Hand Control

Select Right Hand or Left Hand

We can assemble your paddle for either right-handed or left-handed lever use, ensuring easier adjustments and improved visibility of the markings. This setup refers to the orientation of the lever and does not affect performance or require you to be right- or left-handed. A right-handed assembly positions the lever for convenient length adjustments using your right hand, especially when on the water.

Braca shafts are round, perfectly balanced, and can be built in either orientation. In the diagram below with green arrows, the paddle is configured for right-handed use; a left-handed setup simply involves flipping the shaft 180 degrees.

Braca paddles are meticulously designed and manufactured to deliver exceptional performance for all athletes. Given the diverse range of athletes and environments, there are numerous ways to customize the paddle to create an ideal and personalized experience.

Braca offers the most diverse selection of wing paddle designs. Braca kayak paddle designs are avilable in a dozen different shapes, each with their specific characteristics. With four distinct design families, the top two are the most widely used.

• Tear Drop | Classic wing shape with mild twist
• Extreme Tear Drop | Wing with more extreme twist
• Parallel Edge | Leading and trailing edges run parallel
• Hybrid Fusion | Hybrid of features

We recommend these two paddles, our top sellers and all of their options are in stock:

Braca IV – a teardrop wing paddle with slight twist

The Braca IV is one of the most popular paddle designs in the world. It is the original wing paddle developed first by Braca. Favored by many World and Olympian sprinters this is a solid choice. The Braca IV shape offers blade sizes from 610 to 765 and then the Braca I, the same design but bigger, from 775 to a whopping 840. The Braca IV also has a 60% carbon option that makes a great wing paddle for youth, masters, marathon due to the more forgiving performance of 60% carbon. The Braca IV Carbon 60 is also priced less than full carbon paddles and is a club team favorite.

Braca XI Van Dusen – a teardrop wing paddle with extreme twist

The Braca XI is equally popular and in use at high levels of competition worldwide. The Braca XI Van Dusen is an extreme twist paddle, while that sounds extreme it actually a smooth and efficient paddle. It is designed to provide smooth power at varied cadences. It plants solidly and performs for athletes at all levels, including the very top. The Braca XI Van Dusen ’92 is a great shape to take a look at, it’s one of our most popular paddles for its power at varied cadences. A solid performer that uses rotation to great advantage. Designed by Ted Van Dusen in ’92 and licensed by Braca.

Braca provides a wide range of constructions, allowing you to customize your paddle according to your conditions. Surfski blades, known for their stiffness, lightness, and strength, are recommended for most paddlers, including those on flatwater. For specific conditions such as rocky or shallow waters, the Marathon and Down River constructions are ideal.

Possible blade constructions are:

• Standard: Our regular 100% carbon construction paddle
• Surfski: Reinforced for reverse forces of bracing and current in all waters, stiff and light
• Extra Light: A lighter, stiffer version approx 20 to 100 g lighter than a standard
• Carbon 60: Durable, slightly heavier blade at lower price point for club, masters, marathon, youth
  
• Marathon: Kevlar tips for durability for rugged conditions
• Down River: edge of the blade is reinforced with metal for severe conditions
• Soft: A more forgiving performance blade often used for stress reduction
  

Extra Light and Surfski are the most popular choices. Surfski is not just for ocean paddling.

Several factors go into selecting a blade size.

• Athlete Size: The physical dimensions of the paddler, including height and strength, impact the ideal blade size. Larger athletes may benefit from larger blades to harness more power, while smaller athletes might find smaller blades more manageable.
• Distance: The distance you plan to cover affects blade size. For longer distances, a balance between efficiency and reduced fatigue is essential. Smaller blades may be favored for endurance paddling.
• Stroke Rate: Blade size is directly connected to stroke rate. Larger blades can provide more power but may result in a slower stroke rate. Athletes often choose a size that aligns with their preferred stroke rate and paddling style.
• Environment: The type of water and environmental conditions also play a role. In windy or choppy conditions, a smaller blade may be advantageous for stability and control, whereas larger blades can be more suitable for calm waters.
• Injury Prevention: The risk of injury is a crucial consideration. Using a blade size that allows for a natural and comfortable paddling motion can contribute to injury prevention. Athletes recovering from specific injuries may benefit from adjusting blade size to reduce strain.

As an example these are the Braca XI blade sizes: 675 705 720 735 750 760 775 795 805 815.

Your paddle has a generous 10 cm adjustment range with the 19k or 21k shaft, allowing you to easily set it to a shorter or longer length as needed.

More info Coming Soon

When ordering an adjustable paddle you do not need to pick a feather angle as all adjustable paddles offer flexibility, allowing you to set the feather angle anywhere from 0 to 90 degrees. Adjusting the paddle feather angle is easily achieved by loosening the connector and rotating the shaft according to the marks. The paddle feather angle is a key topic of discussion among users! It is generally determined by the angle at which your paddle enters the water; a higher water entry angle indicates a higher paddle feather angle setting. Surfskiers often prefer lower feather angles, with some opting for 0 degrees. K1 sprinters generally maintain a feather angle of around 60 degrees. If you order a one-piece paddle (available upon request) you will need to select your paddle feather angle as it will be a fixed-length one-piece shaft with no connector.

High twist paddles such as Braca XI are designed such that the paddle angle should not be set above 60 degrees.

Each paddle has a selection of available shafts. Your paddle selection will indicate available shafts, for example a Braca IV 60 blade only uses a 10K, 19K, or 21K. The recommended approach is to use stiff, well-made blades (such as Braca!) along with shafts that then provide the necessary flexibility.

• Our most popular configuration is the 19K for medium and long distances, marathon, surfski, fitness training.
• The majority of USA paddlers use flexible options like 19K and 21K, or stiffer alternatives like 06K and 17K

• Use a softer shaft for surfski, 19K or 21K, with plastic connectors for durability in salt water.
• For marathon, long distance, we recommend the 19K
• For sprinters, with their large blades, use the stiffest shafts, pros use most stiff, 02K, 03K, 04K. We also have super stiff  01K in stock upon request!
• All youth paddles have specifically designed shafts with more flex such as the 10K
• Down River paddles use the 18K shaft only
• Preventing an injury? Go as soft as possible and also consider soft blades such as Carbon 60
• 1-piece shafts available on request

Deflection is measured by hanging a weight from the shaft and measuring the deflection that occurs. Deflection is in mm and ranges from 1 to 6.5.

Braca has had flexible hybrid shafts for a while, 05K and 09K, blend of fiberglass and carbon. Before the 19K and latest 21K these were the most flexible shafts they offered, with the 17K being the softest all carbon shaft. Feedback from the Surfski community spearheaded by Oscar was there was a need a softer all carbon shaft that was light and has a very fast recovery unlike the hybrid kevlar/fiberglass shafts. Braca came out with the 19K which was the softest all carbon shaft available with only a couple of the hybrid shafts overall softer. Year and half ago, Oscar visited the Braca factory for a week and half and worked with them on developing an even softer all carbon shaft, the 21K. Braca manufactures their own carbon fiber that they actually sell to many industries outside of kayaking, and also manufactures all their own shafts.

So to make the 21K super flexible, while keeping it 100% carbon to maintain the quick recovery, Braca had to make the diameter smaller, 28mm. This allowed them to get the flex they wanted, super fast recovery and still meet their durability spec. Really cool shaft if you have not tried. I (Chris C.) personally love it in the ocean.

Choosing Connectors

Shafts are available in a combination of metal and plastic connectors (lockers). Stiffer shafts are used with metal lockers and more flexible surfski shafts are used with plastic lockers. In the middle, the athlete can select metal or plastic for the 19K. Plastic lockers are lighter, extremely durable, have angle settings for feathering, and are more resistant to saltwater corrosion. The memory lock option holds your feather angle when dismantled and reconnected and is available for all shafts and is primarily geared for flatwater sprinters for whom angle is critical.

The stiffness of the shaft can impact the paddle’s performance. Some paddlers prefer a stiffer shaft for maximum power and efficiency, while others may prefer a bit more flexibility for distance and comfort.

Varied Water Conditions

When paddling in different water conditions, like the ocean or river, where you might need to speed up to catch waves, stabilize yourself (bracing), or navigate through moving water, it’s essential to choose the right paddle shaft. The softest shafts, 21K and 19K, are specifically made for these unpredictable conditions, but you can also consider using a 17K. It’s important to note that the 19K and 21K shafts come with plastic connectors, while all other shafts have metal connectors that are susceptible to salt water. If you’re using a paddle with metal connectors, make sure to disassemble and rinse them after each use, especially if you’ve been paddling in saltwater.

Injury Prevention or Accommodation

For paddlers wanting to take it easy on their joints and reduce the risk of injury then the more flexible shafts are indicated. Both the older and younger folks can benefit from using more flexible setups to reduce stress and add shock absorption. This shift helps the shaft absorb more of the stress and shock, taking some of the load off your joints. You might lose a tiny bit of power, but it’s hardly noticeable unless you’re a top-tier paddler doing short sprints. Youth paddles have their own flexible shafts to protect young joints.

Your blade choices will preselect the available shafts and they will display like this:

You may have both 5 or 10 cm options:

Or just 5 cm for example:

The Braca VIII blades have a greater length compared to other blades. It’s crucial to ensure that when ordering your paddle, it’s sufficiently long to accommodate this additional blade length. This might entail ordering a paddle with a longer overall length than a Braca IV or XI paddle. If the overall length of your paddle is too short, the shaft itself may also be too short, causing your hands to be uncomfortably close together.

When you order a paddle you provide us with the total length in cm, for example 220 cm. The shaft length is the full length minus the blade length. If the blades are longer, such as Braca VIII, then the inner shaft length will be shorter than on an equivalent length Braca IV paddle.

Usually, we add about 10 cm to account for the extra blade length, the Braca VIII is about 7 cm longer, per blade, than standard wing paddles. You can compare dimensions here.

We can always shorten your paddle but we can’t make it longer without a new shaft.

Questions? Email Chris at Chris@FastPaddler.com with any questions.