review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle

[Area 10]

TN_SUP: You are in luck. The QB oval tapered shaft is cut from the blade end rather than the handle end. The handle comes already glued onto the shaft. The idea I think  is that smaller people will generally want shorter shafts, and will also want more flex. So by cutting from the thick end (the shaft tapers a lot from the blade end to a very narrow circumference at the handle), this means that longer shafts will have less overall flex and shorter ones will have more (i.e. because shorter shafts will have a smaller average circumference along their length). It's a clever idea, and works well, at least for me.

Anyway, this means that you can hot glue the shaft into the blade. This is what I have done, and it has allowed me to change the length a couple of times so far. I made the cut in the shaft at the blade end slightly asymmetrical and feathered the end to get a good fixture for the glue, and then used loads of high temp hot glue. Then I covered the joint with self-amalgamating (plumber's) tape just to protect the glue from water. When I finally decide on the right length, I'll remove the hot glue and epoxy the blade in.

Obviously, being an "oval tapered shaft" you also have the fact that the shaft is ovalised where your bottom hand goes. I like that, and missed it when I switched previously from Kialoa to QB and Ke Nalu.

And I find that the narrow shaft below the handle on the QB oval tapered shaft is particularly easy for choking down.

The only problem is that the oval tapered shaft option is not cheap...

The Ke Nalu paddles are a work of art and the standard of manufacture is superb. I love e.g. the way that the blade and shaft fit together smoothly, and the extendable handle is a fantastic innovation. They work like no other paddle I've tried in terms of catch, and are very light and strong. For me, in flat water, it is lovely to try to see how secure a catch you can get with them. This can also be very useful when sprinting for a wave when surfing. But a lot of my time is spent paddling long distances in very choppy conditions, with headwind and side-wind sections. In those conditions, when it is hard to maintain good paddling form, I find the catch too much, and because I seem to need to have to cut the Ke Nalu paddles shorter than my other ones in order to get the most out of them, this means that the paddles put strain on my back. I do better with a more forgiving paddle. But someone else with a different physique (maybe younger) or technique (maybe better) and/or who paddles in different conditions (probably most people) may have a completely different experience of them.

[TN_SUP]

Thanks Area 10, the QB website is frustrating to get info from! I often pilot for open water swimmers for 8 to 10 miles at a time, and never get the board to plane at those speeds, so the Kenalu catch wears me out. Love Kenalus for speed though.

[Area 10]

Yep - the QB site is not very good, and they seem to have many more options being sold through dealers than the website lists.

Here's Jim talking about the oval tapered shaft. Although the one I have got has a slightly different handle than the one he shows, so I guess they changed the design a bit since...



When I am feeling on my game, and in protected water, I've set many of my fastest times with my Ke Nalus. I can see why they would appeal to inland water racers in particular, especially if the races weren't too long. It is interesting to note that some other manufacturers have now produced reduced blade angle paddles since Ke Nalu came out...

[pdxmike]

When I am feeling on my game, and in protected water, I've set many of my fastest times with my Ke Nalus. I can see why they would appeal to inland water racers in particular, especially if the races weren't too long. It is interesting to note that some other manufacturers have now produced reduced blade angle paddles since Ke Nalu came out...

That's interesting (esp. to me as someone doing inland paddling for short distances)--98 pages of comments and I don't remember anyone ever putting it quite like that.  It even means more coming from someone who always has insights and also says both what he likes and doesn't like about gear.

The only reason I don't have a Ke Nalu already is that there's really nothing wrong with my Quickblade.  And now I'm thinking the shop is only 50 yards away....

[viatormundi]

Thx for the replies. Maybe KeNaLu is not the right choice for distance paddling. Most of my paddling will be in medium choppy waters. I will check QB slim Jim and SB High Aspect paddles too.

[spookini]

Viator:

Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beerholder...

Many of us who do the CCBC (34mile open-water crossing) use the KeNalu.  Don't forget too, you can always hot-swap the KeNalu shafts out, if over time you buy more than one flex...

[Area 10]

Many of us who do the CCBC (34mile open-water crossing) use the KeNalu.  Don't forget too, you can always hot-swap the KeNalu shafts out, if over time you buy more than one flex...

With respect, this means almost nothing. What the top finishers use will be determined largely by issues of sponsorship, and what the rest use will be determined largely by (a) marketing; (b) availability; (c) price. Most people cannot afford to have many different paddles and spend endless hours finding the best one for them. So they will make their choice based largely on what other people tell them is good and what they can afford. This may not actually be the right choice for them.

The only immediate way to tell what is best for you is to try two paddles back to back in the conditions in which you paddle. Even then it is not easy. Otherwise, you have to build up a knowledge over many scores of hours of paddling as to what is right for you and then choose a paddle that most closely fits those characteristics. And then regularly challenge those beliefs.

There are guys these days who are doing extremely well in long open water international races on boards that are 21-23" wide. Does this mean that someone like me would do better on a board like that? Of course not. Same with paddles. Just because people are using brand X does not mean that you should use brand X. In my opinion, other people's choices are close to meaningless when it comes to choosing a paddle for YOU, just as their choice of vehicle may be meaningless as regards your choice.

So when you want to evaluate a piece of equipment, I think it is most helpful when you say what you are looking for, and how it fulfills that need (or not). Pointing out merely that other people use a certain thing is IMO about the lowest level of argument one could employ.

Sorry to be so blunt, but I've got a bit of a bee in my bonnet about this argument appearing in this thread particularly. Many, if not most, of your excellent previous contributions to this forum I have applauded.

[Area 10]

Many of us who do the CCBC (34mile open-water crossing) use the KeNalu.  

The short version:

1. How do you know that you (and they) wouldn't have been faster, or more comfortable, using a different paddle?

2. Is the right paddle for you necessarily the right paddle for someone else?

[juandoe]

Area 10,
You are missing the point of his post.  CCBC is a paddle event, not a race.  I doubt there are a handful of sponsored paddlers out there.  I used my Kenalu on a 21 mile paddle fundraiser paddle.  I have had many paddles and it is my preferred paddle, long or short distance. 

I suspect that people who are having issues are going too big with the blade.  A Wiki Kenalu catches much bigger than a 90 QB, maybe even bigger than a 100 QB.  I lent out my QB's a year ago and can't compare directly at the moment.

[spookini]

Area, no offense taken, I think we are making the same point -- that paddle choice is a personal thing and you can't generalize ie, "Paddle X is not a distance paddle" -- just based on the feedback of 1-2 other ppl.  It's good to have your counterpoint, as most of the 'ke nalu' thread is a lovefest..

Thanks for applauding my posts, but you obviously missed the the "Belichick's seats" thread last nite in the random section. 
(Warning:  some things can't be unseen.)

[viatormundi]

I totaly agree with you all that one should try the paddle first. The problem I have is that there is no KeNaLu paddle in Spain to test. I talked to Lane couple of times about it and he is looking for a Spanish distributor but no success so far. I checked with my contacts as well and most of them sell established brands already. The only option is to get it from the UK distributor but I am reluctant to order a paddle before testing. I can test all the other brands and types here in Mallorca.

[Area 10]

jaundoe - neither of my posts related to the CBBC specifically. Perhaps the short version expressed it better. I was making my comments in regard to the general argument that I often see on the 'Zone that you can choose a paddle by looking at what the top guys/girls are using or even what most people are using. My point was that at no event can you look at what people are using and infer from that what will be best for you. There are too many influences upon other people's choices other than what is optimal for their performance. And in any case what is optimal for their performance may not be optimal for yours.

spookini - I have no idea what that thread about seats is all about. I'm presuming however that somewhere along the line the word "seats" stopped referring to the furniture that people sit on, and started referring to the part of their body that they sit on. But I dunno... I guess it's a US thing. Over my head.

viatormundi - I wish you'd have written this before I came over to Mallorca recently - I'd have brought over my Ke Nalus for you to try. I'd agree with you that buying an expensive item without trying it first (like I did) is inviting disappointment. When I bought my Ke Nalus they cost over $600 US each. So that set my expectation pretty high. I think you can get them cheaper now from the UK. But a Quickblade elite racer with oval tapered shaft will probably cost you a similar amount to what I paid for my Ke Nalus, and a Kialoa Hulu Ultralight GL might cost you even a little more than that. So they are starting to make sub-$500 US paddles look like good value in Europe.

[PonoBill]

I couldn't agree more Area 10. Paddles are the most personal part of SUP. When Lane and I started the company we said "lets design a paddle for advanced paddlers with a disciplined stroke". That was the criteria. That doesn't even mean that everyone with a disciplined stroke is going to find Ke Nalus to be the best paddle for them.

As true as that is, it also doesn't mean the Ke Nalu is not right for long distance. The record for longest distance in 24 hours (Ben Friberg) was set using Ke Nalu Wikis. At the other end of the fitness, age and weight spectrum I've paddled thousands of miles using Ke Nalu paddles. I'll probably do two nine mile downwinders today. My shoulders are junk. They work very well for me--because I take paddle lessons from Dave Kalama, who tapes a stick to your ankles if you stroke too long. Overstroke a Ke Nalu and it will kill you. You'll shovel so much water you'll blow your shoulders out.

The closest we've come to a prescription is that Ke Nalu is right for people who can take advantage of a very early catch and who NEVER stroke past their feet.

[viatormundi]

Area 10, yes it is a pitty we could not meet while you were here in Mallorca and I couldn't test your KeNaLu.
So, another question. I weigh 81 kg and am decent fit. For long distance should I go for Wiki or Maliko? I know it depends on the cadence and style, the thing is I can paddle both high cadence and low. At least we train that way as much as we can. I wish I could be able to test the paddles then I wouldn't need to ask these stupid questions 

[Henrik F]

Last year I almost always paddled with my WIKI Elite but this year my go to paddle has been the MALIKO Elite. I have not paddled as many km as you Viatormundi but depending on how much time I have I usually do between 2 km-20km in flat or very choppy conditions. 72 kg paddler.

Henrik F