Any reccommendations for a larger paddle for surfing ?
Think I need a bit more blade.

Quickblade Slim Jim does the job nicely for my 105kg. It is 100 sq inches same as Shaka. The Kanaha is nice at the same size for surf.

I prefer the round shaft, dihedral to stop flutter and ergonomic handle.

Demo as many as you can. I find the flat blades flutter and stiffer shafts hurt shoulders so try before you buy.

try the naish 9 inch
big blade but its great in the surf

I recently bought a Ke Nalu paddle through Jonathan, which I have now used in the surf about 5 times and really like it. I am 90kg, so decided to go with the 8 1/2 inch blade and a 100% carbon shaft. I also decided to make it about 2 inches shorter than my other surf paddle. It's very light, the blade tracks well and there's a just a tiny bit of 'give' in the shaft, which I like in a surf paddle. I went with what I think is called the Ergo T handle, which gives good control and also means that you always know whether you have the blade the right way round. There's plenty of power in the blade, but you can also easily take those short, quick strokes to get up to speed quickly when paddling for a wave.

A few days ago three of us did a dawnie at Gunnamatta. Great 1.5 - 2m left hander. The only problem was that Mike had left his (QB) paddle at home. Unlike you Qld'ers and Sydneysiders, this meant that the paddle was an hour's drive away and at 5:30am Mike wasn't going back for it. So the three of us shared two paddles - a Kialoa methane and the Ke Nalu. Interestingly, Mike took an instant like to the Ke Nalu and commented upon how good it felt - even after only his first few strokes of the paddle.

Hi mate
Hope your hols going well. I bought a adjustable naish for the wife and daughter when I bought the Shaka. It has an 8" blade and I have been using it in the surf and love it for the lightness. You can get a lot more strokes in short and sharp like Casso said. Found after surfing everyday that I was getting onto more waves.

Good luck

Greg

Hey Scotty,
I faced this dilemna about 2 weeks ago and own a Starboard 550 paddle and thought that surely something with a bigger blade would be better, as it felt like I just didnt have enough "power" on the take off for the wave. But I was deceived.

Casso is right on the money with this one... the bigger blades do not automatically mean easier/better paddle-power for the waves at take-off.

I tested this hypothesis with a larger wave blade I borrowed (big thanks to Ian Grose from Stand Up Paddle Osborne Park for the loan of a paddle for a week). I used both on the same morning to test a few waves with each blade and changed back again, and then did it all again on a different day. End result, is that Casso is right. Technique is the key... blade size has negligible impact on the result. And the other key, more time in the water mate. One note also is that bigger blades can mean much more force on the shoulder (muscles and joint), neck and upper back leading to over-exertion injuries and pain... which is the last thing you want.

Anyway, go and trial/test as many paddles as you can to make a decision... and when you work it out, make sure you post your result back on here! Good luck.

You will definitely enjoy a powerful blade and short shaft lengths for SUPs less than 7', where you have to take off in basically two strokes (one stroke to position the board and one stroke to actually take off).

Also, big blades are useful in slow waves for manoeuvers, to have enough force to lean on, even without a lot of speed relative to the water.

But big blades are heavier, and more tiring. So it is a compromise, you gain some, you lose some. If you ride a 8'6" in good waves, you may not need a powerful blade for instance.

Piros said...

colas said...

You will definitely enjoy a powerful blade and short shaft lengths for SUPs less than 7', where you have to take off in basically two strokes (one stroke to position the board and one stroke to actually take off).

Also, big blades are useful in slow waves for manoeuvers, to have enough force to lean on, even without a lot of speed relative to the water.

But big blades are heavier, and more tiring. So it is a compromise, you gain some, you lose some. If you ride a 8'6" in good waves, you may not need a powerful blade for instance.

I tend to agree with Colas on this one , I've gone back to the bigger Quick Blade , Elite Racer for surfing , more power in the first few strokes plus the larger blade definitely helps when surfing. The shaft is stiff but the larger head flex's so it's doesn't blow your shoulders. Weight
wise the larger paddle is only a few grams heavier than the Kahana 100

I've got the Elite Racer and plan to give it a go next surf. I feel I need more blade which should mean less strokes. Cheers