Wing Paddles

No matter how fast a kayak is designed to run through the water, it’s not going anywhere without a paddle in your hands. Paddles provide our connection to the water. Initial gear obsessions may focus on the boats, but it doesn’t take long for passionate paddlers to focus on their choice of paddle. Stable, smooth and powerful, the Epic Wing will have you paddling farther and faster, and is equally at its best in the hands of champion racers, world-class expedition paddlers, at your local paddling club, or for cruising and exploring.

Epic Paddles are based on comfort and features that enhance real-world performance. Every Epic paddle is designed by Epic founder and world renowned paddler, Greg Barton. Greg competed in three Summer Olympics, where he won four Olympic medals. He has also won numerous races in surfski, outrigger canoe and marathon. His design philosophy is that every Epic customer should benefit from excellent, performance driven designs that allow them to paddle to the best of their ability.

As Greg illustrates below in the Q&A below, the Epic wing paddle is meant to be ergonomic, stable and efficient – a paddle aimed at surfski racers and general fitness paddlers, with increasing popularity among recreational surfski and touring kayakers.

Q: Which combo would you rather have: a fast boat design with a poor paddle, or a slower boat design with a high performance paddle?

Greg Barton, Epic Designer: Your boat and paddle should work together to provide the most efficiency and enjoyment. If I could choose only one, I’d probably take an efficient boat – because some of the recreational designs are simply not efficient in the water. However, you get more bang for your buck with a good paddle. You can get the best paddle on the market for around £360, while the best boat will cost you thousands. If I was on a budget, I’d opt for a mid priced, efficient boat with a top end paddle.

Our guide for helping you choose your paddle

• The Full Carbon shaft (Black carbon) is a stiff competition spec shaft. This provides gains in performance, with increased loading through the body.
• The Club Carbon shaft (Green) is Epic's "soft" carbon shaft, which has more flex in the shaft thus reducing the load on the body. We recommend this for touring, fitness, less experienced and younger paddlers.

Blade size

• The award-winning Epic Mid Wing Paddle has become the top choice for fitness and racing paddlers, and increasingly, touring kayakers who want to maximize the potential of their forward stroke. 
• The Epic Small Mid Wing Paddle is based on our award winning Mid Wing paddle, with a 2% reduced blade surface area. This slightly trimmed-down design has broadened the appeal of the wing paddle, reducing the loading on the body (reducing tiredness and injury/stress) making it ideal for smaller framed paddlers, cruisers and racers paddling long distances or spending longer on the water, and those who simply seek a smaller option to maximize their efficiency.

Shaft Length

There are four choices of shaft length, with a variation of up to 10cm in each size: 

To find your perfect paddle length or paddle type visit the Epic Paddle Wizard  or contact us.

The shaft of all Epic wing paddles is oval shaped and they are all “splits” - in two halves that come together with Epic’s Length-Lock 2™ adjustable ferrule technology as standard, allowing the paddler to adjust the feather (angle of the blades in relation to each other) to suit personal preference, for both a left or right handed paddler.

Like surfskis, paddles can be a very personal choice regarding fit and comfort. What works well for one paddler may not suit his or her paddling partner. Paddle weight, flex, length, shaft diameter and shape, paddler build, water conditions, blade length, width, feather – these are just some of the parameters that can affect the stroke. Finding the right match can greatly impact a paddler’s speed, stability and overall performance. 

All Epic Paddle come in a Silver Bag (complementary) so no need to buy one separately. We do sell a range of padded travel bags which you may want to look at, for travelling and keeping paddles safe in transit.