The Werner Desperado was the first Whitewater Kayaking Paddle I ever used. When I took my first whitewater kayaking clinic at the age of ten the paddle that the outfitter provided was none other than the Werner Desperado. I ran my first river with a Desperado and even got my first roll with it; it wasn’t pretty but it happened. For many either the Werner Rio or the Werner Desperado is their go to entry level paddle.
Werner Desperado Paddle Overview
The Werner Desperado paddle was designed to provide sort of a middle ground between the Werner Rio and the Werner Sherpa/ Powerhouse paddles. The Werner Desperado is priced at $175 which is priced lower than the Sherpa/ Powerhouse but definitely a little more expensive than the Rio. The idea was to create a paddle that provided paddlers with a little bit more performance than the Rio but was not as expensive as the Sherpa or Powerhouse.
They did a great job with this. The Desperado has much stiffer blades than the Rio which gives paddlers more power from their strokes and makes every stroke more efficient. Less power goes into the blade flexing and more power goes into moving the kayak. What makes the blade more stiff than the Rio or any other plastic bladed whitewater paddle is the carbon fiber reinforcement. The Desperado is not a carbon paddle but it does have some carbon reinforcement in the blades. The blades are midsized to provided sufficient power but also small enough to prevent excessive fatigue.
The shaft of the Desperado is the same shaft that Werner uses for all of it’s fiberglass paddle designs including the Sherpa, the Powerhouse, the Surge, and the Strike. The shaft only comes in straight but does come in standard and small diameter depending on what kind of feel you like or the size of your hands.
My Experience With The Werner Desperado Whitewater Kayak Paddle
Like I mentioned earlier, the Werner Desperado was the first whitewater kayaking paddle I ever used. When I was learning this is the paddle that I learned forward strokes, sweep strokes, and even how to roll. The Desperado did not hold me back at all. At the time I did not know a lick about paddle design or the pros and cons to a paddle. I was just using what was given to me and it made things much easier.
Before the clinic I had paddled my whitewater kayak around using a touring paddle and believe me that was not an ideal situation. When I was given the Desperado, everything became easier and more manageable. It is amazing what a difference having the right equipment can make. By the end of the clinic I had fallen in love with the feel of Werner’s paddles and bucked up and went for the Werner Sherpa. If you are looking for a solid entry level paddle that performs better than the Werner Rio, and looks cooler too, you should definitely look into buying a Werner Desperado from a local dealer.
Werner Desperado 1PC vs. 2PC – Which is Better?
I have used both the one piece and two-piece versions of the Werner Desperado whitewater kayaking paddle. I did not have long to get a feel for the two piece version but I spent about a week of paddling with the one piece. Mind you this week was literally my first week of whitewater kayaking experience, but in my short time with the two piece everything felt the same as I remember the one piece feeling.
Although the two piece Desperado is a solid paddle and you won’t notice too much drop off in stiffness, I am just not a fan. I know that with the modern designs it is unlikely that water will get inside the shaft but the idea of paddling and getting water inside the shaft just makes me want to get a one piece. This is just a personal preference. If you want a paddle that is more compact and don’t mind the idea of having a two piece paddle, then you would be perfectly fine with a Werner Desperado two piece paddle.
Can You Get The Werner Desperado in A Bent Shaft?
Most higher end Werner paddles are available in bent shaft configurations. Unfortunately if you want a bent shaft paddle you will have to pay a little extra for a paddle at a higher price point than the Werner Desperado. You can get the Sherpa, Powerhouse and Surge in a bent shaft but Werner does not make the Desperado with a bent shaft. This is because the Desperado is marketed as an entry level paddle and having a straight shaft makes learning some of the fundamentals of whitewater kayaking much simpler.