degrees, I am sorry about the verbatim recommendation. In my attempt
to shed some light on the situation I quoted verbatim from the
Waveski book, though it is a good reference, as was pointed out 90
degrees may not always be ideal for everyone. I personally would say
betweens a 45 and 90 would be the right start for waveskis and the
shorter the better.

Great topic and I am glad to see many good posts on the topic.

Regards to all!
Brian Kuszmar

--- In WaveskiUSA@yahoogroups.com, "gene marshall" <marshall89@...>
wrote:
>
> Had mine out last friday for an hour or so
> I have been using a 45 for years and this one feels good in light
> chop.
> The larger blade was noticable to me. I felt it to be more
responsive
> and faster on startups. the unusual thing is that the old paddle
has
> a curve bias from the tens of thousands of paddle strokes over the
> years. this one is mighty straight andhas a slightly different feel.
> other than that... rolls well and has all the "feel" I was looking
> for.
> I also noticed the sharp edges and sliced my thumb putting it in
the
> truck after the session. no stitches or anything, just a little
blood.
> not sure the foamy paddle would be worth it. the thickness would
> bother me.
> I bought the 197, my old freestyle was a 203. I am 6'2" and weigh
> about 210#. my wife has a 180 and when I have tried it I found it
to
> be too short and could not get comfy.
> each paddler will have their own preference as far as gear, and
> that's the way it should be.
> Brian recommends a 90 degree, other paddlers agree.
> i have read in the past that a short paddle is best in the surf, I
> disagree with that too. (no offence to ANYONE)
> I have also heard and read that PFD's and helmets are considered
> restrictive by some and respectfully disagree with that as well.
> I NEVER paddle out without them. I KNOW that each paddler will
relate
> a different story about whether safety gear is neccessary but
comfort
> is relative and based on individual experience.
> BUT, those items have saved my ass more than once.
>
> Case in point.
> Pete, over the falls huh?
> I went out two weeks ago last saturday, the day after that
> northeaster.
> the waves were overhead on the surfers, with a 10-15 mph west wind.
> basically clean, wide open barrels, lots of power, great waves!!!!.
> After an hour or so at manasquan, I was slightly inside (to ease
> takeoff in the wind)and a cleanup set popped up way out there.
> I paddled my ass off and was about 50 yds past the Jetty when I
> encountered the wave that nearly killed me.
> The boardies I was out with (yes I surf with some of "those guys")
> said the wave was about 20 ft and about a mile wide. I tried to get
> over the lip but as you must expect was just shy.
> The lip pushed me out away from the wave, and I air dropped
backwards
> in front of this beast of a wave. FOOLISHLY!!!, I kicked my board
> away and the wave caught it and hammered it into mychest as I hit
the
> surface, knocking the wind out of me. I was then sent to the bottom
> (no shit, ass on the sand)looking up at the watery ceiling. I had
to
> take 3 strokes with the lifevest on to get back to the surface.
> now, without the pfd, I would wave probobly been stuck down there
> with alot more trouble as well as a few broken ribs.
> and the helmet, I will never, ever paddle without it. I have been
> piledrived into the sand more that my share and know first hand how
> quickly a bad scene can develop.
>
> Sorry if the story scared anyone, to be truthfull, I stayed out and
> rode a few more. It didn't really dawn on me how bad the wipeoout
was
> untill a couple houres later.
>
> Glad you like the new paddle. We should get together and surf
someday.
> I am only in Pt. Pleasant.
> Geno
>
>
>
> --- In WaveskiUSA@yahoogroups.com, PeteCresswell <WaveSkiUSA@>
> wrote:
> >
> > RE/
> > > Like I said, after talking to this guy for 20 min or so I was
> convinced.
> > >
> > > I beleive it is all about personal preference. But the 45
degree
> is comfortable for me
> >
> > I took the 191cm SideKick out for the first time today. Ocean
> City's 8th St.
> >
> > 45 works for me too. After the obligatory few air braces
(coming
> from zero
> > offset), I settled right in.
> >
> > Got properly drilled once going over the falls upside down. A
> foot less water
> > and it would have been ugly. *Really* gotta train myself to
stay
> away from
> > those shallow tube breaks. That Jersey quartz sand is like
> concrete when you
> > hit it - unlike coral sand, which just sort of goes "pooosh" and
> lets you sink
> > in as long as there aren't any coral heads or lava boulders
hiding
> underneath.
> >
> > I found the SideKick tb a *huge* improvement over the Camano 2-
> piece: a quantum
> > leap stiffer, the big blades grab a lot better in whitewater, and
> my hands are
> > down within a couple inches of the blade for that low gear going
> out.
> >
> > I am *sooooo* glad I didn't let the rep talk me into a longer
> paddle. 191
> > seems about right. If anything, I'd like to try a 185 for a
> couple hours
> > sometime.
> >
> > Only regret was not spending another fifty bucks for the foam-
> sandwich blade
> > model. Reason: the foam blades - with their 1/4" round edges
were
> much, much
> > more hand-friendly. I imagine they'd also be marginally better
as
> outriggers
> > when sitting in the chop.... but the hand-friendliness would be
the
> main factor.
> > --
> > PeteCresswell
> >
>