good paddle for injured shoulder?

[Boludo]

So I've had multiple injuries to my shoulder and now at 35 yrs old I'm really starting to feel it.  I currently have the Werner spanker paddle which was great at the time but it has a fat blade and I'm thinking a different paddle might do me better.  I've researched here on the forum and see that the Werner Carve or the Kialoa Methane might be a good fit.  Any others you'd recommend or that I should consider.  Thanks.

[DavidJohn]

You should consider either the Werner Nitro or Kialoa Methane.. The smaller blade should help heaps.. I think there's also a small blade Quick Blade out now also.

btw.. There's a new even smaller Kialoa coming out soon.

DJ

[stoneaxe]

I'd look into the Jimmy Lewis fiberglass. Blades aren't small but the flex takes a lot of the strain out of paddling. I paddle the spanker as my go to paddle here at home but used Ponobill's JL on Maui and noticed a big difference in how my shoulders felt at the end of the day...despite 5-6 hours/day everyday while out there.

[board-boy]

I'd look into the Jimmy Lewis fiberglass. Blades aren't small but the flex takes a lot of the strain out of paddling.

Is it safe to assume that all fiberglass shafts will be relatively flexy?

[PonoBill]

Absolutely try a Jimmy Lewis. Jimmy is such an iconoclast, he always goes his own way. everyone else does stiff carbon fiber, he finds a company that can do super flexible fiberglass. It's not a paddle for max performance, but you can paddle or surf it all day and never feel a thing. My shoulders are absolute junk and I have all the scars to prove it. I use the Jimmy when my shoulders feel punk, and it's amazing.

The only issue is that they are hard to find. You might contact Jimmy directly about one. Get the small Kanaha blade, not the Peahi. First time you paddle it you won't like it. After a couple of days with it you'll love it. He's off in Vietnam right now, but go to his website and drop him a line. He can send them knocked down. Downright therapeutic.

[Boludo]

Thanks guys for the good info.  I like the idea of the werner nitro because my hand fits well in the handle.  Also thanks on the Jimmy Lewis paddle, I'm going to look into that one as well.

[Boludo]

So, I went down to the shop and took a look at the werner nitro to compare with the kialoa methane.  It appears that the width of the nitro is about half inch+ narrower than the methane.  At what point is it just splashing water?  Yes I have a shoulder injury but also curious if the nitro is getting too narrow.  I do like it, but my inexperience has me questioning.

[stoneaxe]

I can't seem to get used to a small blade. It may have something to do with my size (280) but I just can't seem to get going fast quickly. Great for downwind and high cadence but no "hole shot". I also use my paddle for a balance check frequently so the bigger blade size makes a big difference there.

The Jimmy is even more flexible than other fiberglass shafts that I've tried. Feels a little strange at first but after a week or so I really liked it.

Best bet is to demo whatever you can get your hands on and see how your shoulders feel after.

Good luck.

[Boludo]

So if I went with the Jimmy Lewis paddle, would you recommend the Kahana or the Peahi.  I see that PonoBill recommends the Kahana.  Why is that?

[TonyGring]

FWIW  I picked up a Methane a few months ago. Pretty much strictly surfing on my SUP. My right shoulder doesn't hurt like it used to when I used a bigger blade.   Lovin the Methane.  Perfect fit for me.   YMMV...

[JimK]

Bad shoulders how about 9 seperations on right shoulder (I was a Cycling sprinter TRACK in my younger days) Still can't serve a tennis ball but the Methane Paddle makes my SUP like a dream

Just my 2 cents

JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

[Strand Leper]

So if I went with the Jimmy Lewis paddle, would you recommend the Kahana or the Peahi.  I see that PonoBill recommends the Kahana.  Why is that?

Boludo,

The Peahi catches a LOT of water... the Kanaha catches less.  Think of it in terms of weightlifting... Fewer reps with more weight (Peahi), More reps with less weight (Kanaha).  The Jimmy Lewis Paddle is the Quick Blade template made with different materials.... There is now a smaller Kanaha blade that I got for my wife.  She loves it.  I am not sure if Jimmy Lewis offers this smaller Kanaha blade, or if you can only get it from Quick Blade.

Tim

[Boludo]

Thanks again.  All this feedback is great.  It sounds like the Methane is a great solid paddle that has nothing but great reviews.  The Jimmy Lewis seems like an incredible paddle but a bit of a gamble as to whether or not it will suit me...probably will but the small uncertainty that I have has me leaning towards the Methane.  I wish I could try out one of those JL Paddles.

JimK, I guess on the bright side, I don't have your shoulders.  Mine don't compare.  I severely broke my collarbone which didn't heal right so they re-broke it 2 months later and plated it.  I have also separated my other shoulder once and dislocated it pretty good as well.  All of it was due to Motocross.  This is what I love about the SUP, not dealing with major injuries, building strength while having an absolutely blast.

[PonoBill]

I could be just self-centered, but I think I have the outside edge on how badly you can screw up your shoulders and still have arms attached. I won't go into the grisly details but years of racing motorcycles, rollerblade hockey, windsurfing and skiing and a post-surgery infection that nearly killed me all took a toll.

In general SUP is GREAT for my shoulders. They hurt all the time, in fact they hurt like hell tonight after two downwinders today, but they work and they're a lot stronger than they used to be.

Most of my paddling is with a Kialoa Shaka Pu'u for surfing and a Quickblade Elite with the Kenaha blade for distance. When my shoulder are bugging me I use the Jimmy for both surfing and distance. Here's a couple of reviews I did of these paddles.

http://www.kenalu.com/2009/01/17/two-new-paddles/

http://www.kenalu.com/2008/12/27/jimmy-lewis-paddles-very-different/

[snappy]

I started to get a really bad tennis elbow when I used my new carbon paddle so I ordered a Jimmy Lewis peahi paddle a month ago.Ive just come back from a weeks holiday at Noosa where I surfed a couple hours in the morning then a couple of hours in the afternoon every day and can trully say the elbow pain is completely gone.It was a bit odd with the larger fibreglass paddle at first getting used to the flex,but I now swear by it.
In big surf I would still use the carbon paddle for the immediate reaction it gives.
I hope this helps.