Respectable times ?

[justsomeguy]

So what's a respectable speed for an average paddler on a 12'6" race/tour board in average conditions over say a 5km distance (min and/or mph)? ... asking for a friend.

[TallDude]

For a 5k (3.1 miles) around 55 minutes to 1.05 hrs. 16 to 18 minute miles or 3.8 mph. A race pace is closer to 5 mph.

[justsomeguy]

Thanks for reply. So if the same paddler moves onto a 14' board, does the speed inherently go up some % over same 5k distance just by virtue of being on the longer board?

[PonoBill]

Not unless the paddler is powerful enough to overcome the greater skin friction and move the board right up to the Froud (wave drag) limit.

[Area 10]

I think that an easy to remember milestone in a person's paddling evolution is to be able to cover 5 miles in one hour. That pace won't win you any races, but you probably won't be last, and it will take a fair degree of fitness and at least a halfway passable stroke to achieve it

And yes, changing your board always makes a disappointingly small difference to your average speed. Losing weight and improving fitness and technique are the most effective ways of getting significantly faster.

[TallDude]

A big variable too, is the conditions like flatwater lake racing vs open water racing. They are two very different animals. If you can maintain 5 mph in the ocean with swell, chop and quartered wind, that's pretty good. In flat water that's average.