EO SUP Fortis 2020 paddle
It has taken me far too long from to get this paddle wet but after lending it to a few paddle buddies (who didn’t want to give it back!) I finally got to go for a paddle with it at the start of April. EO SUP are one of the sponsors for a Facebook group I run, SUP My Race and they supplied me with two paddles for 2021; an Oti (which you can read about here) that I use all the time and this, the Fortis race paddle, 2020 model.
The Fortis differs from the Oti in several ways; visually it has a carbon finish for the blade, not wood which has a different, more scooped profile than the touring paddle. The gorgeous wooden handle is retained and that is simply a work of art, it feels good too. Because this is an adjustable paddle the shaft is a constant diameter not tapered but is still textured and also feels great in the hand. And of course it has a very neat clasp to keep things locked in place. It is slightly heavier than the Oti coming in at 570g with adjustment from 1830mm to a max of 1980mm. The fixed paddle is lighter than the Oti according to the EO SUP website.
How did it feel? It made me feel guilty for not going fast enough!
This is a super-positive paddle through all parts of the stroke. Entry is like a hot knife through butter, the catch and power phases are solid, the engaged the paddle blade has with the water is hard to describe as it’s so good, even messing about I could not get this thing to give me any flutter at all. Exit is clean with a lovely little sound as the water lets go and recovery is as easy as any other light paddle.
The blade is stopped a bit more than paddles I’ve used before and I suspect this is why the blade feels so locked-in to the phases in the water. EO describe the spine that runs down the centre of the blade face as a knuckle that “…eliminates the flutter of the blade during the stroke. The blade remains stable in water during the stroke, reducing the loss of mechanical energy of the stroke and increasing the total efficiency of the blade.” I cannot describe the action of this blade in the water any better, their design does exactly what it says on the website.
I suspect that as my fitness and flexibility improve through the spring and early summer I’ll be picking this paddle up more often than the Oti when I want to go faster. I am one very happy paddler.