New & Improved Whiskey, Tango and Malta Paddles for 2025
4-minute read
Aqua Bound’s Malta stand-up paddle and Whiskey and Tango kayak paddles have been much-desired products in the paddling community since their introduction in 2017 and 2018. Now we’ve upgraded them significantly for 2025.
Until now we’ve offered these lightweight, high-performance paddles with carbon or eye-popping fiberglass blades and full-carbon shafts. For 2025, we’ve introduced a few major upgrades we know you’ll love.
Lam-Lok™ Technology for Serious Durability
In 2024, we introduced our most exciting new product since the Whiskey and Tango—our Aerial collection of whitewater paddles.
Cory Novinska, Aqua Bound co-owner and VP of operations, explains:
“We surveyed a wide range of whitewater paddlers and asked them: ‘If there was one thing you could change about your paddle, what would it be?’ The resounding answer was durability, with the blade edge a common topic.
“Typical whitewater paddle blades wear away season after season until it’s no longer functional. Not only is that bad for the paddler because they no longer have the paddle they paid for, but it’s not great for our waterways. You’re introducing tiny resin, fiberglass and carbon bits into the water streams.
“So we decided we wanted to attack that opportunity. We investigated several tactics. We stumbled on a wild idea, quickly realized we were onto something and refined it. Now we’re going down a path with Lam-Lok™ that we believe will make any product without it seem inferior.”
Our proprietary Lam-Lok™ technology provides over five meters of aramid stitching along the blade edges that take the most beating. [See more about that here.] Our tests show it resists delamination and abrasion 5-10 times better than other blades.
Whitewater enthusiasts around the community are praising this new technology, including Paddling Magazine which awarded the Aerial family its 2024 Best Paddle award.
Now we’re bringing Lam-Lok™ into our kayak touring and SUP lines too.
New Design for Whiskey, Tango and Malta with Lam-Lok™
We’re beginning our non-whitewater Lam-Lok™ lineup with the new Geo Punch design for all three fiberglass paddles: Whiskey (high-angle kayak paddle), Tango (low-angle kayak paddle) and Malta (stand-up paddleboard paddle):
The carbon versions of all three of these paddles will include Lam-Lok™ as well, starting this month, October 2024.
[NOTE: We’ll continue to offer our original blades—without Lam-Lok™—in our most popular fiberglass designs for the time being.]
Upgrade in Carbon Materials
Another exciting upgrade comes with our carbon models of these three paddles.
We’ve changed our original plain weave carbon to “spread tow” carbon in the blades. This new technology increases the strength, stiffness and impact resistance while reducing the paddle’s weight even further:
We’ll continue to make the shafts with T-700 carbon, similar to what’s used in the aerospace industry.
Whiskey and Tango Now Available with Versa-Lok™ Ferrule
Finally, both Whiskey and Tango models will now be available with the Versa-Lok™ ferrule system we introduced in 2024.
Versa-Lok™ is a robust and snug-fitting adjustable-length ferrule. With up to 15 cm of adjustability, you can now use one paddle for different boats or share it with a friend. It also offers infinite feathering angles for every paddling condition you’ll face.
Our adjustable-length Versa-Lok™ ferrule system is now available on our Whiskey and Tango models
This ferrule is easy to use on the fly, rust-resistant and very durable, made with nylon-reinforced plastic and stainless steel.
Take a Closer Look
You can take a closer look at the new and improved Whiskey, Tango and Malta paddles by clicking on the links below:
- Whiskey Fiberglass and Carbon kayak paddle options—Includes 2-piece, 4-piece, straight shaft, bent shaft, Posi-Lok or Versa-Lok™ ferrule system
- Tango Fiberglass and Carbon kayak paddle options—Includes 2-piece, 4-piece, straight shaft, bent shaft, Posi-Lok or Versa-Lok™ ferrule system
- Malta Fiberglass and Carbon paddleboard paddle options—Includes 1-piece or 2-piece
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or [email protected]
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