C-Forum

wazzup,

I'm getting a Skeeter and wanted to know how long a paddle I should get ( I'm 5'11"). Also, I was looking for a medium-priced quality paddle, any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

"Shaft
Shaft length is best determined by your torso height and the type of paddling you plan on doing (Slalom boaters prefer longer paddles than rodeo boaters, for instance). In general the distance from the top of your shoulder to the waterline (or floor, when kneeling or sitting on an object roughly the height of your pedestal) is your approximate shaft length. Add blade length onto that and you've got total paddle length."

There is also a little discussion on brands (I'll be updating it this fall...)

http://www.cboats.net/paddles.html

Sir Adams suggestion is actually for a C1, you might want to consider a slightly longer one for the skeeter, as it is an OC!.
I for one like a paddle that is about 4 inches longer (60 inch vs. 56 inch; I am about 6'1") for my open boat than for my C1.
My OC1 paddle is just a little longer than shoulder height.
my C1 paddle is an AcquaBound Edge, Glass, not Carbon, I got it here in Canada at BoatWerks for Can$99, which is about 65 to 70 $US. I am very happy with it.

martin

keep the open side up!

In a previous post I noted that I used river salvaged (fixed, etc.) misc. old cheap raft paddles (3) to determine the lenght I like ( you can get a new raft paddle for about $20). I took each and cut them to different lenghts based on paddles I had used up to that time (C1 and OC1 experience). I'm 5'8.
I then took each one boating until I found what I thought was a sweat zone for me. Then tested that lenght (52.5) on a 4th prior too prior to cutting my good paddle(s) to fit.
A couple things to take into account:
Your reach both on side and off.
How much deck you have to clear to go to the off side.
And how quick you want to be with paddle movement.
For me a longer paddle has more power while a shorter stick is quick when playing. Other - thoughts???
Again I had the spare paddles to play with and I also was looking for a particular boat style use (play). I have since found that is blade lenght is almost perfect for me in almost all C1s (I'm very comfortable with it) but is a bit too short for the performance I want during OC1 (55 is the lenght I use).
I also found that when I first started out I had a habit of using my paddle in new and intersting situations (rock beatings, bottom dredging, kayak deflection, etc.). Therefore, a cheap stick made sense. I still beat the sticks I own but thats a different story!
One bonus is that I have since used the cut blades as tests for other boats (OC and C) and for back up paddles. I even modified one to be an acceptable brakedown blade to carry within my C1 (although it is the shortest of all my paddles - 48).
This requires some time but is a heck alot cheaper than making a mistake on an expensive paddle. It also gives you excusses when you K buddies are giving you a hard time on swims, rolls, lines and such!
Also ask to borrow other C boaters sticks to get a feel for what you might like.
Good Luck!

For reference I'm 5'10" and use
56" for C1 and
58" or 58.5" for OC1.
Many valid points already mentioned.
Paddle length also depends on where you hold the shaft.

I too have found that the
AcquaBound Edge, Carbon for about $150 CDN,
is a good paddle.
There are much better paddles for more $$$.

Is there a good formula for OC1 paddle length? I had assumed (incorrectly ) that a lot of the increased paddle length was due to increased saddle height (which is included in the "C1" formula). I'm happy to post a separate section for OCs if we can agree on one! (perhaps add x inches to your C1 size to account for hull clearance?)

A purely arbitrary formula:

Paddle length= h - i + s + w/4 + 16"

Where (all dimensions in inches)

h= your height

i= your inseam

s= seat height

w= width of boat

Subtract 1 or 2 inches for acrobatics.

when I started canoeing, I was told that when standing upright, the T-grip of your paddle should end just under your chin, but I found that I like paddles better in my OC1, that are about 1-2 inches shorter than that, i.e. that end just over your shoulder.
Not very scientific, but works pretty good for me.
But I also noticed that when I am paddling a bigger boat, I tend to want a longer paddle than when paddling a short boat, it's mainly a question of reach for me.

martin

keep the open side up!

I had the same question two years ago when I was just starting to paddle an open boat. I heard about the whole "to the chin" method, but that's really long...and I find if my paddle is too long then my shoulder aches....

I found a description on the rapid mag website...not sure if it's still up, but the website is www.rapidmag.ca I think. Basically, while kneeling in your canoe, with your grip hand at a comfortable height for forward paddling and your shaft hand at or just below the gunwale, the blade should be just fully immersed in the water - with just the top of the shoulders of the blade showing above the surface. That was what I was told. I'm 5'10" with a ~31" inseam and use a 56" paddle for my Esquif Detonator. In a C1 I tend to drop 1-2".

Some important points:
1. paddle length does depend on the boat you are paddling and how high your saddle is, etc.
2. pain is bad....shoulder pain is very bad....if that happens from regular paddling (i.e. not due to bracing, rolling, etc.) then your paddle might be too long
3. it's easier to cut a paddle down and reattach a grip than make one longer (though both can be done - you can lengthen a composite shaft paddle by a couple of inches by using a wooden dowel between the shaft and the t-grip)
4. we talk about paddle length, but you can have two paddles the same length and one might be perfect and the other either too long or too short. It depends on the blade shape as well....what is really important here is shaft length.

For a cheap, reasonable performance paddle (significantly better than carlisle raft paddles!) try an Ainsworth. You can get the from NRS at www.nrscatalog.com. Don't know the current price..probably around $60-70. I have one for my spare paddle in case I break or lose my good paddle....I definitely don't want to be able to break the spare! They're heavy...probably heavier than the raft paddles, but have a far nicer blade shape and feel in the water. Other cheap and reasonable options are some of the low end Aquabound paddles, but they're far less durable...though they are nicer and lighter.

My recommendation though is to try to find a used paddle. I have bought both my good paddles used...one a Mitchell Open Boat Whitewater and the other a Galasport (not sure which model, but it feels good!). I paid $50 for one and ~$70 for the other... and both are great paddles! Of course, I've had to shorten them myself, but that's worth it to me and it's a learning process.

Hope this helps.

Matt

I use a 54" for C1 and a 58" for OC1, im 6ft.

And i like super stiff paddles.
I find the shorter laength in my c1 makes it much easyier to throw around when im doing rodeo and there is less posiblilty my shoulder will get messed up (my t grip hand) from having my hand around/above my forhead leading it shoulder dislocations and other ouchies.