Technique
There are many ideas about paddle technique, its hard to define which is "best" or "right" except to say whatever the rest of your team is doing is right. We are trying to emulate the Tahitian style as explained by John Puakea in this video.
Canoe designer and championship coach, John Puakea teaches us the Tahitian paddling technique that Shell Va'a is using to dominate the canoe races. In this video, John breaks down the Tahitian paddling stroke taught to him by Gerard Teva by using videos of champion paddlers from California and Tahiti.
Gear
Kialoa is easily the most popular paddle manufacturer in our club and other clubs in the area. They have a variety of tried and true blades.
Northwest River Supply (NRS) has all sorts of paddling gear for warmth in cold weather and sun protection in hot weather as well as a few PFD designs that are great for outrigger.
Kai Ko'o makes beautiful Custom paddles that are becoming more popular recently
Dave and Meg Chun, owners of KIALOA Paddles, show us how to properly size an outrigger canoe paddle. Paddling in and outrigger canoe happens in the seated position and this requires some special consideration when sizing a paddle. Your legs don't have a lot to do with your paddle size, its largely about torso and arm length.