Task: Choosing next paddle.

Background: I can paddle a canoe with all the standard strokes. Favorite stroke is guide/Canadian with in water recovery providing adjustment. In the zone, my torso/arms/hands flow and I'm simply moving the paddle in an elliptical path in the water. My favorite on the water mediation. Most paddles have too much area - harsh feeling, and tiring after a couple of hours. If I want to blast across a choppy lake, I can do that with a shovel paddle or I could get a beavertail. I'm looking for more-effective all-day paddling.

Current paddles: Grey Owl guide - very nice, feels wider than it needs to be at 5.5" - A standard shovel paddle that truly sucks at subtle stuff, but can be hammered - a proper Northwoods long paddle with the scalloped grip and a long flexy blade. Wonderful, but really trashed and I'm not as comfortable with the scalloped grip any more.

Considering: 1. A better guide paddle (one I have: Grey Owl Paddles » Guide) ; 2. A classic ottertail (like this modern version: Modified Ottertail Paddle – Classic Cottage Outfitters Inc. ) 3. A long-bladed narrow paddle (e.g., Badger Paddles - Badger Sliver, Cherry (rutabagashop.com) 4 3/4" x 28.5"; Ray Special – Fishell Paddles US but with a narrower blade) 4. A straight edge ottertail (e.g.: Cedar canoes from Otter Creek Smallcraft in Vermont - Paddles ).

Mulling over the need for drag (forward stroke) and lift (return correction, sculling, fancy strokes). I visualize drag mostly coming from vortex formation along the edges (possible favoring long straight edges) and efficient lift from a smooth foil. Add in the desire for a smooth, non-jarring takeup of power and very smooth transition from forward power stroke to lift-dominated strokes (e.g., sculling and the thousands of underwater return strokes).

Any thoughts on this would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

While I would / could buy any of the above listed paddles, I'm more likely to simply make a couple. I generally use spruce for extremely light weight. I'm careful, and my paddles last a long time. My spruce Greenland kayak paddle just got rebuilt after a couple of decades, and feels better than new.