Willie

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...er, former that is <NT> williepdx New

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