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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Paddle length advice
Posted By: Ed Deery In Response To: Paddle length advice (Barb)
Date: Friday, 26 August 2005, at 7:01 p.m.
Be aware that fashion changes, and that includes fashions in paddle length. When I bought my first double blade about 15 years ago, the expert in the kayak store asked how wide my boat was and recommended a 245 cm paddle. As I was using it to propel a 30” wide canoe while in a kneeling position, that length was fine. About seven years ago, I acquired a 24” wide kayak and could tell before long that the 245 was too much, so I sold it to a guy a foot taller than I am who paddles a wide recreational kayak. I asked the expert in the kayak store what length I should get. They asked me how wide my boat was and how aggressive/high angle my paddle stroke was. I told them 24” and moderately high angle. They recommended a 230 as suiting my paddling style and physique (I’m 5’6”), and as being the “standard” length. I’ve noticed more recently that the “standard” length for loaner paddles at symposia is 220. The 230 felt fine for a few years, but gradually began to feel too long. I started experimenting with borrowed paddles from 220 down to 206 cm. I finally settled on a 215, but would probably be almost as happy with a 210. This is in a 23” wide boat.
I doubt that most paddlers could discern a difference of less than 5 cm in a blindfold test. Interestingly, the 215 cm I settled on for my Euro paddle is very close to the anthropomorphically derived (armspan plus a cubit) size for my Greenland paddle. Meanwhile, in my whitewater boat, I use a 198 with a substantially larger blade. Whitewater is an environment where you’re usually either sprinting or drifting, dealing with aerated water that offers less resistance to the blade, and where wind is rarely a factor. In these situations, you don’t need to optimize for steady cruising in windy conditions.
There is an interaction between blade area, paddling style (both angle and cadence), boat width, type of conditions (white water, flat water, wind, etc.) and optimal paddle length. Shorter shaft, smaller blade => higher angle and faster cadence, not to mention being less influenced by the wind. In a way, you are choosing your paddling style via your paddle specifications.
I have heard it recommended that your spare paddle be a different length and blade configuration than your primary paddle so as to spread the strain on your body. By all means, consider a Greenland paddle as part of your kit.
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