I just bought at auction on eBay a Werner Molokai 210cm all carbon, bent shaft paddle. Nice price, nice looking paddle. Looks like an Ikelos.
Anyone have exeprience with one? Any good? Likes and dislikes?
Why the name Molokai? And I don't think they make them any longer in this model. I guess that's because it was so efficient in the water that kayakers were paddling so fast it was unsafe, the kayak sort of became like a bullet in the water. A liability to Werner, I suspect. Anyhow, I snagged one.
Yep a friend has one it is a full size blade that is very good for moving a heavy sit on top. I consider it to much blade for a standard sea kayak. It’s OK for short sprints.
Got the Molokai by Fed x ground Today Clearly an all carbon bent shaft Werner with an attitude. Sploosh said it well in the above review. This will take some getting used to, and I can see how it’d be the paddle of choice for moving a barge-like sit-on-top or some other heavy boat.
All in all though, I wonder if this paddle blade has, actually, that much more surface area than my felllow paddler bruce’s Ikelos. They seem comparable.
I look forward to trying it out sometime soon. Yanoer heading out there with his Kalliste. Bohemia done grading papers and slows down for a couple weeks at Thanksgiving. If there is a gorgeous day–and that is a big if–then some locals should paddle and swap off all these paddles. Equipment test day.
I want to try the Werner Molokai and my Max Wing paddles in the Barracuda on a warm nuclear lake so that I can go very very fast, and dumps will not be life threatening.
Good luck with that! I’ve gotten some nasty e-mails from that review. Too funny!
Here’s the rest of the story. I kept it around cause its light and sturdy, but it took two years to get used to that paddle. What’s that tell ya? The issue was with the paddler. I was out in a stiff breeze pushing a Tarpon 160 with that paddle last week and it occurred to me that it didn’t dive, flutter, or fly in the wind.
I meant everything I said in that review and I think the blade size is ridiculous for most people. But after some maturation as a paddler and gaining 20 lbs the Molokai has become what I hoped it would be when I bought it. It’s great for slow cadence strokes pulling a big boat and you can sprint a sleek boat with it. But it’s an odd bird - not for everyone.
Well said. If I was in the D/Ft W area (I have a good friend Eric down there, but he won;t get a yak for his SUV and head out to Grapevine Lake no matter how many eBay Dallas ads I email him), we'd paddle dualing Molokais. As Werner no longer makes this model they are collectors items. Sort of, anyhow. Wonderful review from you. Wish all were that entertaining.
I'll pop a reviw on in six months or so after I've paddle the beast a few times.
Chris Duff likes them According to his article, he used the Molokai on his circumnavs of Ireland and New Zealand. Then the Ikelos came out and he made the switch. I’d happily add a graphite Molokai to the gear cabinet if I could score a good deal. Congrats.
I will let any of you know if it's "too much paddle" for me, and you can buy it for the same price I paid for it.
Yes, bruce, we will try out each other's blades. Notice that I am trying to be like you in every way... but always one step below. Bruce gets the new Valley Aquanaut LV RM... I follow with the lowly Avocet. Bruce gets a spanking new Ikelos. I mimic with a used discontinued Molokai.