I recently got BB 280 CM slice solo double bladed paddle to use with my Magic. The BB website has a link to a number of retailers, one of whom has a price about $30 cheaper than most others. So I finally got to try it out yesterday. It worked great but there is a learning curve for me to adjust my technique from using a single blade paddle. What I learned quickly is that I need to not horse it and push too hard, the same as when I went to a bent shaft paddle from a straight shaft. Hand spacing on the shaft is another issue you need to decide what works for you. Got up to a reasonable speed quite easily. Also with a double blade, your off arm doesn’t get a rest, as there is no off arm. So I need to do some shoulder exercises. Tracking a straight line was much easier than I anticipated. I had some trouble tracking with a tailwind, but I do with a single blade paddle as well. W/O a distributed load my Magic runs a slight bit bow heavy. I was on the St. Croix river and in some of the backwater areas it took more effort than with a single blade. There are situations when I think a single blade is better so this is primarily an open water paddle for me.

Very timely post, as I am currently considering the same...with one fundamental difference. I'm glad to hear that it worked well for you, even if it doesn't replace a single-blade paddle for all situations. I also appreciate the early technique feedback (and reminder of the shoulder workout!). As to my difference, I'm paddling a tandem (reverse bow seat), and I wonder whether you think I'd find similar success, or whether anyone has any experience with a solo double-blade paddle and a non-solo canoe.

Can't really say about use in a tandem, especially reversed. I've seen people on the river using one with a tandem going forward. One was solo and one with two people each using one. Should work fine.

After thinking about this for a bit, I'm making a WAG that paddling solo in a tandem canoe with a double bladed paddle is probably better than using a single blade paddle in the traditional manner. Reason being that the double blade paddle more or less negates the drawbacks associated with a tandem canoe being noticeably wider than a solo boat. Of course a longer paddle is better here.

Note that this doesn't address the issue of turning the boat around to paddle backwards. You still need to address the trim issue. Regardless of the hull design, I've always kneeled against the rear thwart or installed a kneeling thwart or seat in that position to paddle a tandem as a solo.

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I think the arguments of double vs single blade efficiency over every distance and in different boats has been debated since the beginning of time. Whichever technique you train with and are more comfortable with seems to be the winner.

Some other considerations on paddle choice though:
-Canoe seat height will be higher than a kayak, necessitating a longer paddle.
-Canoes without tumblehome at the paddling station will have higher gunwales that 'get in the way' of a paddle stroke more than a narrow kayak. Most solo canoes have some degree of tumblehome, whereas this is less common in a tandem.
-Many kayaks have rudders for turning or tracking in a crosswind. Most canoes do not. If you are fighting a crosswind and needing to paddle on one side only or one side more often, a single will be more comfortable than a double. Rudder or not, a canoe will be affected by a crosswind much more than a kayak because of the higher sheer/increased windage.
-kayaks are decked, whereas most canoes are not. Some argue that a double blade drips more water into a canoe.
-there are many single blade techniques that are themselves very different in efficiency and utility (hit and switch vs C-stroke vs J-stroke, etc).
-double blade always has a paddle on each side of the boat, so bracing in rough water in easier/more intuitive than with a single blade.

disclosure: I paddle a magic (and tandem canoes) most comfortably with a single-bent-hit/switch. I've tried a double blade without much success, but I keep an open mind and would gladly try out a different paddle anytime- the opportunities to do so are fairly rare, though.

I like both but I probably use the double 75% of the time. I love slow trolling on a calm day with a single.

All great points and considerations. Certainly, it is a very personal decision, and I'm thinking, given all the potential pros and cons, it may just take pulling the trigger and getting out on the water to see how I weight them. If nothing else, it gives me options, and the opportunity for varied paddling experiences. Given the height of the canoe, the gunwale width, and my height, the 280 is the only way I'd go. Ultimately, I'd love to have a solo, too, but for now, it may be a fun experiment in the tandem. Thanks for all the great feedback, and apologies for the slight hijack.

I'm not advocating either a single or double bladed paddle. Just saying I have pulled the trigger on a double blade and it works fine for me. I'm a long time paddler using a single blade paddle and feel comfortable using it. Just trying something new.

Where did you purchase your paddle from?

A store in Oregon. There's a link to them on the BB website on the slice solo page. I just checked and the price is back to the std. pricing.

For duck hunting at my parents cabin I've used a single blade and double to paddle a tandem with all my hunting gear solo. The kayak paddle worked much better with the wide canoe. I found my single blade paddles aren't long enough to paddle efficiently, but they did work. Just much easier with a kayak paddle.