Black is the colour – Blackfish SUP paddles review

Photos: James Jagger
New to the UK, and stand up paddling in general, is Canadian brand Blackfish paddles. Offering a variety of different blade types, sizes and adjustment options they’re now being sold on these shores by Get On The Water UK.

We were able to put six different types through their paces across a variety of different scenarios. In almost all instances we were impressed by the Blackfish construction, looks and general appeal of what is a bunch of premium quality SUP products.

Adjustments, for both three and two piece Blackfish sweepers, were solid and dependable. There’s nothing worse than choosing an adjustable only to find slippage and ‘play’. Utilising an anti-twist mechanism Blackfish ensure this isn’t the case allowing riders to forget about their tools and focus on the task in hand.

Across the Blackfish range there are suitable blades for all types of SUP shenanigans – from smaller stature paddlers looking for a suitable ‘engine’ to those who want surf performance and beyond. The Salish will appeal to those less burley SUPers although on the larger side of bone structures our main tester found no issue when using. In fact, the smaller design of the Salish blade offers chance to up stroke cadence significantly so could actually be great for sprints and such.

The Andaman is dependable and does what it says on the tin offering solid performance whilst the Nootka was our Blackfish paddle of choice. Not only was the silver finish eye catching it was also the paddle in the range that suited our style the best: offering the best power to ease of use ratio. It’s responsive shaft ensures pin point rider feedback and no loss of power through each part of the stroke. This is actually a common trait across the whole Blackfish range.

CONCLUSION
It’s great to see a new premium SUP paddle brand available in the UK. Blackfish are certainly aiming for the top of their game with what’s on offer here, as such all Blackfish paddles are handmade in Thailand. They’re super efficient and bang on for what SUPers should be aiming for. The adjustable elements are solid whilst each specific blade offers performance to suit a variety of different scenarios. Your job is to choose which one you think will achieve your SUP paddling goal. With that in mind it’s best to demo so give the guys at Get On The Water UK a shout to arrange. Note: Lincoln Dews, 2018 World Number 1, uses Blackfish – a new Lincoln tested race blade is due out late 2019 so stay tuned for that.

Price: £219.99 to £349.99

Info: http://www.blackfishpaddles.com
http://www.getonthewater.co.uk/blackfish
sales@getonthewater.co.uk