If you’re up the creek, you need a paddle. A kayak requires a two-bladed model, and that means spending anything from about $30 to more than $300.

The main reason for the differences in price is weight. A heavier model that weighs a pound and costs $30-$60 will be fine for casual paddlers, who use a kayak only an hour at a time at the family cottage.

High-level racers and people who make trips where they paddle eight hours a day for a week will happily pay $150 or more for a carbon-fiber paddle that weighs ounces.

In between are efficient, medium-weight paddles in the $70-$150 range that are light enough for all-day paddling and tough enough to take abuse.

Plastics are strong but heavy. Wood is lighter but less durable. Carbon-fiber and Kevlar are very light and stronger than steel of the same weight but cost a lot.

Wood and carbon-fiber hybrids blend the beauty of a traditional material with the efficiency of a modern one, but usually at a stiff price.

Many people prefer paddles with the blades rotated about 30 degrees from each other, which makes them dip into the water more efficiently.

And those who have problems with sore wrists or shoulders will probably benefit from an ergonomic paddle with a kink in the shaft on each side.