CLINT ROBINSON
flexible PADDLE
There are two schools of thought around paddle stiffness. The first and our main focus at Meek Paddles until now, is a relatively stiff construction targeting maximal power transfer. The second, is a more flexible blade and shaft, to give a smoother feel and minimise potential impact/injury of joints and tendons. Clint worked with us for over 2 years to help us bring a more flexible paddle into our range and provide more options for paddlers.
The development of the Clint Flex paddle
For the last 2 years Clint Robinson and I have worked together to bring a new paddle construction into the Meek Paddle Range.
Clint has been instrumental in the development of his own paddles for over 3 decades. He attributes a significant amount of his paddling success to his feel for the water and he has found that some flex in the blades and shaft are instrumental in facilitating this. He also found that this flex is pivotal in reducing injuries.
Clint has always used a parallel edged blade for it's characteristically smooth power transfer throughout the stroke. It was logical that our existing paralell edged blade, the G-Series, be used for this more flexible model of paddle.
It was challenging to incorporate the flexibility features, whilst maintaining the ultra lightweight and durability that Meek Paddles have become known for. The finished product is a result of many hours of testing to find the optimal positioning of the fibres, the best carbon to use and balancing out the load on the blade by tweaking the shape of the existing parallel edged G-Series blade. We are excited to bring this new lay-up option into our range.