Choosing the right paddle

[blueplanetsurf]

Topics:
Shaft: Length and shape
Blade: size and shape
Materials: flex, weight, pricing- pros and cons
Fixed length vs. adjustable
Double bend shafts


Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[blueplanetsurf]

First things first, before getting into the technique you need the right paddle to work with.




Topics:

Shaft: Length and shape

Blade: size and shape

Materials: flex, weight, pricing

Fixed length vs. adjustable

Double bend shafts




When people talk about SUP equipment it is usually about the board while the paddle is often neglected despite it's importance. Some factors to consider when choosing a paddle are:




Shaft:

There is no set formula for length, more of a personal preference. If in doubt, size the paddle longer and tape the handle without gluing it, then shorten it to a comfortable length. Remember, it is easy to shorten the shaft but difficult to lengthen it once it's cut. As a guideline, for surfing, the paddle should be 4"-6" taller than user. For flat water paddling it should be 6"-12" taller. Some other factors to consider are the thickness and floatation of the board used (the thicker the board and the higher you are up off the water, the longer the paddle should be); the dimensions of the blade (a long, narrow blade needs a longer shaft than a short, wide blade). As a rule of thumb, if you stand the paddle upside down on the handle, the base of the blade (waterline when paddling) should be at nose or eye level for distance paddling.




If the paddle is too long it can cause the shoulder to over-extend and can be harder to "power up". If the paddle is too short, it forces the paddler to hunch over which can cause lower back problems. A shorter paddle also limits forward reach and leverage and makes it more difficult to plant the whole blade in the water before applying power.




The shape of the shaft and handle are important and personal preference matters- it should feel comfortable in your hands. I find smaller, oval shaped shafts and rounded palm grips most comfortable. Try the feel of several paddles and see which ones feels most comfortable in your hands. While rounded palm grips are comfortable, the rounded edges are not as easy to catch.  If you often miss or slip off a rounded palm grip and bang yourself in the head with it as I have done many times, you might find a T-handle easier to catch with your thumb as you switch sides, like in the picture below.




Blade:

The most important consideration when choosing a blade is to match the surface area of the blade to the paddler. Think of a 10 speed bike: you use a low gear to accelerate and/or go uphill and switch to a higher gear as you are going faster. If you suddenly stop the bike in a high gear and then try to get it going again, you have to apply all your weight to the pedals while the bike is barely moving forward. Accelerating in a high gear is very slow and exhausting. This is what happens if you are using a blade that is too big. Since a paddle is more like a single speed bike, you need to choose a blade that is small enough to let you accelerate easily and paddle uphill (into the wind) but still big enough to hold water at higher speeds without cavitation. Generally, a lighter, smaller paddler should use a smaller blade, while a heavier, stronger paddler can go with a bigger blade.

To use the same gearing comparison- a longer paddle is like a higher gear with more leverage while a shorter paddle is like a lower gear with faster stroke rate. You can somewhat adjust the "gearing" by changing the grip of the lower hand on your paddle (some move both hands lower on the shaft, effectively making their paddle shorter). Gripping the shaft lower will result in a "low gear" for accelerating and going upwind while gripping it higher will result in a "high gear" with longer reach for higher speeds.



These are the  C4 Waterman paddles I use, the upper blade is my surfing blade, the lower my distance/ racing blade (XPR), which has a slightly larger surface area (same width but longer blade).  The shaft on the surfing paddle is also about 2" shorter than my racing paddle.  When surfing, you need to be able to accelerate from a complete stop to catch a wave, so a "lower gear" works better, while distance paddling is more about maintaining a higher speed where a "high gear" is more efficient.






There are many blade outlines and shapes on the market and some work better than others. I find that a dihedral or "spine" on the face of the blade will somewhat reduce "flutter", the tendency of the blade to move side to side when powered up.   The picture above shows the dihedral and carbon/ kevlar blend weave of the blade.







A thin blade edge will allow smooth water entry and exit but is also more likely to damage the rails of the board. A plastic paddle edge guard will protect the rails and paddle edge and is highly recommended for entry level paddlers. The down side is that it makes the entry and exit of the paddle less efficient. Quickblade uses a ABS plastic blade edge- a good idea.



The sharp edges of this blade are covered by plastic paddle edge guard.




Materials, Flex, Weight:

So you found a paddle length and blade size that works well for you. Another important aspect is construction. The paddle should feel "lively" and have a "snappy" flex. The paddle should flex naturally when you power it up and release the flex at the end of the stroke. There is some controversy as to whether flex is lost power. I find that as I learned to release the blade efficiently I can direct the stored energy of the flex forward to send the paddle back forward into the reach position, making the recovery effortless and giving the body a moment to relax. Good paddles are constructed to allow a powerful, snappy flex. Weight is important in distance paddling as a heavier paddle will tire out the paddler sooner.  Since the paddle is lifted out of the water hundreds of times during distance paddling, every ounce matters here.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the most commonly used paddles on the market:




Aluminum Paddles:

Pros: Anodized aircraft aluminum is strong, corrosion resistant, and affordable.

Cons: weight- usually heavier, not much flex



The Aquaglide aluminum vario paddle is strong, adjustable and affordable- a good choice for entry level and family use.

Wood Paddles:

Pros: Natural flex- wood has a great flex that is easy on the joints. Wood paddles are usually handcrafted and can be personalized works of art. They are also made mostly from natural and renewable resources and are therefore more environmentally friendly.  Some paddlers swear by wood paddles, see this blog post by Jenny Kalmbach.


Cons: Weight to strength ratio- wood paddles can be heavier and/or not as strong for the same weight and can be expensive.



Everpaddle makes nice wood paddles from reclaimed wood.







Fiberglass Paddles:

Pros: flexible, strong, inexpensive compared to carbon.  Great choice for everyday or heavy duty  use.

Cons: heavier than carbon, flex is softer, very strong if made well.




Carbon Paddles:

Pros: Light and stiff, snappy flex, preferred construction for most racing paddles.

Cons: Can be too stiff (hard on joints) if not designed well, expensive.  Carbon is stiffer and will break at a certain point, while fiberglass and kevlar allow for more flex before breaking, it is also sensitive to nicks and dings that can weaken the integrity of the whole paddle.




Composite Paddles:

Carbon, fiberglass, and other materials such as Kevlar, dynel, wood and others can be combined.

Pros: Composite materials can improve flex and weight to strength ratio if designed well.

Different fabric materials and composition, weaves and wrapping/ layup can be used to influence flex characteristics and feel, there are many opportunities for innovation and testing in this area.

Cons: can be more expensive, new technology still being perfected.




Fixed length vs. adjustable:

If you are the only one using the paddle and don't use it for travel, a fixed length paddle is the best choice as it is lighter and has better flex characteristics than an adjustable length or two piece paddle. If you are sharing the paddle with others, having an adjustable length is a nice feature. For travel, it's nice to have a two or even three piece paddle that can easily store in your luggage.




Double bend paddles:

The picture below shows a Werner Paddles double bend paddle shaft vs. straight shaft, illustrating how the double bend allows extra reach.  The double bend also allows a straighter grip angle for the lower hand and reportedly reduces flutter.  I have not had a chance to try these yet and I have not seen many in use but  I can see some potential here.  Werner does not recommend them for use in the surf.

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Thanks for reading, Aloha!

[Subber]

Thanks for the summary BluePlanet.

---
You or anyone know about Hobie's paddles?
From their website they look to be very light:

Carbon Race - 7.8" / 8.5"
 Lightweight 100% carbon fiber designed exclusively for racing
•16.9 oz / 479 g ( 7.8” blade @ 78”)

Carbon Hybrid - 7.8" Carbon hybrid construction for maximum strength and performance. Designed for both racing and surfing.
•19.75 oz / 558 g @ 78”

Fiber Core - 7.8" Ultimate recreational paddle designed for all around paddling
•22.5 oz / 637 g @ 78”)

Adjustable Fiber Core - 7.8" Perfect paddle for families, excellent choice for demo or rental programs
•23.7 oz / 672 g
•Adjustable range - 70" - 82"

I'm interested in their adjustable, as it will be my first paddle.
Not much other info on their site.
I think their adjustable uses a cam and a twist method but am not sure of this.

I'm going to use it mostly for surfing but maybe some flat water paddling.

Thanks.

[blueplanetsurf]

Hi Subber,
I know Hobie had some problems and have seen team riders breaking paddles in races that were probably made too light.  I was told that they had some issues but they are making them stronger now.  

I have not seen their adjustable paddle.  We sell the C4 stendy paddle which is light and easy to adjust by twisting.  
An adjustable paddle makes sense if you are sharing it.  
If you are the only one using it, I highly recommend getting a fixed length.
Like I said in my post a fixed length paddle will be lighter, stronger and have more continuous flex than an adjustable paddle.

I saw in another post if wearing a ring can damage a carbon paddle.  I think the first carbon paddle I broke was damaged by my ring hitting it and I now always take the ring off when paddling.  My wife thinks it's a lame excuse.  One little chip or crack in a carbon shaft will cause a weak spot where it can break.  I have broken several paddles and one important thing Brian Keaulana told me is to take quick, light strokes when accelerating from a standstill and not take strong strokes until the board is moving.   Also, leaning on the paddle (backwards) when surfing can also crack the paddle.  

[blueplanetsurf]

Thanks pdxmike.  I just checked out that picture again you posted with your paddle training setup on your porch.  It's so funny, I just noticed the fan on your board- nice touch!
I'll re post it for those of you that have not seen it- classic!
Where are you located?

[pdxmike]

blueplanetsurf--glad you liked it.  I'm in Portland, Oregon, next to the river. 

Yes, there's a fan there.  I'm paddling upwind in the photo.  For downwinders, I just move the fan to the back of the board and aim it forwards. 

[StandUpVirgin]

blueplanetsurf--glad you liked it.  I'm in Portland, Oregon, next to the river. 

Yes, there's a fan there.  I'm paddling upwind in the photo.  For downwinders, I just move the fan to the back of the board and aim it forwards.

pdxmike,
Damn! Your funny.

[cmprp]

Thanks for all the info BluePlanet.

I've been kayaking for 5 years and just picked up SUP this summer. My kayak paddle (a Lendal) has removable blades that don't shift or wiggle when locked into the shaft. Do you know of any SUP paddles that do this? It'd be sweet to buy one shaft and have an arsenal of different blades to use depending on what kind of paddling you want to do on any given day.

[blueplanetsurf]

Hi cmprp,
I acutally discussed this idea with a paddle manufacturer.  I thought it would be cool to try different size blades and you could also use the shaft as a paddle trainer with a weight pulley system or hooked up to a rowing machine- like the one I demonstated at our shop in the post on standuppaddlesurf.net.
Anyway, he thought it would be difficult to get a snug, watertight and strong connection at this high stress point.  I googled the Lendal paddle you mentioned and found a goofy video that shows how it works- interesting! 
It would be cool to make a modular paddle where you can try different blades, shafts and handles without having to buy a new paddle for each.  If you beak a shaft, you could just replace it.  I don't know of anyone doing this with SUP paddles.
My concerns would be strength, effect on flex, sand and water getting into joints, joints wearing out and getting loose.  This would probably not work for a high performance paddle but could be great for an all round recreational paddle.  What do you think?
Lendal Kayak Paddle System: Episode 23

[cmprp]

Yeah I suppose it would mess with the flex and joint stability. I've had my Lendal out in pretty rough surf, but what with the shorter shaft and grip position, the kayak stroke stresses the joints a lot less than a SUP stroke. Plus, even after flat water days, a little bit of water drips out of the two shaft pieces when I break the paddle down. A performance modular SUP paddle would need some kind of O ring or sealant system. It probably would have to be a rec paddle. Thanks again for all the info.