Gara Racing Paddles

Hank McGregor, winner of 2010 Avon Descent kayak race, paddle of choice is the Gara GP3 paddle. Gara Racing Paddles draw on many years of experience in paddle design and manufacturing and have created an exceptionally strong efficient paddle. Hank McGregor uses the GP3 Gara paddle as his blades of choice for surf ski, marathon and river kayak racing.

After winning the Avon Hank said, “I would like to thank Gara for making such strong blades. I use the Gara GP 3 blades, as it is a parallel blade and I find it suits my style of paddling. The paddles are very light and I was able to carry a spare set in my kayak for peace of mind.” Hank McGregor uses the adjustable shaft which he claims “is very easy and fast to adjust while racing and locking clamp does not slip even when hitting rocks”. For long distance river kayak paddling Hank McGregor uses and recommends a 40:60 carbon: glass shaft which is still stiff enough for speed and flexible enough for pounding on rocks and the stresses of the rapids. For surf ski racing Hank McGregor uses the same Gara GP3 blades but prefers the stiffer 80:20 carbon: glass shaft.  Hank concluded by saying “I was happy with my choice of paddles and look forward to using them at my future kayak and surf ski races”.

Kevin White, 2nd in 2010 Avon Descent also uses the Gara kayak paddles. Kevin uses the same 40:60 carbon: glass shaft as Hank McGregor but chooses the Gara GP2 blade. Kevin says “I am a bit of an old diesel and can just keep going all day; I lack the power and speed of some of the young paddlers like Hank. On a long kayak race like the Avon Descent I like a blade which allows me turn my arms efficiently yet rigid enough to grip the water. For many years I have used the Epic mid wing which I think is an excellent paddle, when Hank suggested I try the Gara GP2 I was impressed with how good it felt.”

While the GP3 is slightly larger, Hank McGregor points out what he considers to be another key difference between the GP2 and GP3. He says “the GP2 has a more tear drop shape and therefore your catch in your stroke needs to be up front whereas the GP 3 is more of a parallel shape and its catch is more in the middle through to the back of your stroke and for I find it more forgiving in rivers and surf ski.”

Gara Racing Paddles make a range of superior quality paddles for the discerning paddler. All the paddles are black, full carbon blades that have aerospace-grade foam core 100% carbon fibre content and epoxy that makes for an extremely lightweight and stiff performance blade.

Having designed an exceptional performance blade Gara Racing Paddles turned to focus on a consistently high quality manufacturing process. To this end they invested heavily in state-of-the art moulds to ensure precision parts are produced. Each paddle blade is created in a CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machine cut aluminium moulds. The use of temperature controlled powerful steel presses ensures that identical, high quality paddle blades.

Gara Racing Kayak Paddles range includes :

GP2 – medium size wing paddle

The Gara Full Carbon Wing paddle is the best choice for most fitness or racing paddlers. All paddles come standard with Concepts™ locking clamp technology unless a one piece paddle is specified. The Full Carbon Stiff Shaft construction option is most often preferred by sprint racers, while the 40:60 carbon: glass Medium Flex Shaft construction option is better suited to distance paddlers. Recreational paddlers might also opt for a soft glass shaft. Kevin Whites choice for the 2010 Avon Descent – 2nd place.

Specifications
Blade width: 16.8 cm Blade length:   49.5 cm Surface area:   702 cm2 Weight 250 grams per blade, average

GP3 – medium-large wing paddle

The Gara Full Carbon Wing paddle is designed for strong sprint and elite marathon racers who require a little more power from the stroke than the GP2 Wing. Being a parallel the catch is at the middle or back of the paddle stroke. The GP3 comes standard with Concepts™ locking clamp technology, unless a one piece paddle is specified. Hank McGregor’s choice for the 2010 Avon Descent – 1st place.

Specifications
Blade width: 15.3 cm Blade length:   52 cm Surface area:   755 cm2 Weight 250 grams per blade, average

GP4 – medium-large wing paddle

The Gara Full Carbon Wing paddle is designed for paddlers desiring similar power per stroke to the GP3 paddle but still want a ‘teardrop’ blade shape. This paddle comes with standard with Concepts™ locking clamp technology, unless a one piece paddle is specified

Specifications
Blade width: 16.1 cm Blade length:   50.7 cm Surface area:   845 cm2 Weight 250 grams per blade, average