Jacky was catching more waves and missing way fewer on the new PSH paddle. I could easily see a faster paddle cadence and higher board speed. Smaller paddles equal quicker acceleration. Of course we knew that part, but what you don't know until you try it, is how much smaller you can go before you stop accelerating quicker. Clearly 7.3" wide is not too small. Factor in the power loss from big dihedral, and it's really impressive. You'd probably have to go below 7" in a flat blade (Kialoa) to feel similar power, assuming equal blade heights. FYI, this applies to surfing small boards, not racing.
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| The Morning Crew |
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| Me sneaking a few on the 8'4 Hokua |
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| Jacky with her PSH paddle |
4 comments:
So, for guys our weight, would that paddle work? Or would we need something a little larger like the Kioloa Methane? Does QB have something similar?
We were on Kialoa Methanes before they even existed. We had cut down our Shaka Pu'u's so narrow, they were about where the production Methane ended up.
The Methane is 97 sq in. Our current QBs are 90 sq in and when you factor in the power losses from dihedral, they are way less powerful than the Methane.
Even the new Kialoa Pipes is too powerful at 87 sq in when you factor in flat blades are more powerful.
The least powerful paddle is this new PSH design.
The Nitro is interesting to me because of the concept of less pressure at the catch. Being narrow and tall, gives good area, with light pressure at the catch. Short and wider, like a QB, gives more pull at the catch.
We need more paddle testing with these tiny boards. I'm going to demo a Nitro when the 2011 construction changes arrive Sept 1st.
What construction changes are they making? Carbon blade, instead of the fiberglass blade?
Are you concerned with the blade size being 100 sq inches since your current QB is 90 sq in with dihedral?
I'll know more after the paddle demo.
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