The Ole’ Smoothie
This blade shape is about cruising alllll day long and feeling great the whole way. You can think of it as a “Smithy lite”- where the Smithy is shaped like a slalom blade– lots of grab for not too many square inches of blade shape. The Ole Smoothie is designed to have good grab for serious waters but the entry and overall load are meant to be body-friendly– for all day fun. The tip is round– not asymmetrical– to buffer the onset of load of the stroke. And the blade is a quarter inch narrower than some others. You need to be able to overpower the blade in order to dominate it and have it not overload the ‘machine’ of your body. Your body is overloaded if you can’t pull the paddle through the water– no matter what. The Ole’ Smoothie lets you win– but it takes all your power to win over the blade. The end result is a blade with enough grab– but also is loaded with great aesthetics– like swing weight and a smooth entry. So– this is the Ol’ Sweetie blade– made for cruising with lots of energy. The size is comparable to a Werner Sherpa. A lot of top boaters love the feel of this one. So if aesthetics make a difference to you– consider this one! It’s my favorite blade to make because it always comes out right!