Sting Ray Carbon

The Sting Ray Carbon is the top of Aqua Bound's Sting Ray range: the same low-angle blade as its cheaper siblings, in a stiffer carbon-reinforced resin, on a full carbon shaft. At 28.75 ounces it is the lightest of the three.

All Three Sting Rays Share One Blade

Worth knowing before you spend: every Sting Ray has the identical blade shape and the identical 92.5 square inch area. Nobody buys a bigger blade by spending more. What you are buying up the range is shaft material, blade resin, ferrule and weight. The Carbon gets you the stiffest blade and the lightest total.

High-Angle or Low-Angle

This is the thing worth understanding before you spend anything on a paddle. A high-angle blade is short and wide: you paddle with your hands high and the blade enters close to the hull, almost vertical, like climbing a ladder. It takes a big bite and it is the choice for speed, for punching into wind, and for a heavy loaded boat. A low-angle blade is long and narrow: hands stay low, the shaft nearer horizontal, and the blade sweeps wider from the boat. It is less work per stroke, which is what you want when you are out for three hours watching birds rather than racing anybody.

Most people think they will paddle high-angle and then don't. For flat coastal water around Clearwater, low-angle is the right answer more often than not.

Sting Ray Carbon Details

• Blade: abX carbon-reinforced nylon, 92.5 sq in (597 sq cm), 6.5" x 18"

• Shaft: 100% carbon, ovalised at the grip

• 28.75 oz (815 g)

• Lengths 200–260 cm in 5 cm steps

• Sharp dihedral for a smooth, flutter-free entry

• 2-piece; 2 year manufacturing warranty

• Low-angle blade

We stock it at 220, 230 and 240 cm, in both the Posi-Lok ferrule (15° feather adjustment) and the simpler snap-button. If you are choosing between the three Sting Rays, come and hold all of them at our Clearwater shop — the weight difference is easier to feel than to describe.