On the Water with Kahuna Stand Up Paddleboards - The Braddahs!

Written by & Photos By: David Wilson & Chris Kimmel (Alpine Edge Photography)

As the summer heat cranks up and we are all looking for ways to cool off, paddleboarding is one of my favourites! It's relaxing, it gets you on the water, it's adventurous, and it provides an escape from the potentially busy shoreline!

Paddleboards, and Inflatable Stand-Up Paddleboards (SUP) in particular have come a long way since their debut. It's fascinating how new technologies like reinforced drop stitching have allowed different shapes of inflatables to be made, fueling a whole industry of new possibilities. One company that has been riding this wave of innovation is Kahuna Paddleboards. They are a Canadian based company that has been making various paddle boards since 2008. I was fortunate to have the pleasure of recently trying out the Braddah and the Touring Light Braddah on some rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

Kahuna Features

Right out of the box it is obvious Kahuna pays attention to detail and design. These white, blue and grey paddleboards with small accents of the integrated carbo rail (more later), and large deck pad look awesome! Below are some of the technologies and features Kahuna has integrated into both of these boards.

Deck Pad

One thing that stood out right away about these paddle boards was the large deck pads. They cover a good portion of the board which provides lots of space to find the perfect position for your feet, space to comfortably lay your body down, or room for little humans or furry companions to jump aboard and not slip around.

One other small design feature of these deck pads I like is the horizontal lines. Over time every person will find the perfect place they like to put their feet and these lines are a very easy visual cue so you don't need to shuffle and wobble around to find that perfect spot.

Carbon Rails

Both of these boards have light weight carbon rails along the sides. This ingenious addition adds valuable stiffness to these boards when inflated but still allows the paddleboard to be flexible and easy to roll up when deflated.

Fin Installation

Although the fins are different shapes to suit each board's intended purpose they both have the same method of installation. An easy push secures the fin in place, no tools, no bolts required! The Touring Lite Bruddah does have an additional fin included that has a easy to use thumb screw for extra fin security.

Bag

The bag that comes with these boards is well designed and makes for easy storage and transport. Additionally, this bag has wheels to pull around the airport and backpack and hip straps to make carrying the board on a trail to your favourite paddling spot a little bit easier!

Pump

The pump features strong construction, ergonomic, easy to read pressure gauge, and dual action inflation capability. A dual action pump allows you to push and pull air into the board which greatly speeds up the inflation of the board. Once it is too difficult to continue with the dual stage feature these pumps can quickly be changed to single action which only pushes air in as the handles are pressed down making it easier to push the PSI up to the final target. The whole set up can easily be done in under 10 minutes.

Paddle

Both of these boards come with a 3-piece carbon paddle. It breaks down easily to fit in the bag but still has snug connections and carbon construction to make it a very strong and stiff paddle that helps maximize the power of each stroke.

Repair Kit and Leash

Kahuna includes both a leash and a repair kit with these boards. The leashes are comfortable, easy to put on, and will save your board from blowing or floating away if you happen to be in the drink! The repair kit comes with a tube of glue, two patch pieces, and the iSUP valve wrench.

Braddah and Touring Lite Braddah Comparison

What do these differences mean?

Braddah

As seen above the Braddah is a bit wider of a board with a larger rounded bow. Both these features help give this board greater stability. Additionally, the rounded bow along with Kahuna’s “all around fin” helps give this board greater maneuverability. The rounded bow and slightly wider design provides more room on the deck surface for a friend, kids, dog, cooler, or whatever you want to bring with you out onto the water.

Touring Lite Braddah

Although the Touring Lite Braddah is a slightly narrower board which would decrease stability the touring fin it comes with is much broader near the tip and has much more surface area overall which helps provide stability to this narrower board. Additionally, this style of fin and pointed bow allows the Touring Light Bruddah to track very well.

The Touring Lite Braddah has front and back d-rings and elastic cord which gives you more options and space to securely stow whatever you're bringing on the water. That being said, if needed, you could add more d-rings on the Braddah as an aftermarket addition (follow the manufacturers recommendations).

Overall Thoughts

After trying out both these boards in a variety of conditions I honestly think they are both great options. Which one is right for you really depends on what you are looking to do with it. I found both boards tracked well and maneuvered well while providing good stability. However, the Bruddah did seem more maneuverable and slightly more stable with a bit more deck space. In contrast the Touring Lite Braddah seemed to be slightly faster with more secure storage options and track a little better.

The weight capacity on the Braddha is 250 lbs and the Touring Lite is 275 lbs which seemed to handle me (195lbs) and 30lbs of gear with no problems. Other boards I have tried seemed to “bog down” as you approach their advertised weight capacity but I did not find this with Kahuna's boards. However, If you weigh much more than I do or plan on carrying a lot more weight I would consider the 12’ Touring model which has a 325 lbs capacity.

Overall, I was impressed with Kahuna’s products, they are relatively light weight without sacrificing performance or durability. Either of these would make for a lot of great times out on the water!

Happy paddling!