Gullwing Paddle Review #1

Description and Assembly Notes
3/14/2011
My first impression of the Gullwing reminded me of those really cool Corsairs flown by the Black Sheep Squadron on that 1970s televison show Baa Baa Black Sheep. For those who are too young to recall the antics of Pappy Boyington and his squadron of misfit fighter pilots, treat yourself to a google search.... really great stuff. The Gullwing paddle is the first ergonomically designed kayak paddle with a unique gullwing shape. Remember those WWII Corsairs, well.... add a couple of black nylon/fiberglass blades to the ends and you’ve basically got a kayak paddle with the spirit of world class fighter plane. The paddle has a one-piece curved bar. Just insert the paddle blades and start stroking. Breakdown is a snap and storage shouldn’t be an issue. The bar is about 54 inches long without the blades, so it fits into my truck bed without any problems. Depending on what you drive, you may need to think about how you’ll transport it, but it really isn’t a big issue. The Gullwing comes with two black comfort grips that give it a nice, balanced feel.   Only two lengths are available at this time: 215cm and  230cm. The lightweight aluminum bar is painted battleship grey and it has a textured matt-like finish and a reflective strip. The weight of this paddle checks in a 2 pounds 9 7/8 oz according to my scales. I thought this was heavy, then I checked my AT and it topped out at 2 pounds 10 ¼ oz. I couldn’t believe my AT weighed this much, but then again, I never checked it. Out of curiosity, I weighed my wife’s Werner. It came in at 1 pound 13 oz…. but that weight savings came with a heavy price.  Check out the Gullwing at www.gullwingpaddles.com.