There is a description on the KIALOA Paddles website that describes their Tiare adjustable paddle – but it barely begins to describe the unique features of this woman-specific paddle. Just because so many “girl” versions are pink, I chose the blue for my Tiare. Immediately after getting it I hit the water on a blustery late winter day in Oregon.

The product description states, “Traditional adjustable paddles are male minded.  Not this one. We combined a Slim Shaft™ that fits like a glove, an 80 square inch blade, and our LeverLock® adjustable technology with a range of 66”-82”.  By doing this we’ve created a lightweight paddle that is ergonomically designed for women.  Adjust the height for varying conditions or share it with your friends.”

I went to the water that cold day expecting a nice paddle with my husband, Ed. I was coming off a hard training day (TRX and insane intense yoga) from the day before so I told Ed I would just be enjoying an easy paddle.  As the miles clicked by I found myself enjoying such a solid “catch” with every stroke – true power connection.  On the pull the blade moved through the water with smooth acceleration. I found a quick rhythm that gave me a surprising amount of speed for the rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Ed commented, ‘Thought you were going to do an easy paddle today,” as I zoomed by. mmmm, that had been my plan.

The next time we went out we had been talking about paddle length for surfing, flatwater, thick race boards vs slim surf boards. Noticing the freeboard on my Starboard Astro Deluxe Touring board, I thought I might add an inch to the length of my Tiare paddle before we headed out, just to compare. Oh, the joy of an adjustable paddle! Yes, great to share with friends but so cool to learn something about my paddle stroke, paddle length and efficiency.

Once again comparing my RPE to speed I was delighted. I moved through the water with ease, both upstream and downstream, into the wind and with a sweet downwind the other way. I knew the Tiare was designed for a woman, but I decided to check with Dave Chun to learn more about the details. Dave designs KIALOA paddles with a lot of research, innovation – and conversations with the target user. In the case of the Tiare and the new Mekana outrigger paddle those conversations took place with women paddlers.

I asked Dave why I might be noticing an increase in speed and a decrease in perceived exertion with the Tiare blade.  Dave explained that even though the Tiare is smaller in square inches, the bottom third (where the catch takes place) is wider. This allows me to really feel and accentuate the catch of my paddle stroke – thus gaining more effective power as the stroke plays out.  In addition, Dave explained that the flex of the blade allows me to “feel” the water more effectively throughout the stroke.

Dave shared this in more detail, “I feel a good paddle needs to flex. The flex gives feedback to the paddler, which makes for a more efficient catch and pull. What the blade is doing in the water is important if a paddler wants to continue to develop their technique. I believe stroke technique is a lifelong journey. Many paddlers only think in terms of fitness when training. But, consider how most athletes are trained for their sport. Components of the sport are broken down in to small segments and drilled over and over again. Practicing an inefficient paddling stroke will get you fit, but it will limit the threshold of one’s overall speed.

The stiffness or flexibility of the paddle must be scaled to the strength of the athlete. Generally speaking, men are larger, and thus stronger. The typical woman, cannot “load” a blade or a shaft designed for a man. It is not simply a matter of building a blade with less surface area. The blade, as well as the shaft, must load under a woman’s energy output. 

The Tiare was designed during the tooling/molding phase as a women’s paddle. The rib is narrower and lower in height than the Insanity. It was scaled to a women. On our part it was a commitment to our women’s program. The Tiare mold or “Shorty” as we nicknamed it, will never be used for an all-around or man’s paddle.

During the design phase we decided that a women’s shaft should be less than 28mm. 28mm is the standard diameter of a men’s Olympic weight lifting bar. 25mm is the standard for women. 25mm is pretty small for a paddle shaft. We settled on the 27mm-27.5mm range. Round shafts flex more than oval shaft, dimensions  and material lay-up being equal. Like designing a pair of gender specific blue jeans, we started with a clean slate when we designed the Tiare – for women.”

I gained enormous insight from Dave’s explanation. The circumference of the paddle shaft is just right for holding in the curve of my fingers – in a relaxed grip.  All in all, I am in totally jazzed about having the Tiare adjustable for racing, recreation, traveling and surfing.

Go now – check out the Tiare at KIALOA Paddles. DESCRIPTION: KIALOA is proud to introduce a new paddle designed to give the female paddler the best experience possible. The blade is designed for optimal catch at the front of the stroke and the Slim Shaft™ with plumeria graphics is a visual stunner. But more importantly the carbon wrapped fiberglass shaft fits a smaller hand perfectly with just the right amount of flex. Conventional thought is to shrink and pink a paddle and ladies will buy in, but we created this paddle from the ground up based on your specific feedback. YES! Thank you for that KIALOA Paddles.