I tested a Quickblade Stingray Paddle in downwind, surf, and flat water. Here’s what I found.
Quickblade describes its Stingray Paddle as revolutionary because of its shorter length, which reduces the time it takes to enter and exit the water.
But the Stingray’s shorter length is not what intrigued me the most about their new design.
What initially caught my attention was the Stingray’s blade volume, which is the total surface area of the blade. The Stingray blades can be as small as 72 square inches or as large as 76 square inches, which are both substantially smaller volumes compared to my Quickblade Ono Ava, which is 105 square inches.
The Paddle’s Volume Matters
Have you ever biked uphill in a gear so hard you can only slowly push the pedals? If you shift to an easier gear, you’ll cover less ground per spin, but your tempo (how fast you can spin the pedals) will be much higher, and you’ll get to the top of the hill faster. Same thing at the gym, right? You might only be able to do five reps with 100 pounds, but you can do ten reps with 90 pounds.
Paddles don’t have gears, but they come in various volumes. To be as fast a paddler as possible, we must choose a blade with the volume that best suits our strength. As a paddling coach, I have often found that paddlers train with blades that are too large for them, making it difficult for them to accelerate their tempo. That shows up on the water when they fall behind on starts, can’t catch waves, or aren’t getting their entire blade in the water.
Over the years, I have steadily downsized my blade as I refined my training approach. There are tradeoffs, however. A paddle with a high volume makes it hard to accelerate the tempo but delivers power if I can still paddle at a fast tempo. A small paddle volume is easier to accelerate but doesn’t deliver the same power. Other factors include conditions, technique on the right side, the ability to brace, and how it affects energy and physiology.
I’ve found it’s worth trying out a new paddle in various conditions before spending a lot of money. I’m fortunate to have a friend with a Stingray, and she graciously let me borrow it so I could determine whether it would be a worthwhile investment for me.
Stingray vs. other Paddles
The Stingray blade (right) is wide instead of tall, like most paddles (left). It is 11.5” wide instead of 9-10”, like my paddle on the left. Its horizontal blade shape allows for an overall length 2” shorter than you would typically use.
The Stingray has a 12-degree angle, which is slightly more than most paddles. It also has a “winged” effect (the edges lift like wings on an airplane), which supposedly gives it lift (like a foil).
Paddling the Stingray on Waves
On my first day with the Stingray, I practiced repeatedly catching waves at a surf break. I swapped between my 105-square-inch Ono Ava and the 72-square-inch Stingray. I noticed:
- Catching a wave from a dead stop didn’t deliver the same power as my 105. I missed a few waves that I shouldn’t have and realized that I needed to start paddling sooner to get up to speed.
- I spun out on a wave and tried to poke on the right to stop it, but it didn’t work. Since the blade doesn’t have a lot of depth (it has width instead!), the paddle wasn’t deep enough in the water to make a correction. This could be overcome with some practice.
- It was easier to maintain a higher cadence upwind with the blade fully buried. I generally find that paddling more strokes per minute upwind is faster, but I wasn’t measuring my speed going upwind, so I can’t tell you if there was a big difference or not, only that it felt easier to paddle fast.
- Paddling upwind, I felt less strain on my elbows, wrists, and shoulders, which really matters for endurance during an event and longevity over the years.
Stingray Paddling Technique on Flat Water
After my surf session, I paddled with the Stingray on flat water for technique practice. Here’s what I noticed:
- It was easy to bury the blade deep and not have cavitation. The Stingray was designed specifically for this benefit, and it delivers.
- While doing my technique work, I found it easy to keep my top arm shoulder blade set and my posture strong.
- At first, I kept tapping the back of the canoe on the exit, so I adjusted and found that exiting sooner fixed that.
- My brace stroke was just as effective, and maybe even better, because the paddle was wider and had more surface area on the water.
OC1 Downwind Paddling with a Stringray
The next day, I tested the Stringray paddle on two downwind runs. The first run was with the tide with easy-to-catch waves. The second run was against the tide and predictably harder to get on waves. I noted:
- For the first run, it was easy to increase the strokes per minute (cadence) and accelerate to catch waves.
- For the second run, I felt like I was missing a little of the power I wanted to get on and stay on waves running against the tide.
- At the end of the day, after two runs and two sessions the day before, I didn’t feel as tired as I expected. I felt noticeably fresh and attributed that to the smaller surface area (volume).
How I Would Use a Stingray Paddle.
When I want to teach my body to move quickly, I want to do something light but fast. The Stingray will help me improve my fast-twitch paddling muscles and top-end cadence.
I would also like to use it during long endurance training and see if it extends my time to fatigue, allowing me to do some longer training than my bigger paddle.
I would not use it to develop strength, power, or endurance. For those, I want something heavier, such as a large paddle (as long as I am fully burying the blade) and/or resistance (like my leash, a rope, or a bungee) wrapped around my canoe.
Does it work in heavy downwind or complicated surf? I’m not sure; I would need more time to figure it out in those conditions.
Would I use a Stingray in a long downwind race? Possibly. If I condition myself to keep a high rating without slowing down over time, it might be a good thing.
If recovering from an injury or a break, I would use this paddle because it is easy on my wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
Am I going to buy a Stingray?
I think there is a place in my paddling life for this volume of paddle, and it aligns with my thoughts on leveraging different paddles for different training so I’m looking forward to adding this or something similar to my training.
Key Takeaway: Ultimately, it’s the technique that matters.
I will need time to figure out how to utilize the “lift” created by the winged shape. My hunch is that great technique is crucial. Bad technique is when your shoulders aren’t stable, and you lose connection in your scapular and your back rounds or collapses forward while taking a stroke. If you haven’t figured out how to keep your form when paddling hard, I’m not sure you will get the most out of this paddle.
When I design my training program, I want to develop power, strength, speed (cadence), and endurance based on good technique. (Join us in January to improve your technique!) Using different paddle sizes for different training sessions is one way to help me develop each component specifically.
As long as you can fully bury the blade, pick up the tempo for starts, pass people, surf, and your tempo doesn’t fade when it isn’t supposed to, then the paddle you have is great. If you can’t, your paddle is probably too big for you, and it’s time to look for a smaller one anyway. The Stingray might just be it!