Saltwood Paddles Vitamin C

I’d been eyeing up Saltwood Paddles Vitamin C for a while and finally took the plunge.  It is easily one of my favorite paddles now.

Here’s the bottom line on this beauty — light and aggressive.

Top to bottom:  The over-sized T-grip gives me a great handle to control fine feathering with sure grip.  With a slight curvature above and aggressive curvature below, my palm comfortably saddles over the top of the T-grip and the underside makes a great hook for reeling in stuff (like canoes).  Saltwoods’s signature hollow, laminate, wood shaft with glass sleeve reinforcement is as good as it sounds.  Although this canoe paddle isn’t indexed like their kayak paddles, their construction remains warm in the hand while being both light AND durable.  Lastly, the blade.  Certainly the highlight of this paddle is not it’s sharp looks and light weight, but the draw of Saltwood Paddles Vitamin C is how the blade performs.  From slalom design, this blade is AGGRESSIVE.  Square corners frame a carbon blade spooned yet flat.  With such powerful catch, acceleration is always waiting.  Still, the blade has a flatness to it that makes slicing and blending strokes smooth, strong, and predictable.

I look forward to pushing this paddle and myself, just to see which breaks first.

-Andrew Romanelli

All of Saltwood Paddles’ blades are available through Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe.  Don’t see what you’re looking for?  Give us a call at 503-285-0464 so we can get it for you.