Author Topic: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle  (Read 551941 times)

headmount

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 5750
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #555 on: April 18, 2012, 02:38:34 PM »
He must be on his iPad in the airport and I stand corrected.

Boludo

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1144
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #556 on: April 18, 2012, 03:44:30 PM »
The UPS man just delivered a long box from Hood river! ;D! Time to run home and get my sons hot-glue gun. Can't wait to get one set up, but so busy at work, that this afternoon may, or may not happen. Will post up later. Thank you Bill!

There is already glue applied to both the blade and handle. All you need is a hair dryer or a heat gun. A cheap hair dryer is best. Your wife's good one won't get hot enough

Bolide, you can certainly try the wiki. It's all about cadence. The wiki is well name. It's incredibly quick because there's no swing weight. I don't think flexy shafts do muck for back pain. Go with a 100 and take advantage of its light weight and quickness.

You don't think the xtuf would make the difference with more flex?

Dwight (DW)

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4780
    • View Profile
    • supSURFmachines
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #557 on: April 18, 2012, 03:54:48 PM »
The UPS man just delivered a long box from Hood river! ;D! Time to run home and get my sons hot-glue gun. Can't wait to get one set up, but so busy at work, that this afternoon may, or may not happen. Will post up later. Thank you Bill!

There is already glue applied to both the blade and handle. All you need is a hair dryer or a heat gun. A cheap hair dryer is best. Your wife's good one won't get hot enough

Bolide, you can certainly try the wiki. It's all about cadence. The wiki is well name. It's incredibly quick because there's no swing weight. I don't think flexy shafts do muck for back pain. Go with a 100 and take advantage of its light weight and quickness.

You don't think the xtuf would make the difference with more flex?


I think it would, in a round about way. I think a longer paddle helps the lower back. But a longer paddle adds more stress other places. The xTuf will be more forgiving and soften the stress everywhere new and old you might be feeling it.

Boludo

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1144
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #558 on: April 18, 2012, 04:09:24 PM »
I'm around 8 inches or a tad over for surfing.  My board sits low in the water.  I've had shoulder injuries and surgery so I find when surfing I paddle fast to get the wave and the longer paddle would make my shoulder scream.  Just read through some other posts and it seems that everyone who has the xtuf, really likes it, except Bill still prefers the stiff lighter weight.  I don't mind the extra weight when surfing.

RainWaves

  • Sunset Status
  • ****
  • Posts: 334
    • View Profile
    • SUP-Southeast
    • Email
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #559 on: April 18, 2012, 04:24:10 PM »
The UPS man just delivered a long box from Hood river! ;D! Time to run home and get my sons hot-glue gun. Can't wait to get one set up, but so busy at work, that this afternoon may, or may not happen. Will post up later. Thank you Bill!

There is already glue applied to both the blade and handle. All you need is a hair dryer or a heat gun. A cheap hair dryer is best. Your wife's good one won't get hot enough

Bolide, you can certainly try the wiki. It's all about cadence. The wiki is well name. It's incredibly quick because there's no swing weight. I don't think flexy shafts do muck for back pain. Go with a 100 and take advantage of its light weight and quickness.

 Oh yeah, after a closer look, there it is! Time to fire up the heat gun when things slow in in a bit. Of course the rain has started by now..but won't keep me from a test run in a few hours!
Pete.

Rainskates: Kick-Ass skateboard wheels.

supsoutheast.com:  BIC, Ke Nalu, Naish and SIC dealer for S.E. Alaska.

NHSUPSurf

  • Malibu Status
  • **
  • Posts: 59
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #560 on: April 18, 2012, 07:28:46 PM »
So the bottom line is that:

there are lots of different body types, paddling strokes, paddle scenarios (surf only, poke around vs. fast coastal cruises, racing, etc), fitness levels, weights/heights/ages, condition (soft musculature vs. good shape; surgeries, etc), blah, blah, blah. 

Obviously, every review is NOT going to work for every reader.  So what do you do?  You read all the reviews, try to focus in what might relate to you (as far as age, fitness, condition, etc applies), and then demo whatever you can!

That said, for me, interested in the smaller blades (Ke Nalu wiki vs. Maliko, Kialoa Methane), at least semi-flex shafts (XTuf is sounding REAL good :-)), and hopefully an adjustable shaft option (for changing between surf sessions & coastal poke-around sessions).

Folks, thanks for your input & opinions!  It all helps!

stoneaxe

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 12084
    • View Profile
    • Cape Cod Bay Challenge
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #561 on: April 18, 2012, 07:39:09 PM »
We love you too Mike!... ;D

I've always said the same NH. I think it's really tough to know exactly what is going to work for someone else. There are some generalities but even minor differences in individuals prevent exact recommendations. Generalities....more flex=easier on the shoulders, but arm length, technique, etc. all play major roles in what aches and what doesn't as well.

Boludo...Back pain, I don't think flex would hurt, an extended handle would let you play with a wide range of lengths to see if standing straighter could help.

« Last Edit: April 18, 2012, 07:41:32 PM by stoneaxe »
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

RainWaves

  • Sunset Status
  • ****
  • Posts: 334
    • View Profile
    • SUP-Southeast
    • Email
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #562 on: April 18, 2012, 10:11:03 PM »
 Well, I put my Maliko downwinder together after work, and it was perfect length as was, so no cutting was needed. Tipped the scale at 16.8 oz, compared to the 29.8oz of the "Club" I've been so happy with for the past year. Did my usual upwind/downwind short run into 12-18 knot S.E. wind and light rain on my 12' Glide. Night & day difference from what I'm used to!
 
 Like everyone else has mentioned, the smaller diameter shaft took a bit of getting used to, as was the amount of flex in the shaft, as my former had none. Very cool to feel the "snap back" after it flexes, and the boost it gives in doing so. The light weight had me paying close attention on the recovery, as it seemed like the wind wanted to make it fly away from my hands when feathering. But, the weight (lack of) made my cadence pick up noticeably, and I made good time upwind. Didn't take too long and it felt right at home. Still need to work on switching hands, as it felt like I was slower in doing that compared to my heavier paddle.
 
 On the return half, I was able to connect on a few small runners (1'-1.5'), where before (in light winds) I'd usually stall out on top of one, and couldn't make the drop into the next one. Just dig a little harder and faster, and I was there. Way cool ;D.  Will set up the Molokai on the Flex 90 shaft tomorrow, and give it a go. Can't wait to try them both on flat water around my course to see if my time improves. Once again Bill, big Mahalos and hope you had a safe trip back!
Pete.

Rainskates: Kick-Ass skateboard wheels.

supsoutheast.com:  BIC, Ke Nalu, Naish and SIC dealer for S.E. Alaska.

PonoBill

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 25864
    • View Profile
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #563 on: April 19, 2012, 08:56:21 AM »
I'm back in Hood River, it's overcast and the river looks DAMN cold. But it's nice to be here, and great to be back with my girl. Sam is pretty happy too, I thought he was going to jump out of his skin in the airport.

Our Ke Nalu dealers are really lighting up. We don't have that many but they sure are ordering a lot of paddles.

This morning I'm headed to the warehouse to look at a shipment of factory seconds. We have a substantial reject rate since our blades come out of the mold finished. Sometimes there's a blemish where the carbon fiber isn't pressed tight enough against the mold, so it shows as a "dry" spot. A lot of blades are sanded and clearcoated, ours aren't, but that's what we decided to do to these.

We've got about 200 of them (I did say we have a pretty high reject rate didn't I?) and I'm going to see if they're something we want to sell. If we do they will be at a special price. I'll let you folks know first in case you want to pick up an extra blade at a discount. I've heard they're actually "prettier" but I want to see for myself, weigh them, and cut a couple up so I can see that there aren't any non-cosmetic flaws.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

PonoBill

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 25864
    • View Profile
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #564 on: April 19, 2012, 09:11:28 AM »
That Bill is in the air back to America as we speak and he will probably weigh in when he gets there but I would think that the Maliko would be your best bet.  Molokai sounds too big for you and Wiki is pretty small.  But another factor besides blade size is shaft flex and with that there are at least three options.

You know in the technique threads there is always mention of forward bend and as it seems obvious that forward bend may be hard on a lower back, maybe increased shaft length might help your injury maintenance.  I don't like bending over either and use a longer shaft for my height.  It may not be conducive to the best technique or even be easy to handle in surfing situations but better for the back.  

We all have physical issues that sometimes have us stray from ideals and deal with them in the best manner possible.  As that big redneck says on cable, "get'er done"  Good luck.

Have you tried DMSO?

Yeah, you can tell by the inspired spelling. I like the iPad/iPhone spell checker about 60 percent of the time, but it certainly comes up with some doozies. Like Bolide for Boludo
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

PonoBill

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 25864
    • View Profile
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #565 on: April 19, 2012, 12:29:57 PM »
OK, I inspected every single one. They're nice. About 20 grams heavier on average, though with the 10 percent weight variance typical for composite manufacture some of the seconds are lighter than some of the Elites--particularly the Molokais. The logos are a little fuzzed on some of them, on the plus side since the logos are under the clearcoat they won't get dinged up like our standard ones do.

I cut up two of them, they look perfect. The defect is purely cosmetic and the clearcoat eliminates the defect and makes the blade a little "deeper". The factory scrapped everything that was more than a dry spot--dimples and such--so we only wound up with about 150. It's nice to work with a factory that might be even a little fussier about quality than we are.

More about this on the website soon. They'll be about $50 less, either as a component blade or a complete paddle. Available to dealers as well, of course. But all we have is 150 and it will probably be six months before we accumulate a useful quantity of seconds again.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

VonR

  • Rincon Status
  • ***
  • Posts: 230
    • View Profile
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #566 on: April 19, 2012, 12:36:41 PM »
Bill,

I finally ordered a new paddle from your website last night. It should be waiting for me when I return to San Diego next week. I look forward to giving it a go in the surf.

Aloha,
Jeff
Aloha,
Jeff

NHSUPSurf

  • Malibu Status
  • **
  • Posts: 59
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #567 on: April 19, 2012, 02:39:25 PM »
Bill, what do these 'seconds' consist of?  Blades only?  are they Elite or XTuf?

PonoBill

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 25864
    • View Profile
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #568 on: April 19, 2012, 05:35:52 PM »
You will be able to buy them either way, but the price is going to be 50 bucks off the blade, retail. They are elite blades. The xTuf blades are already made this way--they get sanded, painted black and clearcoated. These are elite blades that get a light sanding to make the paint adhere and then clearcoated.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

jdmotes

  • JD Motes
  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1745
    • View Profile
Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #569 on: April 19, 2012, 05:37:58 PM »
 Glad you made it back to HR safe and sound, Bill...
 Received my latest order on Tuesday and in it was a nice little "Thank You" note for being a dealer. What really made it nicer was the fact that it (the note) was hand written. You guys are "Quality One"... Keep up the good work, Ke Nalu. YOU ALL ROCK!!!      Paddle on,     JD
JD Motes/Water Bound Sports LLC
Florida; Ga; S.C; Sales Rep for:
Progressive SUP
Exocet SUP
Kona SUP
Epic Gear SUP Paddles and Accessories
Ke Nalu Precision SUP Paddles

 


SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal