The Toughest Sea Paddle Around, Mitchell Blades Mitchell Blades are superbly constructed performance sea kayaking paddles, quite unlike anything else available in the Australian market. They are made to a construction standard which on inspection is instantly convincing, with the concept of a light ‘swing weight’ inherent in the design. They reward correct & upright modern paddling styles, & feature the sort of performance previously limited to whitewater paddles. Each of our Bombora paddles are well balanced and have a positive feel in the water. By incorporating a wide dihedral, they all offer smooth quiet paddling with zero flutter. The dynamic profile of these blades makes them effective and stable in choppy conditions. We have stock in all three blade designs, in the cutting edge Carbon Zenith layup. Shafts are available in the Lever Lock Split, allowing a 10cm length range. Lengths in stock range from 205cm to 220cm
	Mitchell Blades Bombora The Bombora has a strong but not exhausting catch, a smooth feel through the stroke & with the shortened face a quick & easy exit. It is a tremendously strong paddle for technical paddling & strokes, yet doesn’t need a huge amount of grunt to cruise distance. We are noticing sea kayakers skills rising around the country. The days of the thin bladed ‘touring’ paddle with a long 220cm+ shaft are limited as paddlers are becoming technically more proficient and seeing the benefits of a higher angled stroke to their overall cruising & playing. The Bombora is our attempt to accommodate this into a cutting edge design, made to make the kind of paddling we do more enjoyable & rewarding. Click HERE to read Rob Mercer’s review of this exciting new paddle design. Available as a straight shaft with a custom length & feather, with a custom length & feather vario split shaft, or with our new variable length & feather crank shaft. Paddle area 660cm2. Prices (including National delivery) Carbon Zenith Split (Lever Lock) $595 Carbon Zenith Crank (Lever Lock) $695
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About Mitchell – Construction, Design, Layups & Shaft options…… (by Lance Mitchell, paddle maker) Blade Fabrication All Mitchell blades are produced from the most advanced state of the art materials and crafted to machine accuracy. Each blade 'Style' has a variety of compositions, from a selection of the finest carbon, top grade woven fibreglass fabrics, and high tech 'aerofoam' cores. The lay-up of these blade materials is construction engineered to ensure optimum strength and durability. The 'end caps' of our blades contain a polyester material and a concentrate of a specialised glass flake compound called 'Cotton Microfibre'. This compound is used as an anti-corrosion apparatus protecting certain parts of jet planes and tankers, but typically in marine constructions to coat structures and oil rig pipelines from the ever eroding sea. Used in our end caps it provides the blades with super resilient tips. We are the first in the industry to use this compound, which is also used within our paddles to help prevent wear, but mainly to increase strength and reinforcement. Our blade materials are bonded together with tough superior epoxy resin systems, some of which contain 'UV protection'. They are ultimately compressed in our highly polished pressure moulds giving them their brilliant high gloss finish and perfect equilibrium. Blade Design After years of paddling with my Uncles wooden paddles the task of finding a paddle that could match was impossible. When I started kayaking, synthetic paddles were not even in the race, they were no way comparable to wood. However, since then with new technology and materials they have moved on dramatically. I have tried and tested many on the market and none of them had what I was looking for. It left me no alternative but to design my own aqua dynamic paddle. Spine Our new blade profile has a flatter wider spine which allows the paddle to slice effortlessly through the water. The end of the spine blends into the blade and its ridges are rounded off to assist the flow of water across its back. End Cap/ Tips The ends of our new blades have been capped raising up in two tiers to the tip. This gives the blades thicker edges where it is most needed to help prevent wear. It also makes the end of the blades extremely strong, tough and ridged. Combined with the material and 'Cotton Microfibre' they're harder than coffin nails. Incorporated Strength Curl The curl at the neck of the blade has been kept in from the older design. It has been moved closer to the shaft and acts as a strength feature for both the blade and shaft. It also keeps the surface area ridged compared to most other paddle blades. Dihedral The power face of our new blades have a dihedral. This plays a very important part of the design. Paddles without a dihedral catch optimum water, but as the water escapes the blade surface it causes 'flutter/torque'. This can effect your grip because you will subconsciously tighten it, which will stiffen up your strokes, lead to fatigue, and effect your overall performance. An aggressive or, too much of a dihedral will cause power loss by directing water off the blades too quickly. Our blades have a wide dihedral which gently directs the water off the blades surface evenly. This has proven to give our blades 'zero flutter' whilst paddling. The dihedral starts at the neck of the blade and slowly fades out towards the tips so not to effect feathering strokes. Finally, the tip of the blades are scooped in very slightly and the parallel edges of the arc are flat so no power is lost during paddling.