I definitely need more paddle. I am unable to paddle against a brisk breeze on my 34" wide Fusion.
I am getting up to an 8" deflection of the handle with the amount of effort I'm puttin into my paddling, but still am not getting much propulsion.
I am thinking a 120 sq in Big Mama Kalama but I saw a 135 sq in Naish yesterday.

Several that I've spoken to have tried to talk me out of getting a bigger paddle, but I'm 100 kg and reasonably fit (for an old fart)

Is this view that a small paddle is OK like the average shapers' view that big blokes only need a couple of extra inches of board, or is there legitimate argument for not going bigger?

I would post some video of me paddling but for some reason they won't upload.

www.seabreeze.com.au/

look no further

Give some thought to a smaller paddle, small blade + short strokes + quick cadence is what you need into the wind...a bit like dropping a couple of gears on a bike to spin up a hill instead of grinding it out in a big gear and going nowhere.

Definitely a smaller blade. I have using a Naish 3 piece Carbon fibre on and off for the last eighteen months. Big blade, pushes more water and sore shoulders for a day or two after a decent paddle. I have just bought a QB Slim Jim for surfing after demo'ing it but haven't used it yet. As everyone says DEMO, DEMO, DEMO.
Cheers

My go to paddle is the Ke Nalu Maliko (95 sq in) as it is so light and powerful for its size.
But recently I've been using the little Ke Nalu Wiki (84 sq in) when the wind is up.
Paddling into the wind can be hard work with a bigger blade and it is dufficult to maintain your usual cadence and maintain good board speed.
Whereas using a smaller blade in the same conditions allows you to maintain a higher cadence and go faster with less effort!!

Select to expand quote

HumanCartoon said...
www.seabreeze.com.au/

look no further

Give some thought to a smaller paddle, small blade + short strokes + quick cadence is what you need into the wind...a bit like dropping a couple of gears on a bike to spin up a hill instead of grinding it out in a big gear and going nowhere.

What he said............

Hi Beerdead,

It is likely that it isn't your blade, but most likely your technique. At your weight and strength, a 95 sq in KeNalu Maliko or 100 sq in Quickblade Kanaha should be ideal.

Your stroke is most likely too long (too far past your feet) and generated by shoulders and Lats. By keeping your stroke shorter, you can increase cadence. Increased cadence means there is less time between paddle strokes. Keeping the stroke forward of your feet is the most efficient use of the blade in terms of pure paddling mechanics.

Make sure you are not using too long a paddle shaft, drive the stroke with your core and not your shoulders/lats, and try and really race the recovery part of the stroke as it gives the board less time to decelerate in between power phases of your stroke.

I think shaft length is more important than blade size. Smaller blades can give you better control and make feathering less critical, but you will lose traction in the water that a slightly larger blade can offer. A shorter shaft alleviates the need to drop the top hand in the recovery for the blade to clear the water on the way back to the catch. This allows you to keep your shaft upright, use your core (Abs) and lower back which will increase your cadence with little if any additional effort.

We have been training our crew paddling into the wind technique over the last few weeks. With our improved technique, we have seen amazing improvement in everyones speed and endurance when paddling into the wind. We shortened shafts and changed technique to accommodate the new shaft length.

Work on technique and not trying to buy a solution to your issue. A bigger or smaller blade won't make near as much a difference as good technique.

Hope this helps,

DM

I'd ring a few of the well known sup shops that probably advertise on this site and see if they have any demo paddles, if you can, borrow a few different brands on the next windy day and see which one works best for you, I'm liking the Quickblade best quality for the money you pay

Hi Beerdead
The answer is: it doesn't matter what paddle you have, no-one can paddle a wide surf SUP board into a brisk breeze. Well, they can, but even with the best paddle and Laird Hamiton's fitness and technique it would still be an effing nightmare. No-one enjoys it, it will always be hard going, and most SUPers avoid ever having to do it.
That's why DOWN-winders are more popular than UP-winders! And the rest of us are all back at the local bakery by the time the wind kicks in.
Trust no-one.

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

I bought it anyway.

I'm not doing large distances, but I do want some pace to catch waves.

I do take on board that my technique is most like ****e.

I'll work it out eventually. It's all part of the journey.

Ta,
Jim.

P.S. I still can't upload videos. Any suggestions?

Hey scarbsup.. what paddle length are you guys using to get the faster cadience
cheers tj

Hi tj,

We started from an original length of about 11" overhead (to tip of handle) and then later cut two inches off it, which was fine for a while. We changed paddling technique about 5 months ago and found the paddles a bit long.

I got radical and hacked about 6 inches off the shaft recently and may have gone a tad radical . It's perfect for racing and forces you into a strong posture for sprint racing. At the same time I went down to a 90 sq in blade and am now thinking I will cut my 100 sq in down to 4" above head height just to see how we go. I'll most likely cut it the remaining inch to be around 3" above head as well, as I mostly race and surf and don't do a lot of social paddling, so a short shaft will be perfect .... and the fact that I can't remain paddling slow to save my life [}:)] regardless of shaft length.

It's all about weighing up your needs vs desires and then making an intelligent choice BEFORE you take to the shaft with the hacksaw.

DM

I have had made quickblade Kahana all carbon for about a year and its awesome. Used for flat water training mostly, i have a cheaper naish paddle for the surf as I would hate to damage my QB.