: Lee or anybody else for that matter: How is your whetstone paddle holding up?
: Pete: I've taken my Whetstone paddle (220 cm Model T1) out a couple of times to get some experience with it. My (and my wife's) regular paddle is wooden (Grey Owl). I did a short paddle with some rolling/bracing practice the first time out and did a 4-hr practice trip in preparation for a round-Manhattan swim race scheduled for this weekend on my second time out. (I'm a kayak escort for a swimmer). The T1 is a really beautiful paddle to look at, but the finish on the paddle shows scratches rather badly. I launched from muddy/rocky banks on both days and got some bad scratches on the back of the paddle. I probably have the same scratches on my wood and fiberglass paddles (Werner) but they aren't very noticeable. Also the edges of the paddle are fairly sharp. I worried that that would make them more prone to chipping considering the way I abuse my paddles. So far that hasn't happened, but I'm going to be a lot more careful with this paddle in the future. It might also be a problem if one accidently got hit by one of these paddles. For this weekend's race I am considering putting electrical tape on the paddle tips to protect my swimmer. I let my wife use the T1 on our first outing and was a little worried she would prefer it to her wooden paddle. Fortunately, she decided she liked her wooden paddle more. Based on limited experience, I'm sold on the Whetstone paddle. FYI. It took about 3 weeks to take delivery on my paddle, but it was well worth the wait.

WesT.