I’m a complete novice when it comes to canoes. I have the canoe and had to buy oars. I measured from toe to chin and came up with 60 inches. This seems a little long but they are aluminum with a plastic handles and I think I can cut them down. Is 60 inches out of the question? We will try them out before I start cutting them down.
Will you be rowing or paddling?
If the latter, you’ll want a paddle.
A 60" paddle is a bit long for most folks, but there are many variables to consider when determining proper length.
If you tell us your height, model of canoe, and type of paddling conditions you expect, it will help to answer.
Kneel rather than sit, and you won’t
turn over as often.
If you’re kneeling, a 60 inch paddle is plausible, though a man of average height might not need that long a stick. Note that slalom canoeists Jon Lugbill and Davey Hearn, both shorter than average, raced with paddles about 59" long. I’m very tall, and use 61.5" paddles. I’ll bet you will settle around 58".
And when you add something for carrying the canoe, it’s a yoke, not a yolk.
Try this for starters:
I’ve seen one common method described a number of different places, and here’s once such place to see what to do.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5673018_measure-canoe-paddles.html
Shows thought, but I didn’t see anything
about sitting versus kneeling.
Sitting versus Kneeling
I don’t remember ever running across a “standard recommendation” that addresses sitting versus kneeling, but I’ve seen this recommendation about half-a-dozen different places now. I always thought that one reason this particular recommendation is so universal is that bent-shaft users are usually sitters, and straight-shaft users usually kneel. For example, Charlie Wilson always recommends bent-shafts for sitters and straight shafts for kneelers. Clearly there’s room for individual tailoring of the method, but it seemed like a good starting point, given that not much else had been said so far.
The difference between to-the-nose
and to-the-forehead is too small for many. My forehead is not six inches above my nose, may alien background notwithstanding.