@SeaDart said:
My advice would be to pick up a couple of short used paddles and see what works for you. I’m taller than you by just a bit and mostly use 193 cm . I used longer paddles long ago but they caused issues with shoulder pain, elbow tendonitis etc. Learn to paddle most efficiently and you will end up with a smaller blade and a much shorter length. Stores that rent high quality gear often have sales in the fall and spring on used equipment. It’s a good way to test out paddles without spending a lot of money. When you know what you want $300 or so is well worth the money spent if you paddle a lot. Probably more important than the kayak you use.
Well I appreciate that, but the used equipment just isn’t around near me. My upper body is long, maybe I’m looking for 200cm. Of course you’re right that I need to try stuff out before I buy! If only I could try out various paddles, but that will just have to happen later. These body pain horror stories are well worth avoiding and they seem completely related to taking too big of a bite of water so, I’m hearing what you’re saying, I will keep in mind your thoughts on a smaller blade and shorter length. Much different than I’m used to but, the fact is I’m competing only with myself, I am the only performance-oriented kayaker that I know right now. That’s why I am cool with completely changing up my approach, I have nothing to lose. My rec kayak friends just don’t bring it. At all, & that’s cool, I love boating but friends are what it’s about. Thanks for sharing your experience, SeaDart.
Yes, when I said most Euro shafts are oval, I meant in the areas where you hold the paddle; the middle area of the shaft is naturally round. Maybe I should have said most of my Euro paddles are oval in the hand area. I just checked and virtually all of the Euro paddles that I use have oval hand areas. I still think it is primarily for non-sighted blade index recognition.
You really do not have to go $400 for a really good paddle. You should take a look at the glass Werners–(Shuna and Camano). If you want to keep the price down, look at the Carlisle Expedition. What ever paddle you choose, I would recommend that you be sure it has a very rigid shaft. Some people might argue that the shaft should have some give to it. There will be times when you might have to really power up and when that happens, believe me, you don’t want a limp noodle for a shaft. You also don’t want bendy blades.
If you decide to experiment with a GP, do a lot of research and talk with real experts and get more than a couple opinions.
A wing might be something to think about if you eventually go to a different boat.
So I guess Euro paddles are different in USA and Europe.
Here in Europe, I rarely come across a Euro Paddle which doesn’t have an oval shaft (or rather egg-shaped shaft), at least at the right hand. Both of my Werners have egg shape at both the left and right hand.
No Allan, a given manufacturer makes the same paddle for all markets. Just that some of the lower end paddles from US vendors don’t tend up being sold in Europe.
My first new boat, arrived from the Liquidlogic, NC factory today. BOXED! Inside the box, was a huge fabric sock & inside of that, the Stinger XP, fully assembled. It’s perfect! Check this, both the old boat and the new are 24" wide - but I am going from a 14"x22" cockpit, to an 18" x 32" cockpit! Imagine that… Totally okay with that.
@willowleaf said:
Magooch: you mention “most Euro paddles” having oval shafts. Could you clarify that? What model do you have that is oval? Unless I am greatly mistaken, I thought that was only a feature of higher end carbons as well as wings and some bent shafts. Werner has the major market share in the US and I think they only use ovals on canoe paddles. I’m pretty sure that most kayak paddle model shafts are round and certainly the majority of those sold are so. Or did you mean Greenland paddles?
All of my Werners have slightly oval shafts, FG and carbon. It may not be that obvious to the feel or eye…
But if you try to shorten the length the shaft near the ferrule is round but soon ovals so you have to be carefull how much shaft you cut off or the ferrule won’t fit.
Huh, Learn something every day. I’ve got a bunch of Werners, several Aquabounds and a Cannon as well as some assorted paddles of obscure lineage, like a small bladed “Voyageur” that I like a lot. (I’ve bought and/or swapped over a dozen kayaks over the years, most of which came with a paddle, and kept a lot of them for fleet loaners). Never noticed that any of them had oval shafts – maybe it is just not as pronounced as with my 3 GP’s??
@willowleaf said:
Never noticed that any of them had oval shafts – maybe it is just not as pronounced as with my 3 GP’s??
You all keep using that word, “oval”.
As I wrote, they are not really oval. They are egg-shaped.
The best image I could find was this one, where a DIY solution is shown with yellow colour:
Edit:
I may have been struck by a language barrier here. In English, “oval” have several meanings, including an egg shape.
Anyway, the important part here is that it is not the same shape as you will find on a greenland paddle. The GP shape is symmetrical around two axes, so it has two opposing parts with smaller radius. The euro shape is symmetrical around only one axis, and it only has one part with smaller radius (the front of the yellow part in the image above).
What Magooch said… cadence. Since you really should be carrying a spare paddle why not make it significantly different from your ‘primary’ paddle? One paddle having less surface area thereby offering a much faster cadence… Going upwind? Use this paddle. Downwind? That paddle. Muscles tired? Heart rate too high? Like gears on a bicycle.
I think we are running out a tangent here, discussing words rather than the actual shape.
My point was that the non-circular shape is different on the two paddle types. So when looking for a non-circular shape on the shaft of a europaddle, do not look for the same non-circular shape, which you know from the loom of a Greenland paddle.
For me it is almost essential to know the orientation of the paddle blades when conditions are furious and you’re busy watching things other than the blades. Ovals, egg shaped, not round, whatever; they rock.
Might I suggest you read the following article here on Paddling.com: https://paddling.com/learn/kayak-paddle-length-how-to-pick-the-right-size/. A more vertical, power/racing (high) stroke works better with a shorter blade. However, if you are a touring paddling, a lower stroke for maintaining a constant cruising speed, is better accomplished by a slightly longer paddle that enters the water at a more acute angle. In both cases, if you are using a torso rotation and not just your arms, you’ll get more power and longer endurance…Some of these comments above are based on poor/incomplete paddling posture/performance.
Thanks Wavetamer, that article nails it for me. Much appreciated! It takes on the lower body vs upper body length piece as step one - whereas other articles don’t even address it.
According to Wavetamer’s link I’m a 30" torso, for a 210 cm minimum length paddle. My current paddle being 248 cm, forcing my low stroke. the boat, is 2 wide’ though my shoulders are broad - I think 210cm will be fine - though I’ll sleep on it. Being more informed, opens doors to confidence in spending more on a great version of the right paddle!
