I agree that in shallow water TOO NARROW TO PERFORM THE FULL SLIDING STROKE a wider bladed EP outperforms a narrower bladed Greenland paddle, or a narrower bladed EP for that matter. Having briefly borrowed a Kaileq, I can also say that the Kaileq is the most powerful Greenland style paddle that I have every tried.  The equivalent of an EP with a huge blade.  In fact I found it too powerful, and the edges too sharp for my tastes. However, I am skeptical that the round-tips are the difference.  My deceased Gearlab Akiak had round tips.  However my replacement Akiak came with the flatter tips.  Both are the same model and the same length, and I cannot detect a noticeable power difference despite the different tips.  Though I quickly felt a difference when I borrowed the Kaileq. When I go to the Gearlab website and look at their specs for the Kaileq and Akiak the first thing that jumps out at me is the Kaileq blade width is listed as 8.8 cm, while the Akiak's blade width is listed as 8.4 cm. The description for the Kaileq also says: Meticulously engineered, the Kaileq edge measures 1.1 mm at its thinnest point. The smoothness of this edge guarantees complete comfort while the paddle slices the water with unparalleled efficiency.   Gearlab does not seem to mention the Akiak's edge, and I experienced the Kaileq's edge as sharper. So I would put my money on the width and narrow edge of the Kaileq being far more important than the tip shape in explaining its greater power.

interested  Bill H

Thanks for sharing this.  Very helpful to see you work through this procedure.

My Cetus HV had a balky skeg and the video below shows how I effected a repair. The main points of the repair are: -A 5mm bungee replaces a 3mm bungee for a more robust skeg mechanism. -A bit of trial and error arriving @ the right tension. When the skeg is fully deployed the bungees should have very slight tension. When the keg is housed in the box, maximum tension is achieved (to readily deploy). To maximize bungee longevity, deploy the keg when stored, if possible.  -Carry necessary tools/components (small cable ties, knife/scissors, 2' (min) length of 5mm bungee) in your repair kit to effect a "field" repair on your own Cetus. Cetus Skeg Repair.mp4    

Prudence and Dave ,thank you for organizing this trip,  Yes I’m interested , I can do the 9-10 or 16-17. Thanks Richard