I’ve also noticed the lack of blades in this size range. Seems like there might be a market niche for it.
Here are most of the paddles I use. I have 2 good Euro type paddles and several Aleut and Greenland style paddles. All of these were overlaid on a piece of paper and traced to give comparative sizes.
I find I do better in calmer waters with the Euros and the higher the waves get, the better I like the Aleut and Greenland types. The euros also do best for me in shallow water because of the length of the blades on the GL and Alaskan types.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr
To clarify, the red Euro tracing is of the Warner Kalliste and the blue tracing is of the Aqua Bound Eagle Ray. I don’t think there is more then 1 Sq inch of difference between the 2.
Shallow rocky rivers.
@skeggy_boi, as with a motor vehicle, think of your muscles as the engine, your torso and arms are drive train and the blades are like tires. You have to test different paddles to best managed your power by adapting to your physical stature, body dimensions, and conditioning. Then you have to figure out whether you want speed, power, endurance, comfort or a design that enhances control.
Since no two paddlers have the same power output or physical ability to leverage a specific paddle length or blade, you have to find that balance yourself.
Of course a paddle is a paddle. The stategy is to get the best purchase that locks the blade in the water while levering the boat forward. When you want instant acceleration and power for a sprint race or to surf wave, you might prefer large blades which uses limited stores of glycogen anerobically. When you are traveling long distances, a smaller blade with a higher cadence keeps the kayak on glide and allows you to remain within a comfortable anerobic zone for more efficient energy management.
However, many paddlers do use narrow width Greenland paddles because of the better control; they compensate for lack of blade area by developing power through higher cadence, preferring greater control over the speed advantage of larger blades. Although a narrow blade will slip more readily under load, the solution is to build power gradually - as the boat speed increases, less effort is needed to propel the boat. Consequently, it will take longer to get up to speed, but the payoff is greater energy management and less stress on muscles and joints.
I suspect that many paddlers use the same technique for every paddle. A low angle or high angle paddle can be used interchangeably for satisfactory results, because the blade are dimentionally sjjimilar and only vary in length/width by around an inch. Although square inch blade area is typically larger for high angle paddling, you can find high angle paddles with smaller area blades than low angle paddles; the reverse is also true. The critical dimension is length, in that an appropriate length for high angle is too stubby for effective low angle, as a long low angle paddle puts the off side blade too high in the air for an efficient transition between the exit and the next power phase. A longer low angle paddle gives an advantage, as long as the paddler can control and handle the leverage of the combined paddle length/square inch area or the blades.
Based on my experimentation, I prefer a low angle technique, using the longest paddle that I can swing at a higher cadence. The longer the paddle, the longer the blades remain in the power arc, because the longer length doesn’t interfere with power transition from exit to catch.
The only way to tell which is most effective for YOU is to try different paddles and figure out how to adapt your power output to that paddle. However, you need to decide whether you prefer to sprint or tour of surf. If your goal is piddle around on the pond, any old paddle will do, as will any old stroke.
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I actually recently went on a 300-mile trip and ended up using mostly paddle C from above (the largest one I have). I used Paddle B (which I brought as a spare) the first day or two to get warmed up and another time near the end when I was tired. I seem to prefer a higher cadence in general but found the greater control with Paddle C worth the slightly increased weight and slightly slower cadence. I still am using all paddles with as high-angle a technique as possible, a short length, and a relatively fast cadence for my ability. The larger paddle blade area is less inconvenient as I get more fit. I do find I have to be more particular with technique since I’ll get flutter much more easily with this one than any other paddle I’ve used, but I don’t mind the reminder to stay proper.
I haven’t seen a need for an even bigger paddle yet for me personally, although I could see how people go for bigger in “conditions”. I wouldn’t mind something in-between (like something 630-ish as Craig mentioned above) but Paddle C is my overall preference at this point, which I actually didn’t expect.
I’d lover to know which paddles A, B and C are. Brand and models.
Ha! I was trying to leave that out to keep the conversation conceptual. I feel like people get too caught up on gear. I feel you, though.
Paddle A: Werner Shuna, 215cm length/613cm blade area
Paddle B: Lendal Cadence, 205-210cm length/580cm blade area
Paddle C: Braca-Sport Hurricane 660 100, 206-216cm length/660cm blade area
I’m slightly skeptical that all manufacturers calculate blade area the same way but whatever.
I like the Shuna a lot but I came to find that I hate the length. I feel like I could go shorter than 205 on the Lendal, oddly—probably because the blades are shorter—although making it a little longer is OK too for a little extra oomph. Anything past 208 feels a bit superfluous on the Braca. I ordered it at 206 minimum length because I calculated that to be my sweet spot and I wanted to be able to use it without futzing with the length setting. I nailed it—I love it at 206! The Brača is my default now.
I do expect that I’ll be able to handle longer paddles as I get more buff in the future and I do like extra length in waves to catch the troughs more easily. Shorter paddles just feel right to me, though—no wasted motion.
I’m 6’1" and about 152 pounds (185cm/69kg); I mostly paddle a QCC 700 in inland lakes and rivers.