Since I did my last review of wing paddles in 2010 (click here to read), I have been paddling with the same brand/model of paddle for years, Jantex Gamma Mid. In fact that same hybrid shaft Jantex that I got from Lloyd Reeves is to this day,my everyday training paddle. It has been a wonderful paddle both in terms of durability and usefulness. This has been the paddle that I have most often used for all my time trials for my surf ski reviews. Since that paddle was made up for me, Jantex put a new lever lock that now is almost the standard on most paddles today. Onno paddles were the first to use that type of lever lock of the paddles I bought. Most manufacturers have some variation of this lever lock. Because I did not like the old Jantex hose clamp, I bought two single shaft Jantex that I most often use for my races. I have other two piece Jantex paddles including the latest one with the diamond pattern shaft that is lighter than all my others. I also have two Jantex Gamma Mids that have been modified slightly. The reason for the modified blades came about because of a race I did a year ago with Chris Chappell, training partner and web master of this site.
We paddled a surfski double in a flat water race(Great Stone Dam River Race). During the last two miles, Chris in the rear bucket kept urging me to keep my stroke rate up so we could increase our speed for the final miles. My heart rate was up but I was not going any faster. Chris pointed out what I already knew, but needed confirmation and the race served as one of those “Ah Ha” moments: during longer races, my stroke rate would drop and I would take longer, slower strokes as I grew tired. Nothing like paddling a double for great feedback on your stroke.
So during this final two miles, Chris suggested I shortened my stroke and increase my turnover. We managed a third place victory in our only doubles race to date. I realized then that perhaps my trusty Jantex was slightly too large for the flat water races. In my mind flat water races are more difficult because it is all about pure paddling, drafting and the occasional buoy turn, unlike ocean paddling where there is a lot more going on than just the next plant of the blade. So I had Chris expertly take two millimeters off one of my Jantex to make it slightly smaller. Chris had done this to another one of my paddles a few years ago as well as few of his own paddles. So for the few flat water races I have done since then, I used the Jantex slim. It allowed me to noticeably increase my turnover rate throughout the entire race and it allowed me to accelerate more quickly. I hesitated to use the slim Jantex on the ocean because I like the purchase and stability that my full size Jantex offered until….. a month ago when I did a time trial with the slim Jantex. I was only seconds off my PR. Three days later, I did another TT with the G Power Galaxy Small(GS) and had virtually the same result.
A month before this, I noticed on the Elite Ocean Sports site that Mark and Mark were selling a new brand of paddles. So I asked them to send me a couple of paddles to demo. One of those was the G Power Galaxy Small. What you notice immediately about the G Power paddles is that the shaft and blades are all one piece. They don’t glue the shaft to the blade, the shaft/blades are all integrated which makes for a sleeker looking paddle and weight savings with less glue and material. Like other paddles, the lever lock is similar to the Jantex but beefier and is anodized. You also realize that the lever lock is positioned opposite of the Jantex making it harder to adjust on the water and if not careful the lever lock will scrape your knee because it faces down instead of up like other paddles. Once on the water, you realize the shaft is very slick. I most often used some form tape on all my paddles so I just added some of my handy dandy paddling tape and off I went. As I used it more I came to settle in on a 207 for lenght in my SES, Hawx, and Uno Max. In my more stable skis I would use a 209 which is similar to what I use in my Jantex’s, 208-211 in various skis.
Paddling tape
The GS is slightly smaller than my modified slim Jantex and is noticeably smaller than the Jantex Gamma Mid. I initially thought that it maybe too small for me, but realize after a few outings it was not. Having a smaller blade dramatically increased my stroke rate and acceleration is almost instant. Like my initial hesitancy to use the slim Jantex in the ocean since I really like smooth, stable, and power the Jantex offers, I decided to go for it by using it in the rough waters of the Double Beaver Race where stability is paramount especially in the high performance skis. To my pleasant surprise, it handled just fine in the race. It actually helped during the last few miles of the 13 mile race where I needed to increase my stroke rate to maintain my position in the race.
While I have been using the Jantex almost soley for the past few years, Chris has switched back and forth between the Brasca 4, Jantex Gamma Mid, Jantex Gamma Mid Plus and has modified a few of his paddles as well. I think it is worth pointing out that the Jantex seems more optimized if you are use to a higher stroke rate for the greatest benefit. Contrast that to the Brasca 4 where you can have a slower stroke rate while maintaining a constant speed. Once you increase your stroke rate with the Brasca 4, the difference in speed is marginal. The opposites would be true for the Jantex. If you use it at a slower stroke rate, you are not getting the most of the paddle. I have only used the Brasca 4 once while warming up for the 6 mile Run of the Charles with Chris. We exchanged paddles for about ten minutes and I was surprised at this finding. The Brasca 4 seemed to take less effort(stroke rate) while maintaining a similar speed with my Jantex. Chris brought this to my attention several months ago based on his extensive flat water paddling where he lives. I mention this because the GS will be similar to the Jantex in that you need to maintain a high stroke rate to maximize the blade.
Like my many surfskis, I like to have options and the GS is another fine option in paddles. I find I use it most often when I am on my third or fourth day of paddling and am feeling fatigue. It provides easy turnover with a Jantex like feel and the build quality is superb. I still use my full size Jantex and my Slim Jantex and can interchange all three with out missing a beat. So now I have a three great options with similar but subtle differences: Jantex Gamma Mid, Slim(modified) Jantex, and the Galaxy Small. The Galaxy is similar to the small mid of other brands. So if you want to try a smaller blade for a quicker stroke rate or for a longer race or you just prefer a smaller blade, you now have the GS as another great option. All the specifics of the paddle can be found at http://eliteoceansports.com/.
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