Hello - I have an Eddyline Sandpiper 12’ (28" wide). Mostly kayak in small lakes and calm rivers. I also paddle with a medium sized dog (35lbs). I am a low angle paddler and currently have a 230cm paddle. The length seems fine, but my hands get very sore when I paddle. I wear gloves, but considering a new paddle. I am petite with small hands. I measured my hand size based on Werner measurements and it shows me as needing a small shaft (<6"). I have had hand surgeries which is contributing to some of my hand pain. I have found Werner and Aqua Bound to have a small shaft. I also noticed that Aqua Bound has an oval shape. I am wondering of anyone else with small hands, did you go with a small shaft or does the oval shape help even in the regular size shaft? Any recommendations on specific paddles? Do cushioned handgrips help? I would prefer to stay below $300, if possible. Thanks in advance!
“Hands get very sore” meaning blisters? Wrist tendons? Thumb muscle? Most finger muscles are in the forearm.
Some tennis racket tapes increase the diameter but also increase the friction so you don’t have to grip as hard; gloves can be grippy or slippery.
If the problem is tendons check out a bent shaft paddle or ibuprofen.
Soreness is mostly thumb muscle and forearm. I had joint replacement in my thumb on one hand and fractured wrist in the other. Unfortunately, I can’t take ibuprofen or any NSAIDs. I will look into bent shaft paddle as an option. Thanks!
The oval shaft is called “indexing” and is primarily to aid in telling by feel what the blade position is. It would be up to the individual paddler to determine if it helps for comfort.
Some people find a bent shaft helps with shoulder issues. Your case sounds more like a nerve issue from repeated pressure on your hands and wrists. You may have to seek the opinion of a hand specialist or a neurologist.
I’ve developed a similar issue where repeated pressure on the palms of my hands leads to painful cramping in my hands. At this point I’m hoping it is temporary.
I always opt for a small shaft on Aqua Bound or Werner paddles that are both oval. I suffer from tendonitis. Subconciously, many folks grip the shaft too tight (myself included in the beginning). I found that opening the hand that pushes away and remembering to loosen my grip slightly alleviated much of my discomfort.
I paddle very low angle with a Werner Kalliste. My first Kalliste (99.7 sq in blade/643 cm2) was 240 cm before I bought a 250 cm which has been my standard paddle for about 12 or 15 yrs. I just switched to a 260 cm. They all have the standard straight 1.2 inch large diameter shaft. Since my hands are large, I prefer the large shaft but find the larger 1.380 inch diameter of my homemade Greenland paddle more comfortable, because it distribute the pressure more evenly.
I haven’t considered the bent shaft for several reasons. Primarily, it locks the hands in a fixed location. The advantage of a straight shaft is the ability to offset the paddle when facing certain wind and current conditions or to shift the paddle for offset sweeps in narrow twisting streams.
My first trip with the 260 cm paddle showed a .5 mph improvement over my previous first trip of the year average speed, while using either the 240 or 250 cm paddles. However, it’s too early to tell whether that benefit is from the paddle length or improvement in my paddling technique.
Regardless of length, I notice that a callous develops on the inside of my right thumb and the index finger. That probably indicates an inbalance in my paddle technique. I’ve been able to reduce but not eliminate the callous, as I focus more closely on matching paddle effort to the boat speed. While the longer paddle reduced my cadence by at least 6 or 7 spm, it increased the duration of the power phase of the stroke. Although I didn’t sustain as many peak speed spikes, I noticed an increased in avg speed, as well as less muscle fatigue and the pressure that causes the callous on my right hand, possibly due to less pressure from a lower cadence.
I have used paddle gloves but don’t like the feel of the stitch seams, or the feel of saturated fabric. I don’t have any issue with the texture of the paddle shaft being too grippy or slick, because I alternately grip with one hand and move the other.
The longer paddle length has not aggravated the tendency to callous my thumb and finger. Another advantage of the longer paddle is the ability to expand my grip and open my chest to facilitate breathing.
Thanks! I didn’t realize that both Aqua Bound and Werner were oval. We don’t have any in stock locally to view so I was just going by descriptions.
Thanks! Very helpful information and things to consider.
I paddle a similar boat with similar hands. I find a Werner small straight
shaft 220 feels better (and lighter) than the 230. I wear bicycle gloves (because I had them) and the extra thumb padding is nice. It was trial and error and luck. Hope you find what’s right for you.
You might want to take a look at the Accent Pace if you have a dealer nearby. It has integrated hand grips that may work for you.
See: Pace 2-Piece Kayak Paddle
The image is a screen grab from their promo video.
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While that design, as well as the bent shaft, might offer relief for some, it tends to set the hands in a fixed location. I find that my grip wanders around the shaft automatically to accommodate changing conditions. I also use a longer paddle so I can shift my grip outward to open my chest for better breathing and it changes the leverage to hit different parts of muscle groups.
It might be a comfortable alternative for paddlers who keep a more traditional grip.