Quick Blade 8" Slimline

Mona Vale
11 February 2010

I was visiting Andrew from Balmoral Boards the other day and we got talking about paddles. He was raving about this Slimline Quick Blade he had been using and even though I was very happy with my current paddles I accepted his offer of taking a brand new one for a spin. It wasn't until a few days later that I finally found the time to cut it down to my size and get it wet.

One word: Control.

The 8" Slimline supplies so much control between the paddler and the water. No wiggles, no wobbles, just 100% smooth drive resulting in direct forward momentum.

I cut it down to eight inches overhead - a nice length for flatwater paddling, in my opinion, as I thought this would be an ideal paddle for me on my longer boards.

I went out at Mona Vale Basin on my PSH 12'0" Gun. It was only small - about 2 feet on the biggest sets with a very light onshore wind. The water was empty which is almost unheard of during daylight hours at the Basin when there is any kind of clean wave breaking there - probably had something to do with the shark attack that happened there about an hour earlier. Heaps of photographers and TV news crews were shooting me which was very flattering - but that also probably had something to do with the shark attack that happened there about an hour earlier.

The length felt great on the first few strokes - I sit higher out of the water on my 12 footer than I do on my 8'8" and the blade was sitting nicely in the water during a natural stroke.

This is the first blade I've used for a while with a dihedral or spine down the middle. I used to think maybe these were unnecessary but the control you get with this paddle is unbelievable. You can push it as hard as you like without it wavering even the slightest. All your effort goes directly where it is supposed to with no wasted drive caused by cavitation. The overall effect is total stability, control and direct power - just what we all look for in a paddle.

The power comes into its own when you are trying to get onto waves. Those tiny peelers were tricky to get into but I didn't miss a single wave with my big board/powerful paddle combo.

Even though smaller than most, the 8" Quick Blade is bigger than I generally use in the surf. However, the 575 grams of Slimline is easily nimble enough to swap hands quickly and move around the board without being a hindrance at all. Its easy entry and smooth release from the water makes those quick little strokes while surfing a breeze and it's a great width for pushing your board around with plenty of power - especially when your board is 12'0".

The grip on my version of the Slimline is soooo comfortable. The ergonomic carbon handle is sheathed in a thin layer of EVA foam which supplies great, non slip control and exceptional comfort in the hand. I love it. All paddles should have these I reckon. It makes using the paddle a luxurious pleasure.

When Andrew gave me the paddle he pointed out the red line around the edge of the blade, stating that it was some kind of PVC which minimises the damage to your rails as it is much softer than carbon fibre. I felt it. It felt sharp and hard. I was sceptical. I've use the paddle quite a few times now both in the surf and in frantic race situations - not a mark on my rails at all. Cool. It must really work.

The quality of this paddle is awesome. I'm not sure how they are made but it looks like a machine has popped out this little puppy - no amount of hand glassing expertise could create a piece of engineering this perfect. Have a close look at one sometime - even the carbon weave is perfectly aligned.

Highs:
- Heaps of controlled power.
- Light weight.
- Extremely smooth through the water.
- Beautifully comfortable handle.
- Quality construction.

Lows:
- Doesn't come with a cover.

Is this the paddle (on the left)..

DJ

hilly said...

DJ slipping mate no Naish pimp they may sack you shq forever lol

DJ

Hey Casso,

How much flex/bend are you getting out of the shaft?

I am currently using the Methane for Long Distance paddles, but think it is a little stiff for what I'm doing. I've heard great things about these paddles but am looking for more shaft flex.

Can anyone advise if you can get a choice in handles on these blades. It appears most brands have there own design of handle.
To me a handle has a big influence over my choice of blade.
I tried a 'Kia Kaha paddle' a couple of weeks ago and the one thing that impressed me was the handle not to mention the flex in the paddle.

Healdy said...

Can anyone advise if you can get a choice in handles on these blades. It appears most brands have there own design of handle.
To me a handle has a big influence over my choice of blade.
I tried a 'Kia Kaha paddle' a couple of weeks ago and the one thing that impressed me was the handle not to mention the flex in the paddle.

Healdy, currently QB carbon paddles come with an ergo P-series Black EVA handle. Pic on right.





Colour options and a T-series EVA handle are available by order.

Why? It is a surf specific design which feels very different to the Kanaha Blade.

rollo90 said...

AA said...

Why? It is a surf specific design which feels very different to the Kanaha Blade.

what is "surf specific design" ?
does that make all other paddles non surf specific?

Good question..

DJ

NC Surfer said...

AA said...

Why? It is a surf specific design which feels very different to the Kanaha Blade.

You lost me. The wife and I own QB Elites with 8.2" blades and QB regulars with 8.2" blade. The blades look identical, the shafts look very different. The Elite is way lighter. The regular one is our surf paddle.

Unfortunately QBs web site is never updated to show what they really offer.

So please explain

At a guess surf specific is jargon for less over all area allowing higher cadance and more control they claim. Personally I prefer a more powerful blade I love the 8.7 kanaha.
You would need to place the 8.2 next to the 8.0 to see the difference and paddle them back to back. They may have different flex pattern in the shaft as well. QB are competing with kialoa etc that have narrow blades so widening the range offers choice which is good.

AA said...

NC Surfer said...

AA said...

Why? It is a surf specific design which feels very different to the Kanaha Blade.

You lost me. The wife and I own QB Elites with 8.2" blades and QB regulars with 8.2" blade. The blades look identical, the shafts look very different. The Elite is way lighter. The regular one is our surf paddle.

Unfortunately QBs web site is never updated to show what they really offer.

So please explain

Agreed NC, it is confusing and the latest info is hard to find.

The sort after, smaller brands of boards and paddles have been overwhelmed with the response to their product in the US. Their main focus is developing new product and getting it to the market. The websites have suffered and the latest info on the latest product is hard to get.

Hopefully this helps.

These are the different blade designs, in two different materials




The Kanaha series comes in 8'3, 8'7 and 9".
The 9" is not pictured - it is one BIG blade for BIG units.

The Kanaha blades come in Carbon or Glass composite (blue)

The Slimline only comes in 8" Carbon blade.

The Race Elite has an 8.7" or 9" Kanaha carbon blade on a Race Elite carbon shaft which is lighter than the standard carbon shaft, making the paddles about 500g overall.

Up until the 8" Slimline was developed, the 8.3" Kanaha was often the blade of choice for the surf - it works extremely well. You now have a choice and it purely boils down to personal preference.

As the 8" Slimline was developed with mainly surfing in mind we were keen to get an independent source to evaluate it.

It is possible that other variations than the above exist, but I would imagine the different sizings referred to come down to the fact that it is hard to actually measure decimals of an inch and Dim's given are often 'roundings' anyway.

If you measure your board you will often find that the length specified has been rounded to the nearest inch.

If you have any specific questions you can always PM me.

Cheers

Andrew.A

Hey DJ, yes there is a T-series handles available along with the Ergo P-series.



We carry the Ergo P-series with EVA in Black.

The other colours and options (with and without EVA) are available to order and will come on-line as standard options next season.

Cheers

Andrew.A

May be the photo but the slimline might have more area as the blade looks longer. Any area figures AA??

Here are some photos of my 8" Slimline:

Long shot:


Blade shape:


Dihedral:


PVC edge and perfect carbon weave:


Luxuriously comfortable handle:

If you want the dihedral grip / shaft ;

Try building up the back of the shaft (at the lower hand) with a little strapping tape / grip tape, and then wrapping that with more grip tape....

I have not tried it yet, but thinking of trying it. Smooth shafts are fine, but I've found the smooth shaft annoying at times, with sunscreen still on the hands.... I'm sure grip tape would slowly tear up you hands on a long distance paddle though...

Any suggestions? Comments?

Garethg said...


Hey Casso, AA

Whats the price ???

Hey GG are you out of the 5mm steamer yet??

SLIMLINE carbon blade / carbon shaft 8" Slimline $549

KANAHA carbon blade / carbon shaft 8.3" & 8'7" $549

KANAHA fiberglass blade / carbon shaft MED 8.7" $449

KANAHA ADJUSTABLE fiberglass blade / carbon shaft MED 8.7" $499

KANAHA ELITE RACE pre preg carbon shaft / carbon blade MED 8.7" $599

How do they take these measurements? I bought a new Quickbklade kanaha paddle yesterday. In the booklet that comes with it its listed as a Slimline design at 8.2 inches wide. I got the guy in the shop to confirm it was an 8.2" blade but I got home and using my tape measure on the widest part of the blade it indicates the width 9".

Am I missing something here or have I been sold a dud? The whole reason I went for the 8.2" width is my 9" werner is too much blade for long paddles and upwind slogs.

I'll be Fkn furious if I find out I just spent $500 on a paddle that has the same size issues as the one I wanted to replace.