review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle

[paddlejones]

ODJ, Had the pono paddle and the fuse out today, no contest, pono paddle blows my mind

[Strand Leper]

ODJ,

Standard shaft... don't even notice the joint.

Had it out again today did some more micro adjusting... Chazz is well above above the water and Candi has a recessed deck... so trying to dial in both lengths... using red permanent marker... also made a line from adjustable handle onto shaft so i never accidentally twist it when adjusting.

Tim

[ODJ]

Used the paddle today for the first time, and instead of listing all the rings i like about it (because it would be a long post) i'll list what i don't like about it...

...nothing at all. paddle is really nice and damn near perfect for me.

shaft felt a bit narrow compared to my Kialoa, but doesn't seem to be an issue, ergo T-handle is the best thing since i need to lengthen the paddle after today, and I have that invaluable option to do so on a carbon paddle.

At first I thought the paddle would be too small, but for me, in my reconditioned state, I think it's perfect. Went out today to concentrate on technique and reach, and the only time i got some flutter was when i was reaching out far just after putting the paddle in the water, but this was due to three things. first, i need to extend the shaft maybe 2 inches for next session, and at times i could have been reading too far ahead, and most importantly what i noticed is i was pulling too hard on the entry, and if i just relaxed a bit more on the entry and let the paddle start doing the work then sort of 'go with the flow' so to speak and 'assist' the paddle instead.

even though the paddle was 12" inches overhead (will go to 14" tomorrow) i got no shoulder pain. when i used a surf tech paddle that i had cut 12 inches overhead i got a lot of shoulder pain in the past. now my technique may have improved since then as well, but i feel my lats, obliques and intercostals more worked than my shoulders and biceps.

[juandoe]

I still have that 86" bent shaft fuse if you want to compare.

[ODJ]

possibly, but i don't see ant issues or problems with the Ke Nalu. If it ain't brine...

[ODJ]

second day out with the Ke Nalu. Did about 6+ miles today at a VERY leisurely pace concentrating just on technique. i've starting to find that when your form is good, this paddle will reward you for sure. when i cam very conscious of my form i can get the paddle to enter the water without causing any spacing or noise. it just slips in, and for a split second i just sort of relax and let the paddle initiate the stroke and then by body follows. the paddle will feel like it's set on rails, and is super smooth (i guess this is what Bill means by letting the paddle do the work?)/

I extended the handle 2 inches today and seems to be perfect now. experiencing mild shoulder discomfort, but think that was from crappy form yesterday, and felt fine while out today.

[BigDoug]

@PonoBill, which KeNalu to get?  me, 250lbs, 6'2", 44 yrs primarily surfing 4-6' in NorCal, occasional races. 

coming from a QB Kanaha 8.7 x 17 which I broke a few days ago in Hanalei. I'd like the power/steadiness of the Kanaha and the quickness of a Kiola Methane.   

thanks!

[ODJ]

@PonoBill, which KeNalu to get?  me, 250lbs, 6'2", 44 yrs primarily surfing 4-6' in NorCal, occasional races. 

coming from a QB Kanaha 8.7 x 17 which I broke a few days ago in Hanalei. I'd like the power/steadiness of the Kanaha and the quickness of a Kiola Methane.   

thanks!

i surf with a methane and bought a Ke Nalu Maliko for racing. I'm 35 years old, 6'2, 185lbs.

[PonoBill]

@PonoBill, which KeNalu to get?  me, 250lbs, 6'2", 44 yrs primarily surfing 4-6' in NorCal, occasional races.  

coming from a QB Kanaha 8.7 x 17 which I broke a few days ago in Hanalei. I'd like the power/steadiness of the Kanaha and the quickness of a Kiola Methane.  

thanks!

Maliko. You'll be amazed at the power, early catch and steadiness. Mid cadence, not quite as quick as the Methane. If you REALLY want quick it's Wiki, but with your size (which is my size) the Maliko is a good choice. I'd get the extended handle and use it for both racing and surf.

[PonoBill]

One of the posts somewhere on the zone prompted some new tests with the extended handle. As you know, the shafts are tapered, and the extended handle is straight. When you put the extended handle fully into the shaft it makes a double wall for as much as eight inches, which does have some effect on flex. It's nothing I can feel, but we all know it's not necessarily a difference you feel that makes a difference. So I measured it by putting weight at my typical lower hand spot to flex the shaft next to a wall so I could mark the curve with a pencil.

As you might expect, the curve with the handle all the way in has a little kink at the top. The total flex is nearly the same, about 1/4" less flex at the weight attachment point for the handle fully in. Probably in the band of error for how I held the pencil, though I was careful to keep it perpendicular to the wall.

Then I tried wiping the adhesive off. heating the shaft and running the handle through a few times to pick up some of the remaining adhesive and wiping it again. Then I applied the glue to the top inch of the handle shaft and put it full into the shaft, the theory being that it would not make a double wall for most of the flex since the taper allows flex without contacting the extended shaft.

It worked! At least it did with the 40 pounds that I used. The curve was nearly identical to the full retracted handle curve.

I don't know if it matters, but it's one more thing to fiddle with.

[pdxmike]

PB--you're going to make this sport weird.  First you're going to have everyone showing up at races with blow dryers.  I guess I have to blame DJ for the ones showing up with nail polish. 

Now some guy's going to win a race, and in his victory speech he'll be saying he couldn't have done it without the tweaks made to his paddle handle by his Glue Man. 

[PonoBill]

Man. I just saw the results==Devin Blish beat me by five minutes at the MCKC race this weekend. I think it was mostly because of the line she took and the fact that she's a much smaller sail than I am. But I DID give her a Ke Nalu. She seemed pretty happy with it, but mostly I think she was glad to beat me, and glad that the hideous race was over. What a grind.

I'm not sure I want to think that it was the paddle. If it was then I can look forward to being beaten by a girl who weighs less than one of my legs for the rest of the season.

[PonoBill]

Wow, I slipped that one past PDX. I meant: For the rest of the season I can look forward to being beaten by a girl who weighs less than one of my legs.

[headmount]

Steve at Hi Tech (Maui) showed me their new line of Ke Nalu paddles today.  Told me how great they were and how I should get one.  I just smiled and nodded.

[PonoBill]

I just got a press release from Warner announcing their new race-specific paddles. They look really good. They're claiming to be the lightest paddles available at 15.5 ounces. Well, it's true that we say the Wiki is 15.9 ounces, but that's actually a bit high. Most come in at 15.5 or less. We have about a ten percent variation on weight--common in composites--and we list our paddle weights as the top 75% of the range. Still, we know how hard it is to get a paddle weight under 16 ounces, good to see Warner making a paddle in that range.

It would be interesting to see what the Ke Nalu weights are out in the field. Any of you Wiki owners care to share your paddle weight?

It might be time to roll out the ultralight shaft. I haven't been able to break it, and I've been giving it my best. The flex is about 80Flex on our scale, and it takes the weight down to 14.7 ounces.