Werner Surge Whitewater Kayaking Paddle Review

Werner paddles are known for their performance and strength. Over the last few years Werner has created some awesome paddles to fill just about every niche in the whitewater industry. They have paddles that excel, big water, creeks, freestyle holes, and slalom races. Their newest paddle combines the best features of both their racing paddles and their river running paddles.

What is The Werner Surge Whitewater Kayaking Paddle?

Werner released the Surge paddle in early 2019. The idea behind this paddle was to create a paddle that combined features of their racing blades with the versatility of their everyday river running blades. Basically it is a mash up of the Werner Odachi and the Werner Powerhouse paddles. When I first started whitewater kayaking I used the Powerhouse for years before switching to Adventure Technology, so taking the Werner Surge out for a spin was sort of nostalgic but at the same time slightly unfamiliar.

When you first look at the blades on the Werner Surge you will notice that the tip of the blade looks a lot more straight than other paddle blade shapes. It looks a lot like the curve of the Odachi. Believe it or not this curve or lack there of does serve a purpose. Lack of curve at the tip of each blade on the Werner Surge paddle allows the paddler to get more catch during the power phase of the paddle stroke. This allows for faster acceleration, and more powerful forward strokes when paddling down river. Some paddlers have jumped to the conclusion that the Werner Surge is just a fiberglass version of the Odachi; this is not the case.

What is The Difference Between The Werner Surge and The Werner Odachi?

Don’t be fooled by the similarities between the Werner Odachi and the Werner Surge. These paddles have more differences than just the materials the blades are made of. Basically the only things that are similar between the Werner Odachi and the Werner Surge is the curve of the paddle blade and the offset between the face of the blade and the shaft of the paddle.

Both the Werner Surge and Werner Odachi use what they call blade to shaft offset. This allows the blade to be more vertical through the power phase of the paddle stroke, providing more power to propel the boat forward. Another similarity between the Odachi and the Surge is the curvature of the blade. You will notice that from where the blade attaches to the shaft of the paddle to the tip of the blade, there is not much curve. Most paddle blades have a more dramatic curve that allows the paddle blade to cup the water. The lack of curve allows you to get more power from the paddle earlier in the stroke. That is pretty much where the similarities between the Werner Surge and the Werner Odachi wrap up. Now let us take a look at what makes these two whitewater paddles different.

The differences between the Odachi and the Surge start with the shape of the paddle blades. The Odachi is designed for powerful forward strokes, even if it means reducing the performance of other types of strokes. When you paddle with a Werner Odachi paddle you will feel the power in the forward stroke but reverse sweeps, reverse strokes, won’t necessarily be as efficient. The design of the Werner Surge on the other hand still allows paddlers to use every stroke in the bag without loosing efficiency. Basically the Surge is going to feel more like your old paddle but still give you the extra power in the forward stroke like the Odachi.

Another difference between the Surge and the Odachi is the blade surface area and dimensions. The paddle blades on the Odachi are longer than the Surge which provides more leverage for forward strokes. Although the extra surface area and length on the Odachi will provide you with more power, it can also cause some problems if you are not one hundred percent confident in your strokes. The extra length is going to be less forgiving than a smaller blade. For some this is not a factor, for others, it is a different story. I took the Werner Surge out for a paddle the other weekend and below I will share my experience with it.

My Experience With The Werner Surge Paddle – Werner Surge Whitewater Paddle Review

I took the Werner Surge out on the Nantahala River in Western North Carolina for a couple of laps of Nantahala Falls. I took plenty of time to put it through it’s paces so I could really get a feel for what this new paddle had to offer. When I first heard about the purpose of the flat looking blade I was skeptical. It looked like I might as well get a ducky paddle from NOC and use that.

On my first lap paddled around in the flat area above the falls for a while before heading down stream. The first thing I noticed was that it felt different than I remember my Werner Powerhouse paddle feeling as I paddled. It felt a little funky at first but after about five minutes I had adjusted. It actually did feel a little more powerful than I remember my Powerhouse feeling. On each stroke I definitely felt the boat accelerating forward quicker than it does when using my AT Geronimo.

As I paddled through the falls everything else seemed familiar. My reverse sweeps, forward sweeps and draw strokes all felt smooth and confident. As I tried a boof stroke over the far left side of the bottom hole into the eddy I felt as though It was easier to get the bow of my kayak up into the air. This probably has to do with the extra power in the forward stroke but nonetheless I was happy.

On my second lap I switched back to my AT Geronimo to see what the difference was. Immediately I could feel that the Geronimo felt much less powerful than the Surge. The real benefit of the Werner Surge was the ability to get more power through more of my stroke. When I switched back to the Geronimo, it felt like the blade provided solid power for a shorter portion of the stroke.

Overall I really like the Werner Surge. I would go ahead and buy one but I would rather wait to see if Werner makes a carbon version in the future. I don’t want to spend $350+ on a paddle that I will want to swap out in the future. If you are considering getting a Werner Surge, or are just curious how well it actually works, find a local Werner dealer and take one out for a demo.

Comment below if you have any questions about the Werner Surge paddle!