If I owned and used just one paddle it would be?

Just as the subject line asks... If you owned and used just one blade, what blade would it be?

Being that choice of paddle is often relative to experience...

Feel free to expand on the answer and state why the paddle is your favorite.

DO you mostly do flatwater, or moderate condition ocean, or if you partake in those conditions many of us would aspire to conquer, but probably never will.

Height, weight, preferred blade length, feather etc. also would be interesting information to compile.

Many of us don't have the opportunity to "try before you buy". We have to base most of our decisions when it comes to purchasing anything ski related, on information we read online and trial and error...

So what blade would it be?

Your first paddle won't be your last.
Get a midsize 205 to 215 adjustable in a major brand that has good resale value.
When you know what you need, you won't need any more advice, but buying as suggested above will get you a paddle that will work well enough no matter what your style of paddling.

You didn't specify that it would be exclusively for downwinders in the ski. Since I paddle many different craft ( surfski, whitewater slalom, surf kayak, wwk-1, sprint k-1, greenland boats, etc) I would have to opt for the one paddle I've found that can do a great approximation of my racing wing (gamma), while at the same time allowing for the full complement of bow and stern draws that is necessary in boats w/o rudders. That paddle is the Lendal Kinetic Wing. Give one a try if you get a chance. Almost feels like a cross between a wing and a GP. I believe that one day, when materials engineering can make it less expensive, light, and strong, (I think Lendal discontinued the model for this reason) wing blades with two skins and a true aerofoil cross section that has the power face of the blade filled in providing bouyancy, will be what is prevalent. The kinetic wing is a first attempt at this and it is designed as sort of a hybrid crossover paddle with wing characteristics, but the theory is sound, and the concept could be applied to racing wings as well. (hello manufacturers!). In any case, it is the only paddle you can use like a wing in a surfski and then still run a ww slalom course with also...

Rightarm and Chapeen thanks for the reply...

Chapeen, thank you for the detail of your reply.

Rightarm, my question is really a general survey on what paddle individuals find to be their favorite. I guess I didn't explain it well in the post. Sorry...

My paddles of choice the past few years for moderate paced, "flatwater" ( protected bay 2.5ft chop max with mixed currents) fitness-paddling, covering 12 - 20+ miles an outing, have been an Onno Sprint Wing and the newer model Patrick recently introduced, the Onno Mid Wing+.

I love these two paddles for my type of paddling and often alternate using them depending on how I feel each day.

Contrary to what is commonly stated however, to my surprise I have found that I am personally generally faster over the course of a longer paddle using the Sprint Wing and often less tired than I am after a paddle using my mid+.

Now that I have the V10 Sport, I have started to understand that a smaller blade might be beneficial for faster spinning and quick bursts of acceleration to jump onto small rides.

The other boats I have owned didn't really benefit much from jumping on a ride. For my outings in those craft, where a steady rhythm and cadence is often called for, I think I would be hard pressed to ever give up my larger wings.

Lendal Nordkapp for the last 10 years...But with my first ski I need a wing paddle and may go with the Lendal wing and just get the blades for my 210 shaft. Who thinks the larger Lendal would be a good first wing?

One thing for certain is that putting kinetic wing blades on your shaft that measured 210 w/norkapp blades will render a paddle that is considerably longer, not because the effective blade length is much longer but because the design of the throat area is different than other blades. KW blades on any lendal shaft leave you with a paddle 5cm longer or so than with Archipelago, Nordkapp, or kinetic tour blades. a direct swap on the same shaft may well leave you with a paddle that is somewhat long for use in the ski. Unfortunately, for the price that the blades and shaft will cost, you could get a brasca, g-power, epic or Jantex, all of which are ultimately better blades for going really fast. Your idea has some merit from the standpoint of convenience and expense, and yes you can definitely paddle a ski effectively with a kinetic wing, But the KW requires alot of finesse and technique to derive power in "wing mode" as it doesn't demand that you use highly rotated, stroke with a vertical catch. It works well like this, but doesn't actually encourage this. The other wings mentioned basically only work with wing technique, and give alot more immediate feedback when your form is poor. Because this form is really how you derive stability in the ski, I don't know that I would recommend the KW, as much as I like it, as a paddle for your first ski. If you have any stability issues at all in the new ski, they will be amplified with the KW whereas other wings will immediately help stability. I had already paddled with racing wings for 15 years before I even tried the Kinetic wing and had stroke technique fairly ingrained in my muscle memory and so was able to bypass the learning curve of that paddle somewhat. If you are primarily touring in the ski, you will adjust eventually and the familiarity might have some benefit,. Hope this helps