Author Topic: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle  (Read 551894 times)

swordfish1227

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #885 on: June 29, 2012, 07:20:29 PM »
It's amazing when you hit the sweet spot of this paddle. The stacking starts to give you a flick at the end of the stroke, the blade completely stops making noise, and the board just flies along.


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crtraveler

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #886 on: July 01, 2012, 02:43:56 PM »
Any user feedback on the xTuf-S?  Curious to hear feedback from anyone that has grabbed one already and has spent some time with it.

I reviewed my initial impressions of the xtuf-s a few pages back... I just took it in the surf for the first time yesterday. Again, I've reached the same conclusion as I did in flatwater.... This is the best paddle I've ever used. It is ultra efficient an comfortable, with the perfect amount of flex. I love the textured grip of the shaft but it will take some getting used to. I did feel the stacking effect more in the surf than i did in flatwater and it definitely gives you a little extra boost to get it the wave. Great job Bill - thanks!



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jdmotes

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #887 on: July 01, 2012, 05:46:55 PM »
 New update: I used the xTuf-S shaft with the Maliko Elite blade in the Pink Paddle 4-Mile Race at Ponce Inlet yesterday. While this is NOT a serious race per say, the guys and gals out front tend to get a little serious at times  ;)...
 I raced the Exocet Edge Race 14' as the water was flat and smooth with a light offshore wind...
 I was very impressed with this paddle combo for the race environment. The blade enters the water so smooth with absolutely no disturbance or splash. The power stroke is also smooth as this shaft has (IMHO) the "perfect" amount of flex as not to leave your joints yelling at you, yet stiff enough to seamlessly transmit the power from your hands/arms down to the blade...
 I have the paddle at around 80" (which is 2 to 3 inches 'shorter' than my usual race paddle length) as I originally intended for it to be used 'exclusively' for surf (I'm around 5'9" tall). Now it's my favorite paddle for racing!      Paddle on;   JD
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PonoBill

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #888 on: July 02, 2012, 08:51:29 AM »
I've backed off on work with the new Ke Nalu wing paddle to get the two- and three piece paddle project expedited. But I took a little detour to do some progressive measurements of the shafts and the stacking effect. I need to redo all the measurements again--my load cell is a little flaky, but first cut, the xTuf(S) shaft is about a 95 Flex after the first inch of flex. That's a LOT of stacking, more than I expected.
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.

swordfish1227

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #889 on: July 02, 2012, 11:25:38 AM »
Bill is there any way you can graph out the load cell readings - deflection over load would be interesting to see, especially comparing the xTuf to the elites.

PonoBill

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #890 on: July 02, 2012, 11:41:37 AM »
That's what I'm doing. Problem is that I made the load cell from a strain gauge I lifted from a $29 scale, and then connected it to a microprocessor and LCD display. The load cell seems to be drifting, I think I need to revisit the design of the wheatstone bridge I put the load cell into to keep temperature and voltage supply variations from affecting it. Either that or buy a prebuilt load cell--but what's the fun of that?
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.

AJR

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #891 on: July 02, 2012, 11:43:06 AM »
I've backed off on work with the new Ke Nalu wing paddle

What's the design intent of the wing paddle as compared to what you're currently making?

PonoBill

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #892 on: July 02, 2012, 11:50:51 AM »
More catch from a smaller blade. Might be a dead end.
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.

carvemeister

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #893 on: July 02, 2012, 03:54:37 PM »
Great paddle info here Bill.  I read a heck of a lot of all 60 something pages after making my first beginner mistake (been paddling for just 2 weeks, but love it).  Bought a nice Jimmy Lewis Mission, but flunked on the paddle by buying a Werner Spanker that just felt too short (in fact I figure I'm short by possibly as much as 7").  After doing gobs of research and finally ending up here, and on the Ke Nalu site, the Maliko (2nd) with an xTuf(S) and extended ergo T, seemed to be the way to go (ok, I'm 6'1" 215). 

I love my board, but the paddle just didn't feel right, so I can't wait to try this one out - Ordered it today.  Any estimate on shipping to the NY area?  Need to put my spanker up for sale, but not too soon.  Thanks!

AJR

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #894 on: July 02, 2012, 04:59:06 PM »
Great paddle info here Bill.  I read a heck of a lot of all 60 something pages after making my first beginner mistake (been paddling for just 2 weeks, but love it).  Bought a nice Jimmy Lewis Mission, but flunked on the paddle by buying a Werner Spanker that just felt too short (in fact I figure I'm short by possibly as much as 7").  After doing gobs of research and finally ending up here, and on the Ke Nalu site, the Maliko (2nd) with an xTuf(S) and extended ergo T, seemed to be the way to go (ok, I'm 6'1" 215). 

I love my board, but the paddle just didn't feel right, so I can't wait to try this one out - Ordered it today.  Any estimate on shipping to the NY area?  Need to put my spanker up for sale, but not too soon.  Thanks!

You might want to consider keeping it - it's good to have a spare.  Werner makes a good paddle plus if you end up surfing the shorter length may not bother you...

carvemeister

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #895 on: July 02, 2012, 05:50:03 PM »
You might want to consider keeping it - it's good to have a spare.  Werner makes a good paddle plus if you end up surfing the shorter length may not bother you...

Thanks for the tip.  I thought about that, but can't really afford to keep it right now.  Had to buy new Thule racks for two cars, and picked up 2 SUP taxis as well!  Trying to make quick trips to the beach as easy as possible for my wife and I.  (she LOVES the new board and SUP now too - I already bought her a Werner Fiji.)

I figured the extended ergo T would take care of any inclination to surf, but that may not happen for years, if at all (I'm a bit of an old dog, 57, and never surfed).  But we'll see.  I'm on Long Island's North Shore ~ 1 mile from the local beach which is pretty flat water most of the summer thanks to very high bluffs - so mostly cruising for now.   

PonoBill

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #896 on: July 02, 2012, 08:27:45 PM »
They go UPS, will ship tomorrow, and should take 4-6 days.

Yes, the extended Ergo-T takes care of surfing. Once you have the length you like for racing/flatwater with the Extended handle shoved all the way in, you can take a few inches (as much as six) off the shaft to give you room for adjusting for surf. Most people only need a few inches shorter for surf, but some folks like to go really short.
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.

carvemeister

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #897 on: July 03, 2012, 05:20:01 AM »
They go UPS, will ship tomorrow, and should take 4-6 days.

Yes, the extended Ergo-T takes care of surfing. Once you have the length you like for racing/flatwater with the Extended handle shoved all the way in, you can take a few inches (as much as six) off the shaft to give you room for adjusting for surf. Most people only need a few inches shorter for surf, but some folks like to go really short.

Wow, thanks.  Got my UPS notification last night and it already left Portland at 2am!  Fast service.  Re: the Ergo-T, I think my handle will be mostly extended to start with, so no cutting.  Using your video clip regarding proper length, I figure I'll need close to 88" overall.  I'm 6'1 with long arms.  My current paddle is 82", so this should feel a lot better I think.  Thanks for the reply, Bill!

Fog City Rider

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #898 on: July 04, 2012, 09:50:23 AM »
Just got a Maliko w/ the new xTuf(s) shaft, paddle is loose (I can pull it out of shaft easily) & think I might need another application of glue.

 Re: hot glue - does a specific type work best, or are all hot glues created equal?  Any special technique for application?

Didn't see any info about it on the website.

Thanks!

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fms

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Re: review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle
« Reply #899 on: July 04, 2012, 10:07:58 AM »
SUPmitch, That also happend to me. Although it was the handle not the blade for me and i was 13 miles into a 22 mile paddle. Thank god for duct tape ! Its no big deal to fix just foolish on my part. I was so excited to get it in the water i didn't take my time .Should have tested it on a closer to shore paddle first. Try to find the amber color glue instead of the white or clear. Its for more commercial applications. Any hardware or good hobby store should have. I used a glue gun to melt and heat gun to warm up shaft and handle. 120+miles later and no issues what so ever .  later

 


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