review of the Ke Nalu (Pono Bill) paddle

[PonoBill]

Yup, when you feel a wobble, it's you doing it, keeping the paddle from self-correcting. Most paddles you have to tighten your grip to stop a wobble, with a Ke Nalu you have to loosen it.

I paddled an Elite Wiki with an xTuf shaft today. Really felt good. I still prefer bigger blades, but boy is that a smooth combination. Extremely quiet too, I could be kidding myself but I think it's somehow quieter than the 100 Flex Wiki. No idea why that would be so. I think my speed is pretty much the same, but my cadence is a little higher. Not as much as with a elite 100Flex shaft Wiki, but a bit higher. I think if I have shoulder problems that's going to be my rehab combination.

[Fishman]

So I assume the Xtuf shaft on the Malokai blade, does not have the same "magic" (for lack of better word) as the Wiki Blade and the Xtuf shaft?

[PonoBill]

I think it's doing the same basic thing--giving a bit of cushion when you first pull against the catch, storing a little energy that it releases at the end of the power pull. With the big Molokai that translates mostly to the feeling of launching the board. The cushioning is nice and it makes that big catch easier on the shoulders, but it's still big. The wiki is a much smaller blade, so the overall feeling is smoothness. The jerk of the catch goes away and the power tapers off smoothly at the end of the stroke. Although the blade is still just about as quick there's a lot less abruptness.

This is all subtlety, all the blades very smooth, and all the shafts have substantial flex and shock adsorption. It's just amplified with the Elite Wiki/xTuf combo.

[firesurf]

Boludo,  Are you still loving the wiki?  I still can't decide between the wiki or the maliko.  Fairly certain on the xtuf shaft though....

[Boludo]

Boludo,  Are you still loving the wiki?  I still can't decide between the wiki or the maliko.  Fairly certain on the xtuf shaft though....

Absolutely happy with my decision. Wouldn't go with anything different. I have good upper body strength but still prefer the wiki for surfing.  I like quick short paddles to catch waves and this does that. Provides plenty of power and my body has been thanking me for the change. I love the smaller blades but that's just my preference.

[PonoBill]

With all this talk about blade sizes, and more than a bit of confusion I think, it probably makes sense to restate my belief that cadence isn't something you choose--cadence chooses you. It has to do with how you're wired. A faster cadence doesn't necessarily make you a faster paddler. I can do the math for you if you like, but it doesn't.

What it boils down to is that some people like to be in a lower gear on a bike and spin the pedals, some folks are comfortable in the next higher gear, cranking a little slower. So who's the fastest?

The one whose name is Lance Armstrong.

Both have an advantage, in cycling and in paddling. In cycling the cadence is a matter of keeping the human machine in it's zone of greatest output, and that changes with body shape, training style, and muscle composition. In paddling the faster cadence person can accelerate a little quicker--they have less coasting time, and coasting is decelerating. The lower cadence paddler is a little more efficient--less slip, smaller vortexes, and less tip turbulence. Who has the advantage? The difference is too small to matter either way.

I did an eBook some time ago on choosing a paddle that covers this in more depth. Here's a link to it. http://www.kenalu.com/wp-content/uploads/ebooks/choosepaddlecomp.pdf

[PaddleCrazy]

While I apologize for posting a competitor in your thread PB, I think that the video helps graphically explain what you're describing above....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e3uxyS-art8#!

[PonoBill]

It certainly does. it's an awesome idea, one that I swiped to do some of our measurement. When we allude to our competitors deep experience in that eBook we're talking about Quickblade, Kialoa and Werner. It's a great thing to have such capable competitors, it sets the bar high.

[Boludo]

Bill,  I'm not doing the math on this and yes I completely see where you're coming from.  However, lets talk small SUPs with pretty much no glide.  Seems to me that a higher cadence is quicker because we are talking acceleration not top speed.  With my smallest sup, I sink it pretty good (not quite like Strand Leper though).  I continue to go smaller and smaller on blade size because it allows me to keep the board moving with a higher cadence paddle.  As soon as I let up, the board pretty much stops.  Another example is when I'm caught in the inside on my small SUP, I will prone it past some of the waves because I'm much quicker using 2 hands to keep the board motoring through.  So using a larger blade will initially give you a bigger push but maintaining it is a "B".  Then again, Strand Leper likes the bigger blades for surfing.  That's where we agree to disagree.  Your thoughts professor Bill?

[PonoBill]

Absolutely, the advantage of a smaller blade is that the pull and recovery is quicker, so the board slows less. That's less obvious with a race board because they have more glide (which means they decelerate slower) but with a sinker a little more deceleration and you're dead in the water.

What surfers like Tim like is the big shove they can get from planting the blade and the ability to turn the board super quickly.

It is mostly a matter of style, you can accomplish the same thing with a small or large blade, you just do it differently.

[Bulky]

OK, Bill--here's a stupid question.  Is there a correct front and back for the ergo grip?  I thought it was gonna be pretty flat so I grabbed the skinny 14 footer for an open water paddle.  Ended up having a real crappy session today (more waves than I expected) and came home frustrated.  After sulking around a bit and muttering under my breath that I should have gone surfing, my wife said the magic words "if you're gonna be grouchy, why don't you go out and surf."

Ran to the garage and threw the surfboard on the roof.  Grabbed the heat gun and swapped out the extended handle for the ergo and drove off.  After a few strokes on the water, I noticed something didn't feel right.  I had reversed the handle from the way I'd had it before.  Didn't stop me and had a pretty redemptive time, but by the end I was wondering which way was actually right.  Given that I had "right" and "left" on my shoes much longer than most kids, I guess these kind of things confuse me. 

It's intended to have the flatter part against your palm, correct?

[PonoBill]

Nope, the curved part goes against your palm. Sight across the flat at the blade to get it straight. The curved back fills your palm. If you've been doing it the other way it's what you're used to so it feels normal.

[Bulky]

Doh!  Next you're gonna tell me that the pointy end of the board is supposed to be in front...

Thanks!

[stoneaxe]

LOL...don't feel bad bulky. The first thing I did involving SUP was to build a paddle for Bill. Mahogany, Lyptus and Cedar, bookmatched faces on the blade, Mako shark inlay. Then I give it to Bill and he tells me the handle is backwards.....double DOH! Looks nice on the wall in the Ponohouse though...

[juandoe]

WRT to the discussion of blade size, Jamie Mitchell was using a 90 sq in blade yesterday.  Interesting because you might expect a bigger blade for short sprint races.  The races were only 8 minutes or so.

I am finding I am probably fastest on my wiki but I feel like I am pulling harder and working more on my larger blades.