At Selkirk Sport, every new product begins with an idea, but not every idea becomes a for-sale paddle.
Behind the scenes, a massive amount of research, prototyping, and testing occurs before a product ever sees a professional court — and some never do.
The Selkirk lab houses the company’s most ambitious concepts, prototypes, and innovations that, for one reason or another, aren’t yet ready for full production.
How many paddles get shelved before going into production?
According to Dana Hansen, who manages testing and quality assurance at Selkirk, most paddles go through extensive prototyping before they’re ready for launch.
A single concept may go through 15 or more lettered prototype phases (A through P), with each letter containing multiple sub-iterations, sometimes four or more.
Not every version gets fully tested; some are tested for durability, others for performance or manufacturability. And only a fraction of those ideas ever make it to a LABS release, let alone the Selkirk mainline.
It’s not unusual for dozens of versions of a single concept to be created before the team feels confident enough to move forward.
What happens to shelved paddles?
Selkirk employees keep an internal library of shelved paddle prototypes and experimental technologies. It serves as a storage and reference system for products that were tested but didn’t make it into the LABS program or mainline production — at least not yet.
Some of these shelved products may return in the future with refinements. Others are permanently retired due to manufacturing limitations, consistency concerns, or strategic decisions.
The library isn't where ideas go to die. Instead, it’s where they wait for the appropriate time to be used.
How do engineers decide when to shelf a product?
The decision to shelf a paddle can come down to several factors:
-
Manufacturability: One of the biggest challenges is moving from a handmade prototype to mass production. If the manufacturing team can't make a paddle consistently due to material limitations or replication issues, the design won't move forward. A paddle concept may play incredibly well but prove too difficult or error-prone to mass produce reliably.
-
Material availability and exclusivity: Sometimes, the decision to shelf a product isn’t about performance — it’s about supply chain. If, for example, a material has a high cost or is sold to several manufacturers, that could result in the end of a project. Without a way to protect proprietary designs or materials, the project may be shelved.
-
Performance trade-offs: In some cases, a prototype might have one outstanding quality, such as exceptional spin, but fail in other areas like durability or weight. Rather than abandoning the concept completely, the R&D team might pause development until they can find a solution. A paddle that doesn’t check every box might live in the library until it can be optimized.
-
Feedback loop failure: Every LABS release invites real-world feedback from early adopters. If the feedback identifies an issue that can’t be resolved with minor adjustments, the prototype may be removed from circulation and reworked, or shelved indefinitely. These products are added to the Selkirk LABS Vault.
What’s the difference between shelving and iterating?
While shelving might sound final, it often isn’t. In fact, many shelved prototypes are still considered “in progress” and may be revisited later with fresh materials, new manufacturing partners, or lessons learned from other products.
Shelving is not failure — it’s an intentional pause to preserve quality and maintain Selkirk’s reputation for consistency and innovation.
Why does Selkirk keep prototyping even after a product launches?
Even after a LABS paddle transitions to the main line, such as the LUXX Control Air, Selkirk continues refining the design.
This ongoing iteration process ensures that popular paddles continue to feature the most cutting-edge advancements. Every prototype, whether it makes it to production or not, teaches the engineering team something valuable.
