For the past couple years, I have been using a Werner Cyprus, which is a great paddle overall, however, I have bought two of them and the locking ferrule broke on both of them. I’ve written about this in more detail here, but the end result is I was stuck with a taped together two piece paddle.
When it came time to buy a new paddle, in this case for an upcoming trip where I can’t just throw my paddle into the back of the truck and instead need a working two piece paddle, I simply couldn’t justify spending any more money on a two piece Werner, given how many issues I’ve had, as well as heard/seen, with their ferrule.
I began to look for alternatives to the Cyprus and ended up getting a Lendal Cadence, as the paddle was a similar size/weight to the Werner Cyprus, but uses a locking lever, their version is called a Leverlok, as opposed to a spring powered push button locking system like Werner’s.
I took it out on the lake right after I got it, but this weekend, I was able to put it through its paces a bit, during a 17 mile circumnavigation of Bear Island.
For the most part, we didn’t do a ton of surfing, but I did catch a few waves and there was plenty of rough water, so I got a good feel for the paddle.
Trip Stats
- Total Distance: 16.98 Miles
- Max Speed: 13.21 MPH
- Average Speed: 2.98 MPH
- Moving Average: 3.17 MPH
- Duration: 5.7 Hours
Description of Trip
This was my second time circumnavigating Bear Island, although the first time we paddled in the Intercoastal Waterway, while this time we hugged the rear of the island.
We had the tide working in our favor and the wind to our back as we left Bogue Inlet and paddled ocean side to Bear Inlet, so we made great time following the outgoing tide and then had a very nice push to our back.
We did a bit of surfing on our way down. There was a sand bar or low area most of the way, so the waves would break once a little ways from shore, then again once they got closer. We spent most of our time in-between these two breaks.
We ended up being a bit early coming through the inlet and the water was still quite low, making it slow going as we made our way behind Bear Island. The swell in the inlet itself was a lot bigger, or at least consistently bigger, than what we had paddled through, but there was a relatively short area where it was actually breaking and we made it through without incident.
After completing our circumnavigation, we paddled out one more time into Bogue Inlet, then turned around to ride some of the following seas and play in the confused seas on our way back to our put in.
First Impressions of the Lendal Cadence Paddle
Obviously, it will take some time, like a a year or so, to generate a useful review of the Lendal Cadence paddle, so I will do a followup once I have used it more. However, my first impressions are quite favorable.
The paddle is light, but feels quite strong. Unlike the Cyprus, which has a round handle, the Cadence has an oval shape to it. This will take some getting used to, as I’ve not paddled an indexed paddle for any extended period of time, but it was comfortable.
Rolling, surfing, and other paddling maneuvers were comfortable using the new paddle.
Compared to the Cyprus, the biggest difference is the surface area of the paddle blade, as well as not having the buoyancy feel that you get with a Werner foam blade.
The Cadence has a surface area of 570 CM, compared to the 610 CM of the Cyprus. (In retrospect, I think I should have gotten the CadenceX, which has a surface area of 650 CM.)
However, even with the reduced paddle size, I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with my partner who was paddling using a Cyprus.
The difference in buoyancy will take a bit of getting used to though, as that really does make the Cyprus have a very light feel and is a noticeable difference between the two paddles.
The Leverlok is great so far and seems like a far superior design, but really the real test will be in a year or two to see how it holds up. However, as it stands right now, it appears to be a much better thought out and engineered system than Werner’s locking ferrule.
Good Day, I read your interesting review on the Lendal Cadence paddle. I’ve had several Werner Cyprus and Ikelos paddles in the past. Still use the Cyprus. Never had a problem over the many years of paddling the Cyprus. Had minor problems with a giggly’ feel at the ferrule on two Ikelos paddles. Customer service at Werner was exemplary. Quick and amiable. I purchased a Lendal Cadence X . I had an annoying squeaking sound on every stroke I made on the left hand side of the paddle-port side. I tried everything whist on the water to get the ‘ole’ man getting out of a rocking chair’ sound. to no avail. Tried contacting Lendal (phone & e-mails) to no avail. Sent the Lendal back to the dealer and got hassled because he couldn’t find the time to test the paddle out for me. Don’t know if I want to deal with Lendal again. And the Lendal paddle cost is significantly more than the Lendal. I like the Cadence X and grabbed that paddle more than the Cyprus , but I’m satisfied with the Cyprus and Werner’s customer service more than trying to deal with Lendal. Perhaps I just got a bad experience with the paddle purchase and service pertaining to my concerns, but Werner paddles cannot be beat. Finally, I believe Werner has incorporated a lever on their new paddles…..Regards,