Doggy_Paddler and I agree here. I’d buy (or make) a longer paddle and maybe even with wider blades. Then if it’s too heavy, long, or too wide for easy use with your hand size, simply cut it down a bit at a time until you get a perfect paddle for your own preferences.
My “oversize greenland” was made for that exact reason and after using it for 1 long day I came to the realization it was perfect the way I made it. The blades are wider then what most are. The average GL blade made today is 3.5" wide and my Oversize GL is 4- 7/16" wide. The average GL molded paddle is the same size as what is found in the collections of “winners paddles” in Nook, but it must be pointed out that the average Inuit man is small compared to the average American or European man. So in my limited but interested research, I find that most of what we see offered today are made as near copies of those used so well by men of between 5’ 5" to 5.7" and with smaller hands then most of those folks using them today.
My nephew lives in Soldotna Alaska and made friends with an older lady who’s husband used to be a paddle maker farther north. Her name is Ah Nna’. Sadly her husband passed away nearly 20 years ago. But she told Liam how her husband made paddles, and I adopted the same method. It seems to be a good way to do it. Maybe not 100% perfect, but it always gets someone very close to a perfect fit.
The method I was told about is to measure from the 1st joint of the middle finger to the mid radius of the thumb and palm. This will be the blade width at the tips.
Next measure the full spread of the outstretch arms from finger tip to finger tip, and add 1 full cubit from the man or woman getting the new paddle. For a “big trips paddle” (often what he called long tours along the Alaskan coast) you add a full hand width. Measure the outstretch hand from pinky tip to thumb tip.
For very powerful paddlers he said to leave the tips untapered for the same measurement of overall hand size, and the taper should start that far away from the tips. So in my case my paddles taper from the loom to 8.5" away from the ends of the blades, but that last 8.5" is untapered.
A few men were powerful enough to add 2 hand widths to the length above.
I wish I knew the village the old man lived in, because I’d call these paddles by that name. Or his name, (or nick-name) which Ah Nna’ said is Cy. For now I am calling them Greenland/Boysen style paddles. (for lack of a better term or name)
The typical ribbed blades are not made that way. We call that style the Aleut paddle. They are a shouldered paddle blade and loom, and the blades are mostly untapered for about 3/4" of their length and about 3.5" wide. They are ribbed on one side of the blades which is the power face. Most are close to 8 feet long and some as long as 9.5 feet. The Aleut paddle I have in the picture above is made in this way, and it’s 9’ 1" long and 3.5"" wide for most of the blade length, ending in bullet shaped tips.
Because of the length of some of these paddles, I make most of mine with splits today. I use those made by Kajak Sport from Finland.
Rich Paddle 1 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr
The Aleut paddles have a “rounded triangular loom” so I can’t use the split on them and still have then look correct, but I have compromised a few times and used an oval loom on an Aleut paddle so it can be made as a 2 piece. The biggest reason is because shipping paddles of around 8 -9 feet is VERY costly. That and the fact that having a 2 piece paddle on the deck rigging, taken apart, keeps it from sticking out bast the bow, and in big waves such a protrusion can be a problem.
All said, I’d recommend making one that fits your body measurements and make it that size or larger so as to be able to make it smaller in the future if you’d like.
I have several friends who use carbon GL paddles and I have used several of them from several makers. (So far I have used 7 of them at various times, 2 of which were just last Sunday) All seem too small for my liking. Too short and too narrow in my opinion. All work well and none are bad, but I have come to far prefer those I made for my own use, because I like them longer and wider, and as Doggy_Paddler said, the feel of wood is also a benefit you only appreciate after you use a wood and a carbon paddle side by side.
The wood itself is far less costly then carbon fiber but to make a good paddle is time consuming, so if you buy a wood paddle you are mostly paying for the labor it takes to make it from lumber. In the case of carbon paddles you are paying for the materials and also the investment on molds and machines to make them.
If you have wood working skills you can make your own and if your time is counted as pleasure time (instead of work time) you can make a very good GL or Alaskan paddle for about $30 - $60. If you pay someone who does it as a profession I think you can expect to pay between $350 and $425 for a good wood paddle. Fancy one are even more. I laminate mine from 3 pieces of wood (usually Yellow/Ponderosa pine) so the loom and some of the blades are reinforced, and between the glue up and the total time in shaping sanding and finishing I have about 14 hours into a paddle. It’s usually broken up and done over 3 days. If you make one oversize the same time will apply, but be spread out more because as a rule you’ll use them in the raw a few times to be sure it’s what you want. Final finishing comes after you are sure.
