This year I was able to get a lot of different paddles in my hand and ended up using the Quickblade Trifecta 96 for sprint as well as long distance races … Perfectly balanced, very pleasing handle and easy to paddle. With the UV88 I struggled a bit to get a clean Catch but it fits my taste in terms of stiffness and blade grip.
So why testing another paddle? – 384g
Recently QB seemed to do a little Update on their fabulous Diamond Elite Shaft and maybe even to the Blade Edges to get the weight down a little bit. My Trifecta 96 cut to 195cm with round tapered shaft as well as the UV88 cut to 197cm are just a tad under 500g.
I didn’t have the opportunity to test all the different shaft and Blade options that Starboard has to offer in their LIMA 2021 Lineup. I was a bit curious about naming a 87,5sq inch Blade an XL Blade. With an aggressive deep concave and a wide Blade tip this paddle caught my attention. I ordered the XL Lima 2021 with the round S35 shaft.
The weight Starboard is publishing on their site was exactly what I weighed in for the whole paddle at its maximum length. Cut down to 194cm it weighs 384g.
First test was quite promising as the blade is easy on the catch and provides a lot of grip while the shaft flexes more than I’m used to. It’s still very efficient and way easier on my shoulders when performing some intervals.
At the moment I try to get a clean exit, as the Lima tends to stick definitely more than the Trifecta which is my go to paddle when not focusing too much on a perfect technique.
The low weight is just amazing and I’ll do some tests to see if that flex leads to losses compared to the Quickblade opponents.
Stay tuned, there’s more to come 😉