I’m 6’ and use a 220.
You may be…
putting the blades too deep in the water. I’m 6ft & use a 210cm paddle. Keeping the blades shallow & close to the kayak seems to be more efficient for me.
There are many factors…
Without any pretence of being an expert I’d say there is no universal measure and there are many factors at play.
But most factors can be reduced to what the link to the short video someone else posted above. So the discussion below is mostly academic…
Some things to consider:
- how far above the water you sit. This is influenced by boat rocker, seat height, torso height, arms length, salty vs. sweet water…
- how wide is your boat at the paddle entry point for you. In many cases it does not really matter how wide the boat is overall (within reason - 20" vs. 22" may not really matter, but 36" will), since the paddle begins to move away from the boat as soon as it is well planted. Plus, the same boat will typically present a wider paddle entry point for a shorter-arms person - assuming the boat gets narrower the farther ahead you plant the paddle.
- how wide shouldered are you - determines how wide apart your hands would sit on the shaft for max power (this can be different for the same length arms people of different shoulder width)
- the type of paddle blade and when you take it out of the water matters too, especially when you get in to vertical strokes. Some curved blades just beg to be taken out early or they dig and slow you down - with these you need much shorter than with a flat blade
- do you want to paddle long or do you want to paddle hard for a short time?
- High or low angle?
- Do you want to brace? Longer paddles give you more leverage during a brace but that’s a double-edged sword as it may be too much.
With my Epic wing paddle I can set it anywhere b/w 210 and 220 cm. At 220cm the boat moves faster even though I paddle slower. At closer to 210, it is easier to move the paddle thru the water if I am very tired for some reason but boat speed goes down.
I used to think 210-215 was good for me for several months. Even wanted to trade my paddle for a shorter one, not in small part influenced by this forum. But then I took a class with a very good instructor who showed me how to do a “proper” stroke. I have since demonstrated to myself thru practice that 220cm is really where I need to be. I can go a little longer or a little shorter to balance performance for the conditions, but under 215cm it gets really inefficient for me and I seldom go below 215.
Call Onno and talk to Patrick.
205cm
I like them short. I’m taller than you, have long gorilla arms, and have a wider kayak, too. Paddle length is a matter of preference rather than a mathematical computation (unless you’re a racer). Go to a shop, pick up a 230cm and a 240cm and see what feels good in your hands. Buy that one.
- Big D
adjustable
– Last Updated: Feb-12-09 2:19 PM EST –
cuz we aren't you.
I'd suggest an adjustable paddle between 215 and 225.
http://www.epickayaks.com/tech/lengthlock
those charts
I remember when they came out,somehow all those whitewater paddlers are in 23" wide boats and they’re using 200-210 paddles but sea kayakers in 22"-24" boats are using 230-240cm paddles regardless of blade shape. Makes no sense.
high or low
The most important factor in choosing paddle length is high or low angle stroke. If you like or use high, then you are limited in how long the paddle can be. If you use low and not high the paddle can be longer. Werner’s site shows longer for their low angle paddles than high.
The Epic site presumes a high angle stroke so it will recommend a shorter paddle.
The best guide however is one’s own trial and error.
Trouble is most folks are neither
Most are mid angle paddlers - so the high/low ends up being marketing hype for them.
Then there are the varied angle paddlers who continually change it up.
Funny how either blade shape seem fine for both in most cases.
Then there are the different interpretations of what angle is being talked about.
Yes, it’s about how horizontal vs vertical the shaft is - but as seen from what angle? Most assume it’s the angle as you see someone from the front or back and only think about that (and that’s what is marketed) - but how vertical your shaft is from a size view (or the relative amount of time it’s more vertical than not through the stroke) also matters (but this is an efficiency/technique thing that sort of hard to “sell”). If it’s not vertical as seen from the side it’s either pushing some water down or pulling some. Thrust vectors and all that. Human body makes you move in arcs, so some is inevitable - but changes here reward the time spent playing around with it. The move to shorter paddles has no doubt helped here as it’s easier to dial this in when you’re not tripping over a too long paddle.
Paddle length
– Last Updated: Feb-12-09 11:17 PM EST –
I agree with almost every post here. I'm 6'2" and use a 215 cm werner paddle with my 21" and 22" beam boats. When I first started paddling I had a 235 cm paddle and after spending a lot of time on the water my stroke naturally evolved to a higher angle paddle style. I like a high stroke rate, racing style and the shorter paddle helps me engage my torso in the rotation. The longer paddle put a lot of force/tork on my shoulders. Shorter the better in my opinion. I might actualy use my 197 ww paddle in a race or two this year.
FWIW
– Last Updated: Feb-14-09 2:08 PM EST –
I am 6'2 and paddle a 24' wide tsunami. I have a 215 cm Onno high angle paddle (I know the paddle is better than the boat . . . working on that). I am getting a 220 Werner Camano for the days when I want to cover miles. I cant stand using a 230 . . . too long in my opinion.
curious why the camano for longer trips
I have a Camano now, but am pondering a shorter, high angle paddle to use even for long trips (like 20+ mile crossings). The hype on high angle suggests that it’s efficient for such long hauls as well, but maybe your experience would be interesting to hear.
Which model of Werner?
It makes a difference, because the blade lengths are different on their different models.
shall we assume you are…
joking??
My Onno
– Last Updated: Feb-12-09 9:40 PM EST –
is a big blade, and most of the energy that goes into it is wasted with my boat. I like to keep a high cadence, and find that with the big blade of the Onno I have tons of wasted effort. I want to get a Camano because the blade is smaller, and I believe I am more of a low angle paddler. (My hand passes at about shoulder level). So for my particular situation I think I will be better served with a smaller blade low angle paddle. But who knows, I may hate it and return it for a Shuna!
215 right now…
but I’d like to go to 210. I’m 6’ and use an ONNO Wing. Like to get a 210 from Patrick with a slightly smaller blade, a 2 piece and with his new lever lock thingy.
I paddle a 19" wide surf ski and a 21.5" wide kayak.
Andy
emanoh
I paddle a 215 cm werner shuna carbon bent shaft.
high low experience
I have 3 boats, Q700, Seda Ikkuma and CD Solstice GTS; and 2 bent shaft paddles, Werner Kalliste at 220 and AT Exception Tour at 226 cm. I studied Doug Van Doren’s Greenland video and adopted his low stroke because of rotator cuff issues preventing a high stroke. The salient feature of my low stroke is keeping elbows low and knuckles near the deck. The Kalliste is a larger blade than the AT and I find that I can switch easily between the two without a preference. I used to have longer paddles, an AT at 230 cm which I found too long.
Now that my rotator cuff is better I still prefer my low stroke. When I try a high stroke with the 226 AT, it is clearly too long. Even the 220 Kalliste is slightly long for the high stroke.
This paddle stuff is independent of which of my boats I choose on a particular day.
Thanks Belton. I had used a longer
one because that’s what the charts say to use. It just seemed clumbsy. I do a lot of upstream and rock gardens that require quick manuvering. I always carry the longer one as a spare, I’ll try it again on flat water.
Beware too much of a good thing …
… as just as there are too long, there have to be too short. Find the sweet spot(s) for your use(s) and keep noticing how it shifts over time as you have been - or rather how you change and how what works for you changes to suit.
Good point to re-stress (in general - not to you) that overall length is a poor measure. It’s all about blade size/shape/type, burying but not over burying the blades (that’s where shaft length matters), planting and levering off the water(engaging torso power) vs hoeing/shoveling it (arm power and energy wasted churning water). Also that the stuff that reads to many as “race” stuff, applies just as much to more casual paddling, and the benefits are a lot more than just a speed increase. Can be hard to work on and get decent feedback under 3 knots though…
Better point to add: Do as I say, not as I do! L