I am having a bit of confusion with choosing a kayak paddle length. I am about 5’10", looking to get a 28" wide kayak, prefer a slightly low paddle stroke and am mainly doing relaxed rivers. Based on this, from the youtube videos I’ve watched, I should be in the 230cm-240cm range but when I put that info into paddle site helpers they all put me at a 220cm paddle…
Thanks for any advice
go with 230
Truthfully, without getting and trying for a while to see what feels right for you, you just have to bite the bullet and buy one. 230 seems like a good size for what you say, so that is what I would buy.
Over time, many people do find they prefer shorter, so you may also. But 230 should be a good starting point for you.
Adjustable length
There’s plenty of them out there these days.
Agree. Get an adjustable from 220-230
and you’ve got it covered.
2nd or 3rd The Recommendation
This way you only buy one paddle and can adjust it anywhere in between 220 - 230 cm. I don’t recommend more than 10 cm ferrule though, for anything longer might compromise tensile strength. Later, when you’re paddling narrower boats, get a shorter paddle you can adjust between 209.5 - 219.5 cm.
Try the Werner paddles site
They have a good paddle sizing system. 28" is a rather wide kayak, so I wouldn’t go with anything shorter than 230 cm.
230 or about there somewhere…
Like most of the other reply’s, it seems a 230cm would be okay. 220? Maybe that too. One compromise is to check out Swift paddles, now Eddyline…they have a 225cm length in most models, so you could split the difference and do well. They are over $200 but no matter what you decide, skip the big box store cheap paddles. Extra money spent on a good paddle will make even a cheap kayak paddle better. Your arms and shoulders will thank you at the end of the day.
IS this a 28" sit on top?
I would differ from others that have posted here. I use a 197 when paddling my old a 28" wide seadart sit on top. Long paddles lead to arm paddling and poor technique. Invest in an inexpensive used but ligt paddle like 215 and learn to paddle at a higher angle. You’ll progress quicker if you quit lily dipping.
longer is better
in this situation. You’re gonna be paddling slow rivers and maybe flat lakes and you want to us a low paddle. Having a slightly longer paddle would be better than having a slightly shorter one.
OP prefers low angle
That’s a matter of choice. If he prefers low angle, then a 230 is probably ideal and should be considered a minimum length for such a wide boat.
I don’t think that longer paddles encourage arm-paddling. You can have poor technique with any paddle.