Paddle length calculation

[dingfix]

Hi,
Need some advice before shortening my  carbon surf paddle....

On holiday I use an adjustable paddle and found it suited me best at 6” over my height.    The paddle had a blade that was 17” long,  and the shaft measured 61”.

So, looking to shorten my surf paddle to the same size, but it’s blade is only 13” long.   I’m figuring that the shaft length is the important measurement as, with the top of the blade in the water, that will give me the same hand/arm positions as the paddle I used on holiday? 

But, if I go ahead, I’ll end up with a paddle that is 74” long  (61” shaft + 13” blade)  That comes out at only 2” overhead.

Any thoughts on this, is ignoring the blade length the best approach?

Thanks in advance.

[breakbad]

Since the blade is shorter, you won't have to worry about not getting a full catch (blade completely submersed). So, what I would do is go ahead and hot glue or tape the shaft to the blade and then measure and cut. But thats what I would do, what someone who's done this for a living would do is probably better. I've only done a few paddles but this has always worked for me. Considering blades have different angles/shapes, measuring their height is not very reliable. With the blade attached, you can put the shaft flat against a wall (with the blade facing out and touching the ground) and measure from the floor to the cut.

Remember to account for the handle, the handle's overall height minus how far the shaft goes in is the distance from the end of your cut to the top of the handle. That distance should be subtracted from your overall target paddle length. Insert the shaft in the handle, tape it at the base, remove, measure from tip of the shaft to your tape. Subtract that value from the handles overall height. Now you have the distance from the tip of your cut to the tip of the handle. Which in your case, you would subtract from (height + 6").

When in doubt, err on the longer side, you can always cut again (use hot glue so you an heat up and remove components). Or buy on of those long Ergo T Adjustable handles and ignore this rant.

[dingfix]

Thanks.
My thinking (maybe too simplistic?) is that the distance from the handle to the neck of the blade, ie the waterline, is what counts, ie what controls arm position.   The length of the blade doesn't actually come into it?  But.... don't want to make an expensive mistake by cutting my paddle too short.

Anyone else got any thoughts on this please?

[Bean]

Thanks.
My thinking (maybe too simplistic?) is that the distance from the handle to the neck of the blade, ie the waterline, is what counts, ie what controls arm position.   The length of the blade doesn't actually come into it?  But.... don't want to make an expensive mistake by cutting my paddle too short.

Anyone else got any thoughts on this please?

Yes, you count the blade in the paddle length.

[dingfix]

Thanks, but maybe I’m not explaining my question well enough;

I tried an adjustable paddle and 6” overhead was perfect for me in waves.   So I want to shorten mine to the same size.

But...that paddle had a 17” blade, mine is shorter, only 13”.   Because of that, if I make my paddle 6” overhead, then the shaft will end up being  4” longer than the shaft on the paddle I liked.

Should I therefore be cutting my paddle so that the shaft ends up being the same length as the shaft on the paddle I liked.   Or,
Should I make the total length (including blades) the same. 

I'm thinking the former as it's the neck of the blade that goes into the water at rail level, so matching shaft lengths will give me the same paddling experience as the paddle I liked?

[Area 10]

You are explaining your point just fine. It's just that you aren't getting the answer you expect, I think.

It is the length of the paddle at the catch that matters. So if you cut your paddle much shorter than the one you liked then you will have to lean forward at the catch more when you paddle. That will probably feel wrong, if the longer paddle (overall) felt better. It might even hurt your back.

So the answer is that you should ignore the differences in the blade length and make the total length of the paddle (shaft+ handle + blade) the same as the total length of the paddle you liked.

Incidentally, paddles with different blade sizes feel different at the same length. So it may well be that once you've cut your paddle to the length you liked in the other paddle, that it doesn't feel optimal for this paddle. So it pretty much has to be a process of trial-and-error getting the length perfect for any one paddle and any one activity on any one board. But you should eventually find a length that is pretty much the average of those you like and that will be your starting point when cutting future paddles. For me, after going through about 30 paddles doing many different SUP activities on many different boards, that length turned out to be pretty much the "your height + 10%" guide that Jim Terrell says, although I go a couple of inches shorter for surf.

Anyway, let's not complicate things. Your answer is that it is the overall length that matters most, not the blade length.

[dingfix]

Thanks Area 10, that's the info I was looking for.   As you've been thru way more paddles than me (30!) I'll certainly take your advice and start there.

Best regards, Dingfix.

[baddog]

I believe in a bit of a compromise;  My shorter blade paddles are slighty shorter overall than my longer blade V-Drive.  Yes, my reach and catch are shorter, but my stroke and cadence may be higher.  In my case, my V-Drive surface area is 91si and my other Quicks are 83si and this also plays into the reach, catch, cadence and power equation.

Lastly and most importantly, surf paddles are another ball game.  So where I want maximum reach, power and speed paddling on my raceboards doing my best Danny / Annabelle impersonations (videos say otherwise), in the surf, my board, stance and stroke are completely different and my paddles even shorter.

Bottom-line, start at 6" over, but be prepared to cut your paddle down and in the end don't be surprised if in the end, 2" over turns out to be just right.