Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Thank You Outside Magazine Buyer's Guide

Mahalo to Outside magazine featuring our KIALOA paddleboarding paddles, the Pupu and our women's SUP paddle, the Pipes!! We are stoked and honored to be in the Summer 2012 Buyer's Guide. Check out a copy, it's full of field tested bikes, paddleboards, running shoes, kayaks, and more than you need for your best summer ever.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Northwest SUP Racing Season Kicks Off

April 28th was the first inaugural Gig Harbor Paddlers Cup in Gig Harbor Washington.  Around 25 SUP racers attended. The 6 mile race came down to a show-down between Kialoa team mates Cyril Burguiere and myself.  In the end, after dueling for 4 laps with 5 corners per lap, Cyril bested me by 6 seconds.  Our GPS showed we averaged 5.89 mph on our 14' SUP's.  Here are some pictures from Scott Vande Vusse:
 Myself & Cyril after the race



Myself chasing Cyril on the final lap, and about to be overtaken by a sprint canoe

The next day there was a small race in Bellingham Bay that mostly draws surf skis and OC's.  6 of us competed on the 3.5 mile short course on SUP's.  Cyril stayed in Gig Harbor for the 100 meter sprint races. This race was in my back yard and I managed to take 5 minutes off my time from last year while crossing the finish line in first place.  Picture by Curtis McCarson...

See ya on the water! Aloha!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

LA Racing Dragons Prep for an Amazing Year!


LARD in Tempe, AZ

Tempe was the LA RacingDragons' first major step in our preparations for Club Crew World Championships and our festival races in Hong Kong. Everything we do is to get us peaking in July. The 2012 Arizona Dragon Boat Festival was another step in that process. Both CCWC and the Hong Kong festival races will be the most competitive races we will ever have - especially since local Chinese teams will likely be vying for cash prizes from their sponsors. Money that will literally be used to feed their families.

Traditionally, Team LARD used Tempe as a spring training race where we mixed both crews equally - Yolanda and Gilda. This year, our strategy was a bit different. Although we still viewed this race as a spring training race, we debuted LARD Black and Red a few months earlier than usual. We wanted to get our crews an opportunity to race together earlier in the season so we could see where the teams were currently and determine what areas we needed to improve on. Race placement, although may be important to some of us (especially in the heat of battle), was not of paramount concern for the coaches. What was more important was to see how the teams performed under race conditions and how our personnel is developing.

Tempe was very generous to us this year, as it provided us with race conditions we will likely see in Hong Kong - hot, extremely windy and choppy conditions as well as great competition. The only thing missing was humidity. We learned that our goal of at least 2 sets of world class callers and steersmen/women is on target. Both Megan and Phil performed very well in perhaps the hardest conditions to steer in. Huay was awesome - as expected. Kat continues to progress as both a top level paddler and caller. Justin shows remarkable promise as both a paddler and steersman. We also found a new set of strokes for our Open boat. Patrick and James made a very difficult and stressful position look easy. Well done, gentlemen.

We were also very pleased with our new paddlers' development. The amount of growth they have displayed in only a few short weeks is nothing short of remarkable. Our veteran paddler on both Red and Black showed the grit and fight our team has shown in the past.
Although our growth at this point this year surpasses the levels we were at last year at this time, we are not ahead of schedule. In previous years, we looked at late July and even September as our months to peak. We are merely on target as we must be at our peak in early July. We cannot be satisfied. We cannot remain stagnate.

Shortly after the races, I shared some of my observations with my brother, Dr. Will Wu (for those of you that don't know, he has a PhD in Kinesiology and prescribes our land/midweek training). I told him our propensity in Tempe to leap ahead the first 1/2 then lose steam in the second half of the race (there may have been 1-2 races where this didn't happen). He said this was expected based on the training he has prescribed to date in preparation for CCWC.

Right now, our technique and fitness are nowhere close to where they need to be but as long as we have 100% buy in, we will be at our peak in July. It will take a lot of work, dedication, discipline, some frustration, and pain to get us there (yes, where would we be without pain?).

Finally, I will leave you with a quote by Kevin McHale - a hated Boston Celtic - "Outwork your talent." Think about that one for awhile. It's what the great ones do. It's time to be great.

Monday, March 5, 2012

KIALOA Expands Adjustable Stand Up Paddle Line


KIALOA Paddles is growing its adjustable standup paddle to include the all carbon LauLau and half-
carbon half-fiberglass Hapa.  All KIALOA adjustable paddles feature the innovative LeverLock® adjustable system.  Now there are three adjustable paddles in the IKAIKA series.

The new KIALOA adjustable paddleboarding paddles will be available from your local dealer on April 1, 2012. No fooling.  Find a dealer Near You

The LeverLock® adjustable system is as sleek as it is simple.  Just open the lever, find your height on the graph, line up the center line with the arrows, and close the lever. Combined with KIALOA's IKAIKA Series paddles this system provides the toughest, lightest and most watertight adjustable paddle in the paddleboarding market.

The IKAIKA Series of paddles utilizes for the paddle blade an ultra-impact-resistant Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (CFRT®) technology.  The LauLau Adjustable has a carbon fiber shaft, the Hapa Adjustable has a 50/50 carbon fiber/fiberglass shaft and the Pupu Adjustable has a fiberglass shaft.  With the CFRT blade's durability, offering an adjustable option on the Ikaika paddles was the obvious choice.

The new Hapa Adjustable and LauLau Adjustable paddles are available in small and large blade sizes.  KIALOA now offers three adjustable paddles so you have the perfect paddle for recreational paddling, high performance surfing, or racing. 

 
Hapa AdjustableHapa-Adjustable
Small Blade--  Blade Width: 7 1/2 ”, Blade Length: 16 1/2”, Surface area: 89 sq in
Large Blade--  Blade Width: 8 3/4 ”, Blade Length: 16 1/2”, Surface area: 100 sq in
Weight: 31 oz
Retail Price: $249

 
LauLau Adjustable
Small Blade--  Blade Width: 7 1/2 ”, Blade Length: 16 1/2”, Surface area: 89 sq in
Large Blade--  Blade Width: 8 3/4 ”, Blade Length: 16 1/2”, Surface area: 100 sq in
Weight: 30 oz
Retail Price: $299


Friday, February 10, 2012

LeverLock® Adjustable System Explained

So here is a description of how the LeverLock Adjustable SUP came to be, as described by Dave Chun, owner of KIALOA Paddles. It gets a little technical but we think you'll find it interesting and maybe it will give a little insight into what we are thinking of while developing a new product.Pupu Adjustable SUP
Conception

The patent pending LeverLock adjustable is the brain child of my buddy and design partner Dirk Steinhour. Dirk was one of the original partners at AT kayak paddles. The LeverLock is based on the system used on drain plugs in boats. This idea has also been used to reseal wine bottles.

While the system is simple, the details of the project took 1 1/2 years to
complete. All parts are custom built to our specifications with the
exception of the nut, cotter pin, and the lever dowel pin. All metal parts
are stainless steel.

People might note a unique ribbed cut-out on the bottom of the handle. The purpose of the design is to decrease weight and control shrinking during the injection molding process. More predictable shrinking means we can build to a tighter tolerance.

Many of the discussions Dirk and I had were focused on who we thought would be using an adjustable paddle, as well as how they would be using the adjustable paddle. We felt that the majority of the users would fall into the family and rental categories. This is why we made the price point Pupu Adjustable the first offering. We are currently working on other versions, but are not at the point of having a release date.

Testing

We have been using the original prototypes for over a year. We dropped tested the paddles without any problems. The handle can be snapped off.....but I had to swing the paddle like I was using a framing hammer. I have personally flipped the lever open and closed over 2000 times. The lever should not break or wear out unless the user over tightens the nut. The cable is rated at over 900lbs. All cam activated devices are subject to this type of user error problems. (quick release hubs on a bike wheel can snap the axle if over tightened) Over tightening does not improve the gripping strength of the plug.

The very minimal side to side play of the LeverLock is caused by the flexible rubber plug. A harder plug does not grip as well and will slip. The side to side movement is not detectable when
paddling. Pressure from the top hand is downward when paddling, and the unit does not slip downward. The plug also plays a dual role in preventing any water from entering the shaft and allowing the paddle to float. Kind of important with water sports equipment.

No More Disposable Products For the Landfills

Making something affordable should not mean making something cheap.
The goal was a simple device which could be repaired in the event of a mishap. A guiding principle in any project I undertake is to minimize broken paddles in the land fill.
The beauty of the system is that it is simple and repairable. If someone breaks a lever, the fix is easy. Take off the nut, pull out the cable and the broken lever, pop out the dowel which will release the cable, and reverse the process with the new lever to assemble. Very little tightening of the nut is required to get a firm grip.

Like our all our Ikaika paddles, the Pupu Adjustable is built to last.


Aloha,
Dave

Dave Chun

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Heart of Paddling

Today I can hear my dog snoring, the buzzing of my printer, and even the sliding of a box across a table downstairs. It's quiet at KIALOA because 4 of our team are in Florida setting up for Surf Expo. Their absence also has me answering phones, which is actually something I miss. Not the act of answering the phone per se, but talking to paddlers - I miss that.
Thirty minutes ago I spoke with a woman from Washington, a newer outrigger paddler looking for guidance. We talked paddles, naturally, but we also shared a couple of stories, laughed a bit, made a connection. I smiled.
Moments later I am going through the mail and a letter appears. A simply typed letter with all of the appropriate conventions, salutations, dates etc. I'm thinking, I love this! I haven't received a traditional letter in who knows how long. The letter holds five easy sentences that I want to share:
"A few years ago I bought an outrigger paddle at Island Paddler. I am very pleased with the paddle because it has lasted for a very long time. The paddle feels very nice flowing through the water and is very easy to use. It is comfortable and is very light. I use my paddle every day and I enjoy it very much. Thanks for making great paddles."
Another smile, and this one is so big it spurs me to write this blog. Thank you to Cameron Miscovish, the person who wrote the letter, for lifting my spirits and bringing me back to the heart of paddling. Mahalo.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Chuck Patterson at Battle of the Paddle 2011

The BOP Young Guns

I just wanted to thank KIALOA for your great support at the BOP. It was an awesome Challenging first day with the 2.5 lap trials where they cut half the field and then the final Elite race. It was the most competitive gathering of the Worlds best racers in a single race I have seen yet. If you didn't get the hole shot in the beginning; you were forced to battle it out with any where from 10-30 guys at every buoy turn. It made for some very punishing turns and some luck to get the set wave to separate you from the pack. Congrats to Connor Baxter and Candice Applebee for the BOP win and to our Naish team for doing so well.

Battle at the Buoy!

 

The 2nd day, we paddled the 10 mile distance race with well over 200+ racers on the starting line. It was a battle to fend off the drafting trains that followed and some times it was so hard to make a clean pass, you were stuck in the drafting train until someone made a mistake and you could take the lead. Jimmy Terrell and I battled the last half of the race side by side, both of us followed by a 10-15 person drafting train. At the end I managed to escape the pack to the finish where I placed 2nd in the 14' class behind Naish team mate Jerry Bess. Great race. The BOP finished off with the always exciting team relay races with 2 laps thru the surf around 2 buoys and a beach run. Naish put together 2 relay teams; The young guns and the Legends. LOL The young guns team finished 2nd overall and our legends team finished 5th overall.

The Naish Relay Legends!


It was an awesome weekend showcasing the future of the sport and the power of the youth brigade. Thank you all again for your great support in helping me push myself and the sport of SUP.

Best,
Chuck Patterson