I am looking for some input on fixed paddles. I bought the adjustable Naish Makani 8.0" which is fine, but my wife is going to use it and I will be buying another for myself. On the weekend, I tried a friends fixed paddle that had a wider shaft and found that it was much sturdier and felt like I was able to get more out of each stroke. I am unsure of the type or brand of my friend's paddle (and so is he) other than that it had a carbon shaft and was about the same weight as the Makani give or take.

Below is a picture of me out on the board I got from Leroy, turns out that standing up on flat water was not an issue at all! Should have listened and gone to the Barwon river in the first place.

Anyway, I included the pic so you could get an idea of my size and that maybe it would direct the opinions of which kind of paddle to look at. I don't want to break the bank and I'm not overly concerned with weight. I would like something that is good for flatwater and surfing, something that I can get powerful strokes and speed with. I know that some of that comes down to technique and board type, but would like to start off with quality gear. Also, it needs to be tall as I am 6'4. I don't know if weight comes in to play, but currently I am 113 kg.