Palafamala Hybrid

A lightweight, well balanced, double bend hybrid, suitable for sprints and long distance paddling in both W1 and W6.

THE BLADE

Paddle Dimensions: 9.5" wide x 18.5" long

THE SHAFT

Poplar and Basswood have been the standard shaft materials for years but we searched for something better. After many different woods and layups we ended up using Poplar for the stringer and Vertical Grain Sitka Spruce for the sides. We found this to be the best for weight, strength and flex.

The darker wood on the upper part of the shaft is Western Red Cedar. We use it to add contrasts and beauty while maintaining good weight.

The carbon sleeve in the shaft is not needed for strength. The shaft alone is strong enough. The carbon helps the shaft from getting dings or wear from rings etc. Some paddlers look at carbon and instantly think it’s going to be too stiff but realistically there is plenty flex.

T TOP HANDLE

I made my T tops to be comfortable. I used to hand shape all of these using Cedar for the beauty and the lightweight. It ended up being too soft and would dent easily. I moved on to Basswood that was harder and painted it black since there was no pretty grain. It still wasn’t as durable as I would like. Michael Giblin took my design and made a super light, durable, carbon T top. I am super happy with it.

• BALANCE

  We try to keep the balance point of the paddle about one fist above the blade. Although some paddlers choke all the way up or all the way down, the majority grab about one fist up. This allows you to not feel the weight of the paddle. 

  
  
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  WEIGHT

  Most paddlers like light paddles but not all. Some like to feel something in their hands as they swing back on the return. Some like the blade to be heavier than the shaft (head heavy) so that they feel the blade help them sink on the press instead of having to press down with no help. We decided to go with the majority and keep our blades light. The average weight for all paddles is 17oz.
  

  
  
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  FLEX

  There are so many different opinions about flex. Too stiff and it hurts the body. Too much flex and you won’t get the instant response. Some like enough flex so that it gives a slight whip before making the exit. We like it to be with slight flex. Enough to get the response but not hurt the body.

  
  
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  DEGREE

  We have stuck with the traditional 10 degrees on the blade. It has worked for years and after playing around with different degrees this was still the one. Our paddles are double bends but If you set them on a table touching the T top and the upper back side of the blade, you will have 10 degrees from the straight edge of the table to the blade. This would be the same as if it was a straight shaft lying on the table with a 10-degree blade.

  
  
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  DOUBLE BEND

  This could be different in the other parts of the world but in Hawaii and Tahiti double bends are where it’s at. I have heard many reasons why the double bend is used but for me, it is to relax the bottom hand. You can get a full fist on the shaft a lot earlier into your stroke at a more relaxed position than if you were to grab onto a straight shaft.
  Some people like the straight shaft because you have a direct connection when driving down on the blade. I personally have never felt that I lost that connection by using a double bend.