srfnff,

The Kole does not have a dihedral like you said but Kialoa’s other full carbon blade the Nalu does. The amount of dihedral is similar to the QB and both blades look very similar in shape. This shows how dialed the designs are. The Kialoa shaft is ovalized which makes it stiffer than the QB. The Kole is an interesting design with the lollipop shape and supposedly in the hands of an efficient paddler can propel you as fast with the smaller surface area. It comes down to personal preference on which will work best for you. They are all excellent paddles.

Jeff

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Thanks Meg and Dave! It’s always great to get info straight from the source. Looking forward to the Shaka Pu’u.

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Aloha srfnff,
Evan shot an email in regards to this thread and asked us to comment on it so I’ll do my best. We started building stand-up paddles in 2003 after receiving a call from Laird Hamilton. Basically he was looking for a stand up paddle that wouldn’t break. At this point in time nobody was talking about stand up paddling and there weren’t any companies who were building production stand up paddles. We went through a series of prototypes using different blades and different shafts, with Laird and his friends giving us feedback along the way.
The first paddle that went in to production was a large blade with an aluminum shaft. We used the aluminum shaft after having many other types of shafts break. We knew aluminum could stand the stress and we also knew that we could do this with carbon, but that it would take some time to really dial in the design of a bomber carbon shaft that was not only strong, but also light and ergonmic (oval tapered shaft).
It is now almost 4 years later and naturally the paddles have evolved just as the boards have evolved. The first thing that started to change was blade size. As people became more proficient in their paddling technique, they began asking for smaller blades. You stated that you have the Kole which is one of our full carbon stand up paddles. It is the third generation blade, smaller than the first and second generation, and has our propietary carbon shaft. You are correct, it does not have a dihedral but has a slight scoop in the blade. Because most surfers are new to using a paddle, they are looking at a dihedral as “is it a good thing or a bad thing?” As paddle designers we see that as neither good nor bad, it depends on the particular design. The Kole, because it is so narrow at the top, does not need a dihedral to stabilize the blade.
Our goal is to build durable comfortable paddles that fit you so well that it becomes an extension of your hands - so that you can feel the water through your paddle. It’s almost as if you forget about the paddle, well that would be our greatest compliment. Because if you’re not having to “think” about your paddle, then you’re going to be performing at your peak.
In 2008 we are launching another new full carbon called the Shaka Pu’u. We’ve been product testing this for a full year and feel really good about the final product. This blade will have a surface area just about the same size as the Kole, but the shape is different so it will feel different - basically it “feels” smaller. It allows you to bring up the rpms when you want to get up and going to catch the swell, the blade does not disrupt your ride when you are using it to maneuver, and when you sink the whole blade in you can get to the deeper water and get more traction when you want it. And naturally, it will come with our bomber carbon shaft and our one year manufacturer warranty.
We’ve been building performance paddles for 17 years and in a nutshell, that’s the last 4 years of KIALOA’s Stand Up history. We’re really liking all of the product development, testing, etc. that is going along with this quickly evolving sport. Mahalo for making us a part of it.

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Thanks Evan
I watched the part 2 paddle video and Jeff talked a little about the Kialoa. Your comments here are right on. Great video series, thanks so much.

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srfnff - I’ve tried a number of different paddles. I’ve used the C4 paddles the most but have also tried Quickblade, Leleo Kinimaka wood paddles and Infinity Surf otter paddles. I haven’t had a chance to try the Kialoa for more than a few minutes.

I think the differences in all the specs are totally preference btw different people and even for the same person. e.g. I like to use a 2-3″ longer paddle for downwinders than surfing. I let an 85 year old woman try my Infinity 6.5″ otter paddle today in Waikiki and she really liked it because it took less strength to pull it through the water and had decent flex in the shaft. It was easier on her shoulders.

Jeff has the Kialoa paddles and I believe they are popular. I have a number of friends that really like them and Blane Chambers and Mel Pu’u are really positive on them as well. I’ll ask Jeff to comment on this thread but it may be a while as I think he’s on a trip.

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Evan
Nice interview with good info. Have you had a chance to try more than one paddle? I wonder if the differences in flex, blade size, shaft length and material are more personal preference than anything else. Also interesting comment re shaft length for surfing vs. distance paddling. I have the Kialoa Kole which has no real dihedral that I can see. Does Jeff carry that brand and did he say anything about that type of blade compared to the others? Thanks Evan, a great interview.

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