C-Forum

Hey...
I'm getting ready to order a new paddle (FINALLY) and i'm trying to remember the sizes that i tried at the armada.
matt? adam? were your paddles 56's? or 54's? i'm kind of debating about going ahead and getting a 54 but will that be too short? any suggestions? (the 56 was pretty comfortable)
kalen, what size was your paddle that i tried?
thanks folks!
camille

I have a friend (marshall Fox if anyone knows him) who is shorter than I am and he uses a 58. I am 5'10 and prefer a 54. I got into hades Hole on the Ocoee yesterday with his 58 and I felt like it was always in the way, and much preferred the 54. For river running I'd probbably prefer a little more length, but it gets in the way too much for rodeo. The moral of the story is that it's a highly personal decision. get what you like best.
Tim

Gudday Camille

My wooden Mitchell is a 56", but remember that the length depends very heavily on the blade shape. As Tim mentioned, it's also a very personal decision.

I read at one point, that technically, when sitting in your boat, with the grip hand at shoulder level, and the shaft hand at a comfortable height (around teh gunwale in an open boat), the blade should be fully submerged with just the shoulders out of the water.

For a C1 I like a shorter paddle than in the open boat because I'm significantly closer to the water, so for me the 56" is really a bit long for a C1, but it's perfect in my OC1. I like about a 54" for the C1. I also find that if I use a paddle that is too long, then the shoulder of my grip hand starts to hurt, which is why I tend to favour a shorter paddle.

Hope this helps

Matt

The Mitchell of mine you tried was 54", and I'm about 5'9. It is more dependent on torso heigh than anything else, though. I've found for everything short of open boating 54" is perfect for me...like others I like a slightly longer paddle while in an open boat.

Good luck, regardless!

Are you and Joey still thinking about heading northward at the end of the month? Let me know!