Is it normal for paddle handles to snap off?

[burchas]

But will I really notice and appreciate the difference over something like the Wiki 84?  And is that difference likely to be worth the cost? It's a hard sell but I'll think about it.

It's a night and day difference. I have both and there is no comparison imo. The more you develop the more you learn to appreciate the differences.

[Area 10]

The Wiki has a fairly brutal catch IMO. If I was buying one I'd be getting the smallest blade they do. But then again, I'd buy a Mana instead. I agree with Burchas.

[NMPaddler]

Guess I will be getting the Mana blade after all. Having read through a lot of posts in the forum about it, I can understand better where burchas is coming from. I can see it's a very popular paddle for the reasons she gave and more.

To cut the shaft from 63” to about 53”, is it best to cut it 2” off the blade end and 8” off the handle end?


Is the xTuf(s) the preferred shaft to protect your shoulders (rather than the regular xTuf shaft)? I ask because the web site recommends the xTuf(s) shaft specifically when mentioning helping shoulder or joint problems. Likewise, PonoBill has also specifically recommended the xTuf(s) in a number of posts for the same reason. I'm mildly surprised since the regular xTuf shaft has a little more flex.

[TallDude]

Not the stiff. Just the regular Xtuf. That's what I have. Here's an old picture of me with my KeNalu Xtuf shaft (senior flex ) I annotated this picture a while back showing where people grab and pull from on their paddle shafts. You can see how much mine flexes.

[burchas]

Guess I will be getting the Mana blade after all. Having read through a lot of posts in the forum about it, I can understand better where burchas is coming from. I can see it's a very popular paddle for the reasons she gave and more.

To cut the shaft from 63” to about 53”, is it best to cut it 2” off the blade end and 8” off the handle end?


Is the xTuf(s) the preferred shaft to protect your shoulders (rather than the regular xTuf shaft)? I ask because the web site recommends the xTuf(s) shaft specifically when mentioning helping shoulder or joint problems. Likewise, PonoBill has also specifically recommended the xTuf(s) in a number of posts for the same reason. I'm mildly surprised since the regular xTuf shaft has a little more flex.

Since you're cutting 10" i'd say go with the regular xTuf (Shortening a shaft takes some of it's flex)

[NMPaddler]

Okay, thanks for the info.

Great picture TallDude. They caught you at the perfect angle to demonstrate how much bend there is. More than I would have expected.

[TallDude]

This just posted on CL SoCal..  Maybe they'll ship for a little more?  https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo/d/aliso-viejo-kenalu-sup-carbon-fiber/7182968195.html

[robon]

This just posted on CL SoCal..  Maybe they'll ship for a little more?  https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo/d/aliso-viejo-kenalu-sup-carbon-fiber/7182968195.html

This is a great find.

At this price the OP could order a Mana or Ho’oloa blade,  and the extended ergo handle to experiment with length.  A complete set up and when you include the extras, this would be a fair bit cheaper than buying new.

[NMPaddler]

With the discount they'll provide me for being a Zoner, buying the full paddle at the Ke Nalu cost about the same as buying that used one and then buying the Mana blade, etc. at Ke Nalu. 

I'll keep looking for a used one that's a better match for a while. Checking CraigsList at coastal cities is a good idea too.

[PonoBill]

A wiki 84 is likely to be a much better blade than the one you've got. You could shorten this to suit you and pick up an extended ergo T later.

[NMPaddler]

I may be getting confused. 

I agree that buying the used Wiki 84 paddle and then adding the extended Erto T would make sense - if I was going to keep the Wiki blade. But when I originally suggested getting the Wiki 84, people strongly suggested it wouldn't be nearly as good a blade for me as the Mana. Harsh catch, not as forgiving, night and day, etc. So I scratched the Wiki off my list as not being a good fit and started focusing on the Mana blade. 

[robon]

Sorry if I caused any confusion but I might add to it right now. I have both the Ho'oloa and Mana, and there is nothing wrong with the Ho'oloa at all, and it has a softer catch than the Wiki. The Ho'oloa is cheaper than the Mana as well. The Mana just has a bit stronger catch while still being quite easy to use, so most prefer it over the other Kenalu offerings, but I do like the Ho'oloa overall.

100 bucks is just a really good deal for that paddle imo and you can also sell the Wiki or keep it as a back up if you were going to go the used route. I believe PB is just saying the Wiki would likely be better than what you had. Mana blades do come up used sometimes, and I picked mine up used.

[NMPaddler]

No worries robon. Getting feedback from members about their personal experience with various paddles is what's great about this forum.  I'm just venting my frustration at not being able to try any SUP equipment and form my own opinions before I buy something.

Anyway, I emailed the person selling the Wiki to see if it's still available and whether they would be willing to ship it. If I can't get it, then no need wasting brain cells thinking about it any more.

I'm also retiring my massive 110 sq in backup paddle. Probably a shoulder injury waiting to happen. The makers of my broken paddle said they'll ship me a new part in about two weeks.  That'll give me an adjustable, 85" paddle backup paddle I can use until I replace it with something better.  Might be the Wiki. But I might wait to see if I can get my hands on a Mana at a decent price.

We have snow forecasted in a few days. So I may not be paddling that much the rest of this year anyway. Plenty of time to shop for a good deal.