review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle

[stoneaxe]

Nickfl beat me to it. I was thinking of the stuff in cans you can dip a tool into to rubber coat the grip but didn't know the name.

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

[Dwight (DW)]

I fumble the hand switch with EVA. Almost as clumsy as using gloves for me. I like a bare handle without the slippery finish. When I use palm style handles I need a little patch of grip. With the Ergo-T the grip is fine as-is.

The shaft still needs more grip to suit my taste. I'm back to using my old favorite grip from XM surf more. http://surfmorexm.com/content/clear-grip™-surfboard-traction

 This stuff is thin, light, and just the right amount of traction for the paddle shaft. Many other stick on sheets are either too aggressive or too thick and heavy.

[PonoBill]

I find there is only one place I like some padding and that's right where the paddle contacts my palm. For the rest of the handle a coating makes control a little less precise. When I was having an issue with a knot rising in my palm I stuck a corn plaster where the knot hit. It lasted a surprisingly long time. Now the knots are permanent and don't hurt anymore, so I skip the plaster.

I've also worn some of the sharkskin off my personal Ke Nalu paddles and gone back to hockey tape, though I did try Tim's approach with wax and found the sharkskin holds it really well. I looked at the sharkskin texture under 50X magnification--after daily use for six months the slightly rough edge of the spiral lap is now rounded off where my hands go. It's a tiny change, but enough to make the shaft slipperier. 

The bottom line is we're trying to make paddles that people can tune to suit themselves. Everyone has preferences and the paddle you love gets a lot of this kind of attention to make it even more personal. I don't know about you folks, but I get antsy swapping paddles with people. I've started carrying spares so I can let people try a paddle without giving them mine.

[adios pantalones]

Not to hijack the paddle discussion,  but I like Gamma brand grip tape, I buy the tennis wrap, the white color. it stretches, forms to curves, can be wrapped as thick or thin to your taste.
Cheap and easily replaceable.

[adios pantalones]

Not to hijack the paddle discussion,  but I like Gamma brand grip tape, I buy the tennis wrap, the white color. it stretches, forms to curves, can be wrapped as thick or thin to your taste.
Cheap and easily replaceable.

[ODJ]

I originally purchased a Maliko for racing, but ended up selling the race board, and am sort of cutting back on toys and such and liquidating some stuff, so i was deciding on whether to sell the Methane or the Ke Nalu. The Methane was my go to paddle in the surf and served me well for a long time, and the Maliko was just amazing as a race paddle, so I decided to take a chance, and sold the Methane so the Maliko is my only paddle. I had to cut about 3 inches off the shaft. For racing I had the standard shaft with the extended handle since I am tall and liked my racing paddle about 14 inches overhead, but I only go about 6 inches overhead for surfing (I'm 6'2). I have two other Ke Nalu handles, but stuck with the extended handle for versatility because I didn't know if my preference would change using the Ke Nalu in the surf. I set if up at 80 inches, and stuffed the extended handle as far as it would go into the handle. I have broken Kialoas in the past, and broken a couple Werner handles, so I think even though I am not using the extended handle in the extended position, I think the benefit is an even stringer handle, since the shaft of the extended handle is pretty far into the shaft.

I have the stiffest shaft in the standard length, and still had what I would consider a pretty fair amount of flex before i cut the shaft and had the extended handle pretty far out of the shaft, but it stiffened up quite a bit after cutting only 3 inches off the shaft and sinking that extended handle pretty far into the shaft. I like the flex so far.

Took ti out in the surf this morning, and immediately regretted parting with my methane. The first stoke felt like the blade might be a bit big, The surf was junky but had some size and energy behind it, so it wasn't easy getting out. I sort of felt the same way i felt with my spanker, like paddling through mashed potatoes. I made it out unscathed and never fell in, and once I was outside I remembered that when I was using the paddle for racing you sort of have to let this paddle do the work for you. The paddle almost sort of dictates the pull if that makes any sense. Once I remembered this it became much easier. I just sort of matched my pull with the the feedback I got from the paddle. With the Methane I could do whatever I wanted and the paddle was happy, but I discovered something about the Maliko that was an added benefit. The Ke Nalu sort of has a 'gas pedal' to it. When I was trying to get into a wave late and really cranked hard on this paddle it actually responded like stepping on the gas and gave me a little extra oomph. I know it sounds weird, but what I noticed with this paddle is you either paddle slow and smooth and let the paddle do the work, or you crank hard on it and it breaks free and takes off, but there was no middle ground. I don't think this will be a problem though, and will just take some getting used to.

I need to get used to the fact that the Ke Nalu, because the blade is wider and shorter than the Methane, has more resistance in the water (even though the Maliko has 2 sq in. less in surface area compared to the Methane). But as I get used to this this may work in my favor. I noticed that I did have more control and was able to spin around a bit quicker and my paddling even felt a touch more efficient. I never had issues with flutter with the Methane, and the Maliko is rock solid with no flutter as well.

Overall, I would almost have to say that the Methane is a more forgiving paddle, but the Maliko may be a more efficient paddle, as long as you are willing to take the time and understand how it works and what it likes. Once you get the Ke Nalu dialed and figure out it's few quirks (and I don't mean quirks in a bad way, i'm just referring to dialing in your catch, pull, etc.) it's actually a fun paddle in the surf. As long as my shoulders don't get torqued (which is why i went from a Spanker, to a Shaka Pu'u, then to a Methane) I think I will be very happy with the Ke Nalu in the surf. We will see how it holds up given my track record with breaking paddles (I do not abuse them, take care of them, don't throw them around, and actually keep mine inside the house when I'm not using it, btw).

It came down to parting with the Methane or the Maliko, and kept the Maliko because I didn't feel confident having just one paddle if it's a Kialoa since I've snapped them in half in the past and the Ke Nalu's seem pretty tough. We will see!

[PonoBill]

Please keep us posted on your progress, it's a pretty interesting situation. I'd swap blades with you and get you a Wiki, but I suspect in a little time you'll be pretty happy with the Maliko. I've just gone from a Maliko to a Molokai for surfing. I didn't like it at first, had to leave my Maliko home to stop defaulting to it, but I'm very happy with the end result. Just as you say, when I relax and just paddle at the cadence and power the blade "prefers" it's effortless. If I push it, it's too much, and I get pooped out. But when I REALLY push it making a quick turn or digging for a wave, the board leaps into the wave.

One piece of advice, work on making a very short pull way out in front and then recovering and giving another pull. It's very counter-intuitive, you'll have to catch a hundred or so waves to feel completely confident doing it, but both for downwind and for surfing, little pitty-pat stokes that look weak and ineffective will pull you into stuff you'd never make otherwise. A function of the very early catch. Probably applies 70-80 percent of the power of the full stroke in the first ten inches. So it's 70... 70...70 instead of 100.

And yeah, they're plenty tough, even though they look fragile. I've beaten the crap out of mine, and fallen on it numerous times. Knock on wood, they've taken all I can give them.

[ODJ]

Please keep us posted on your progress, it's a pretty interesting situation. I'd swap blades with you and get you a Wiki, but I suspect in a little time you'll be pretty happy with the Maliko. I've just gone from a Maliko to a Molokai for surfing. I didn't like it at first, had to leave my Maliko home to stop defaulting to it, but I'm very happy with the end result. Just as you say, when I relax and just paddle at the cadence and power the blade "prefers" it's effortless. If I push it, it's too much, and I get pooped out. But when I REALLY push it making a quick turn or digging for a wave, the board leaps into the wave.

One piece of advice, work on making a very short pull way out in front and then recovering and giving another pull. It's very counter-intuitive, you'll have to catch a hundred or so waves to feel completely confident doing it, but both for downwind and for surfing, little pitty-pat stokes that look weak and ineffective will pull you into stuff you'd never make otherwise. A function of the very early catch. Probably applies 70-80 percent of the power of the full stroke in the first ten inches. So it's 70... 70...70 instead of 100.

And yeah, they're plenty tough, even though they look fragile. I've beaten the crap out of mine, and fallen on it numerous times. Knock on wood, they've taken all I can give them.

Thanks, Bill! I'll stick with the Maliko blade for a bit and see how it goes, and really appreciate the offer. I will definitely keep you posted on the progress. I NEVER experienced any fatigue or shoulder pain when I used the Maliko for open ocean and flat water training, but using the paddle for surfing is a different beast. I use those 'pitty-patty' stokes all the time getting into waves when I surf!  Will let you know how it goes!

[stoneaxe]

OK...I bought the el-cheapo 12v blow dryer to make doing on the road demos and paddle component combinations possible. It didn't develop enough heat at the nozzle to melt the glue sufficiently then started smoking near the coil and died....

Just ordered the Powerhunt
http://www.power-huntstore.com/12_Volt_Hair_Dryers_s/59.htm


Direct connection to the battery with a fused power strip for more power. Looks promising even if a lot more expensive.

[PonoBill]

I like this copy:
perfect for travel, camping, boating, disaster situations

Damn that tsunami, now my hair is wet. Good thing I have a 12volt hair dryer.

[stoneaxe]

LOL...and I don't even have hair!

Was thinking it might help warm gloves and booties during those winter breaks thawing out.

[pdxmike]

LOL...and I don't even have hair!

But now you can tell people you had a full head of it until you used your industrial-strength blow dryer on it. 

[stoneaxe]

LOL...and I don't even have hair!

But now you can tell people you had a full head of it until you used your industrial-strength blow dryer on it. 

Hhhmmm....gives me an idea.....Bill you need to come up with some hot glue hair....maybe as good as this?

[PonoBill]

NO.

[stoneaxe]

I put together the x-tuf tonight. I'm surprised by how light it is. Lighter than anything else I've had besides the full carbon Ke Nalus. Still a real nice paddle. I think I'm going to like the flex of this shaft too.