Stand-up paddles have become pretty sophisticated over the past few years. They’ve gotten lighter and stronger and more specialized, and dihedrals and vee splines have zeroed in to 1/32” tolerances. And yet no matter how sophisticated or how many elephants may trample upon their Kevlar blades, every single paddle on the market shares the same fault: their round or even oblong shafts create an normous amount of drag when pulled through the water in the power phase. And with more paddle manufacturers lengthening the shaft and blade to gain faster ‘reps’ and more ‘reach’ with each stroke, they have created more drag without a counterbalance in increased torque from the paddle face. But now, for the serious SUP race competitor looking for more reach and depth in their ‘catch’ and ‘power phase’ C4 Waterman announces the solution to this quandary--------the new X-Wing paddle. In its patent-pending design, C4 has re-sculpted the waterborne section of the shaft into a drag-reducing foil! With the lower shaft now a winged fairing, the Sub9Series X-Wing paddle grants the serious racer those precious extra inches of reach without compromising efficiency or negating the torque of the reduced blade face. The X-Wing moves faster and more smoothly through the water during the power phase. By eliminating the drag and cavitation of a round shaft, the paddler can pump up the repetitions-----and the redesigned, narrower blade face of the X-wing gives you even more strokes per minute. Plus, there is less torque on the elbow, to boot!