Those new Ke Nalu paddles (the ones I can't spell) have a softer catch and a strong pull through the power phase of the stroke, compared to a lot of other paddles. It'll take some getting used to. Relax your grip and don't try to muscle it, let the blade do the work. Sometimes less is more.

bh2905 said..

hey guys
just got a ke nalu hol'oloa paddle a couple of weeks ago and have used it a few times now and seem to have a bit of paddle flutter in the first third of the stroke. ive come up from a fanatic 80% paddle which wasnt as noticeable . To confirm this i tried them back to back today and ny thoughts were right. the ke nalu doesnt have as much v on the paddle face as the fanatic could this be the reason or is it more paddling technique . im liking the ke nalu but would like to cut some flutter

any help would be great

cheers

Hey mate, "yes" I also found the new hop'oloa blades a little strange when I first used it, but after some tweaking with my paddle hight and lowering my bottom hand a bit it starts to feel bloody excellent!
Give it time, it ROCKS

It is pretty common when switching from one paddle you are used to, to an unfamiliar one, to experience some flutter at first. This can happen whatever the brand. I don't have a good explanation of why this is, but it can be worse in my experience if your new paddle is a different length, and if the blade is smaller. It goes away very quickly though.

I guess I see the experience as similar to what happens when you drive an unfamiliar car for the first time. You might eg. stall because the clutch feels different, or brake too hard because they work better than the ones you are used to, or spin the wheels because the clutch bites harder than you expect. But this isn't the fault of the car, it's just different from what you are used to, and within a short time you are used to the way it works and can start getting the best out of it. And so it is with paddles, I think.

hey guys thanks for the tips, paddle it again yesterday after reading the tips and by relaxing the bottom hand man does it make a difference, super powerful and smooth blade great catch and power through the stroke

Hello everyone ,in windy conditions I sometimes sit down and paddle like a canoo paddler.When I do this I hold the shaft almost at the base and I grip rather tightly and guess what...???My QB paddle flutters,not much but it does.When I paddle standing it works fine(no flutter)so I would say that the grip of the lower hand has a bit to do with it.