SUP Paddles - somewhat of a joke

[Eagle]

Have no clue why -> but this paddle was super easy to go very high cadence and a very fast speed with minimal effort.  Luc swapped with me when he first got it.  Still am perplexed.  Felt like a tiny blade stirring the water.  Weird.  But worked.

http://www.paddlesandoars.com/TSR-SUP/

[JEG]

I like the title photofr "SUP Paddles - somewhat of a joke" 

[clinto]

I have been rocking the 27N Kevlar surf paddle lately and love it. Stiff but lots if control. The shape gets momentum going immediately.  Made in Florida with a lifetime warranty. Good looking Too!

[stoneaxe]

Sean Ordonez had a shape similar to the Braca in the early days. Powerflex I think he called them. Larger blade, but not as square in the tips...catch was insane.....actually too much and I like a big blade. Something about it made it feel chunky though. They faded away eventually..or at least I think they did.  Smaller blade and lighter production methods would make it a better design. Not sure I like the square tips on the Braca though.

That 27N looks smooth.

[Eagle]

Yeah after paddling that Sawyer decided to try a small Enduro which worked out perfectly ok.  Not the exact same feeling -> but close enough for my long distance purposes.  The Sawyer was just smoother and easier.

The kevlar Blackfish is an interesting paddle that is extremely stiff with its untapered oval shaft.  Wicked powerful but requires perfect technique to extract maximum speed.  The SB HA carbon is slightly less demanding with a slightly less stiff flex.

For 2018 SB has moved to the more rounded catch Lima.  Still raced by the top echelon in pretty small area blades.

http://star-board-sup.com/2018/boards/lima-paddle/

[exiled]

I use the 27 North Kevlar too. Might be too stiff for some, and its heavier than the lightest, but the lifetime warranty sold me. Already had one replaced and they were great about it. The other 5 paddles I've snapped from other brands, I was out of luck.

[photofr]

One aspect that I forgot to mention:
Since the Braca Maui blade is rather small, long, square and quite narrow, I gain about an inch as my blade enters the water. It's not so insignificant that I don't notice it. In fact, made my Ace 14x25 feel narrower, as soon as I switched to the Maui.

On a completely different subject - Two things that I see happening today that you may want to bare in mind.
1. Paddlers blades are generally way too big in surface area. Blade size has been coming down, but still, "someone's gonna get hurt" with those huge blades.
2. Blades aren't being totally submerged. This may be due to No. 1 above, but regardless, blades need to be fully submerged in order to work as intended.

So regardless of the company that suits your needs and budget, just make sure you do not purchase a snow shovel.
(that was cold - especially for my friends up North)

[Area 10]

Those sharp corners on the Braca blade would sure do your board some damage if you e.g. caught it while changing sides or clattered the rail (or your feet etc) by mistake. Couldn’t they make one with just slightly more rounded “corners”?

[burchas]

The Braca might be a good paddle but there's a reason why no one talks about it state side.

There are just too many better options around here to choose from. Companies like ZRE and
Werner Paddles, 100% Made in America products and close to 50 years of building paddles
yet price ranges still in the 3 hundreds for full carbon. Hard to beat.

Then you have have Quickblade and Kialoa. Decades of experience in building paddles with
some iconic designs. And lets not forget Kenalu and Late comer Black Project who seems to steal
everyones thunder lately. This is just the short list, scary.

It remind me a lot another Euro company with great products that no one talks about it here,
Jantex paddles, another case of too little too late to the sup game, even though they have distribution
state side.

Competing in this market require fortitude. slapping the Maui moniker on a paddle is no longer a valid
marketing strategy, so in that regard I think the joke will be on Braca. But at least we have another option
to choose from so thanks for that.

[photofr]

@ AREA
I agree, the somewhat hard edges of their new paddle can be a concerned - mostly in Surfing / and chaotic Racing conditions. I meets my needs, since I do not SUP Surf, and since I am not too keen on racing. Perhaps it will also meet the needs of the many others who do not race, since accidentally damaging your rails hasn't been an issue for me.

@ BURCHAS
If I were in the States, having easy access to QB, I honestly wouldn't have even bothered with the Braca SUP Maui. I have never been keen on the Werner paddles - ever. I kept trying them every few years, and while they were okay, they always felt heavier and weird (TO ME). There are other brands I would give it a go, including Black Project.

Finding these in France isn't easy. But since I already paddle with Braca for my surfski, I have to admit that the same Braca shaft found on their SUP paddle suits me perfectly - and then the fact that this new paddle is reasonably priced, and works fantastically well is just a "no brainer" when someone lives in Europe.

Kahana, Maui... for marketing purposes is so cheesy - and so I agree - and I am a little bit ashamed. It's a European "thing" though. In France, to get client's attention, they specifically use American words to capture. Again, it's so cheesy, but it's a very common practice. LAME!

Perhaps after trying the paddle, seeing the price tag, seeing the quality of the product, Europeans will have something to talk about.