Blade size for very light surf?

[CaptainKook]

Hi again all,

Would like to know your most recent thoughts on blade size for light surf.
I'm 150lbs/65 kg , newbie, on a 9x28 x 4 cheap foam board.
I'll be out in very light 1-3 foot mushy surf mostly.
Should I go with 100 sq.in. Or 90 or 80 or not worry about it too much cause it doesn't really matter? But I'm looking forward a little bit to when I hopefully progress and can keep my blade, not have to buy a new one.
Right now I'm thinking about 100 to drive the short board quickly.

Thanks again!

[blueplanetsurf]

Blade size is a personal choice and has been discussed here extensively.  Most paddlers I know move down in blade size as technique improves as you can get a good catch even with a very small blade if it is designed well and you fully plant it in the water before you apply the power.   Beginners usually think bigger is better and then often don't even use the full blade when paddling, getting only ⅔ or so of the blade into the water and creating lots of turbulence and slippage. 
Also if your cadence is low, a bigger blade will let you stroke at a slower pace.  The blades I use now are all 92 and smaller and I would not consider using a 100 blade except possibly for a shorter sprint type paddle.  There are many here on the Zone that swear by very small blades, they are lighter, easier on your joints and allow quicker cadence and acceleration.

[JEG]

I agree with blueplanetsurf.
and imo with your weight I would go ref:80sq and under.

[Area 10]

Good advice there from Robert.

Take a look at the charts that are on the Quickblade website, that give suggested sizes by weight.

Something around the 85-92 mark is probably about right for you, as a newbie. You almost certainly don't want to go as big as 100. Although some do, and love it. So there are no rights or wrongs, just personal preferences, and any advice just has to be based on what would be right for the mythical "average Joe". I used to like a 110 blade, but now I use a 81, and can pull as hard as I like on it without it slipping. So your tastes will change as you progress, as Robert says. In earlier days if I used a blade as small as my one now, it felt like I was stirring a cocktail with a swizzle stick, and I didn't like it.

So...you'll just have to find out what is right for you by trial and error. In general though it's better to err on the side of getting too small a blade than too big.

[nalu-sup]

I would agree with everything that has been said, and would reinforce that a smaller blade should encourage a faster cadence which I think is very important in the surf. Very often in the surf you need quick bursts of acceleration from nearly a dead stop to catch the wave, and I think that smaller blades help with this. Just like on a bike, starting off in too high a gear can make it feel like you are putting a lot of force into the pedals, but the slow rpm makes it tough to accelerate quickly. A lower gear allows higher rpm's when you are just starting out, and that feels to me like what a smaller blade does in the surf.  Also, you will often find that you are needing to turn the board right in front of the wave to line up your takeoff, and again I think that quick strokes help for those pivot type turns.

[baddog]

Check the Quickblade Flyweight 83.  The Quickblade sizing guide is an excellent place to start:

http://www.quickbladepaddles.com/SUP-paddle-sizes/

Great paddles and a great deal in the FG / FG construction.  My Flyweight 83 FG / FG adjustable weighs in at just over 18 oz.  Not the lightest, but still an excellent weight, especially for an adjustable.

[CaptainKook]

Thanks guys for your time and info,

Now I have a better picture of what's needed for surf. I did hit the search feature here of course but most info was on racing etc, hence my questions.
I had assumed my Boardworks clunker paddle that came with my set was about 100 but have since found out it is an 80 surprisingly., but it's a beast at 1100 grams! Haha

In my sea kayaking days my favorite paddle was a Werner eskimo style, long and thin with reduced blade area, I didn't see how that would translate to SUP but now I do . So I'll be searching in the 80-90ish range on the brands recommended, many thanks again!!

[Night Wing]

When I'm out of medical dry dock on Sept 1, I'm going to be trying out my new 75 size blade on a flat water cruise. BTW, I'm 147 pounds at the moment with two surgically repaired shoulder joints.

[2Rivers]

I've found QB's blade sizing formula to be a good way to find your ideal blade size. It's intention is to get you into the "ball park" if you're not sure what size is best for you.

Body weight in pounds x 0.25 + 45 = ideal blade size

[PonoBill]

I don't think there's much relevance in equating blade size to body weight. I used to think it was cadence-related, that people had some natural cadence. I think that's just as wrong. My current theory is that it's related to the kind of stroke you do. If you get a good catch, then a tiny blade works even for a powerful moose. I see Dave Kalama going from the Quickblade "Big Mamma Kalama" to a swizzle stick when he changed his stroke and teaching method to focus on catch instead of reach.

Stroke is still evolving, moving from Reach and pull the blade out before your feet, to "down before back, push the blade in like putting an envelope in a mail slot, power up front--in the first third, push down more than back, slow in the water, fast in the air." etc. By Jim's formula, I should use a 102 sq in blade. In practice, my Konihi 84 is too big.

I think if you get a blade that is too big, you won't develop a good stroke and won't get a good catch. If you want to get away with an inefficient stroke, and you can afford to lose a substantial part of your power to slip and turbulence, then a big paddle is the right choice. But if you learn to set your paddle and minimize slip, it's very unlikely that a blade more than 85 square inches will benefit you, no matter what you weigh.

If you really want to accelerate hard in surf, plant your paddle cleanly, push down on the handle and pull slow with your lower hand. Sounds counter-intuitive until you watch a good swimmer slice the water at high speed vs. a poor swimmer thrashing around getting nowhere. The good swimmer is getting catch with their hand and pulling themselves along as quickly as their muscles allow. The poor swimmer is getting no catch and just making foam. This winter I watched a big spectrum of SUP surfers stroking for waves. The best paddlers got all the waves they went for. No frantic scrabbling, just plant the blade and pull. They look like they're making little effort, because their cadence is lethargic and everything they do looks slow, but they're getting power in the water and their boards move much more quickly. Watching Sam George on his Pearson Arrow and Chuck Glynn on a foilboard was particularly instructive. Both bury their blades and hesitate visibly before pulling, both catch every wave they go for, generally with a single stroke. Both look completely unhurried, but their shafts were bending like longbows.

If I were running a paddle company I'd make the blades that people want, but I'd focus my marketing on small blades and getting people to improve their stroke. Then my blades would be in the sweet spot for performance paddlers.