Sea Kayak Paddles

Dec 29, 2021

Getting the right paddle for our size, build and paddling style is going to make an enormous difference to our enjoyment out on the sea. The paddle is like our surgeon’s knife, we use it to control the kayak, provide power and precision and it’s the bit of kit we need to pick carefully. Of course, we can pick up any old pole with blades attached to the end and it will get the job done. However, a nice blade is going to feel amazing, be efficient and (very importantly) help prevent injury. 

It’s worth noting that this article is aimed towards folk selecting a euro paddle. Greenland paddles are slightly different and maybe we can come back to them at another time.

When selecting a paddle we can consider the following options –

  • Material
  • Length
  • Feather
  • Blade Size

Injury prevention –

When we paddle we put a lot of force through our joints and ligaments. It is not unusual for paddlers, particularly on multi day trips, to develop niggling problems. Wrist ailments, such as tendonitis and elbow problems, like tennis elbow, can often be the consequence of a poorly sized paddle.

Let’s dive in and take a look in more detail.

Material –

Many budget paddles will be made from cheaper materials. The most common budget shaft material is metal alloy (or aluminium) the advantage of this is it’s relatively cheap to produce and fairly strong. The drawbacks are that alloy shafts are quite flexy and heavy. Very flexy paddles are bad news as it means a lot of energy is wasted when the paddle bends rather than propelling forwards. Heavy paddles will feel uncomfortable to hold all day. Remember we are lifting a paddle and swinging it through the air, the heavier it is the more energy we will use just holding it up.

The opposite end of the spectrum are paddles that are made with a carbon shaft. These tend to be much lighter and stiffer. The stiffness of the paddle means it feels more positive in the water and energy from pulling on the paddle propels us forward and isn’t wasted through a flexy paddle. However, we don’t want a super stiff paddle as this can cause strain on joints. Many carbon paddles have a small amount forgiveness to them to minimise strain.

In the middle of the road are fibreglass shafts. These offer a good compromise as they are generally cheaper but tend be reasonably light and not to flexy.

 

Blade material is a similar story. We want a nice light material that can be made relatively stiff. Again this is where Carbon wins, a nice light blade to swing and good level of stiffness. More budget friendly blades will often be made from injection moulded plastic. Lighter plastic blades are great because they are light, however they will break easily and will be very bendy. A tougher plastic blade is often heavier. It wont bend or break as easily but will feel harder work to swing. Again, many manufacturers offer a compromise with Fibreglass – fairly light and strong but not crazy expensive like carbon.

 Carbon definitely comes out on top here but start saving them pennies as they are not cheap!!

Length

For years as a coach, I would see students turning up with paddles that were way too long for them. I think this harked back to the days when we sized paddles by standing with the paddle vertical, reaching to the sky with our arm and if we could just roll our fingers over the top of the blade it was the right length. This resulted in some ridiculously long paddles. I’m around 6ft1” (185 cm) and use paddles around 210cm for generally sea kayaking, maybe a touch longer 213cm for expeditions and if I’m surfing or thrashing about in tide races I might go a little shorter (207cm).

A short paddle generally lends itself towards a higher cadence and is more suited towards accelerating strokes. For example, a white water kayaker wants to accelerate the boat quickly to punch over eddy lines so will use a shorter paddle. A longer paddle is better for lower cadence strokes, like we might use for touring. A paddle that is too long however will put lots of strain particularly on our wrists and arms. The further the blade is away from our wrist the more leverage effect there is and this can cause issues.

As a sea kayaker we want to be able to change our cadence and move through the gears. I want to be able to accelerate quickly to catch waves and punch into eddies, but I also want to be comfortable cruising at lower gears. This is why we need to find the sweet spot between not too long or short.

The guide above, taken from the Werner website is a good starting point. I would ignore the second column as most of you here won’t be paddling boats wider than 26”.

Blade Size

Bigger person bigger blade? Not quite. Again, I’m around 185 cm and use what is classed as a midsize blade, around 650cm2. I’m what might be described as lanky here in the UK, if I paddle with a bigger blade my poor joints and muscles can’t handle it and will start to give me problems. Bigger blades will often give us lots of power and support but will require more force to pull them through the water. A small blade, however, will feel lovely to pull through the water and will be very forgiving on our bodies but won’t give the same level of support and power. As always, we are trying to find the sweet spot between the two.

As with paddle length I would often see students using blades that are way too big, thinking a big blade would make them faster. Pulling that big blade through the water all day is really going to fatigue your muscles. Plus, a really big blade is often harder to pull through the water quickly when we do want to accelerate. 

Pick a blade to suit your size and use. If you are a smaller paddler that is primarily cruising around and touring, go for a smaller blade. If you have some big guns bulging out of your dry suit sleeves and you are into ocean play and rockhopping then maybe a bigger blade might be for you.

Feather

Another area where we have seen some changes. For years we all paddled with blades that were feathered 90deg relative to each other. Why? Well, that’s just what we all did, and it was the trend. For sea kayaking we have heard the theory that a 90 deg offset blade would slice into the wind with your upper hand easier, and there is some truth to this. However, with a large feather to your blades your controlling wrist is doing a lot of work to set the blade at the right angle as it hits the water.

There is a growing trend towards paddlers reducing their feather to help to take some strain off their wrist and for a more natural blade angle. Many paddlers will choose feathers of around 30deg for sea kayaking whilst a lot of (very good) sea paddlers have even moved towards 0 deg feather. It is definitely worth experimenting with this to see what works best for you. Most manufacturers produce sea paddles that are two piece with a variable feather so it is perfectly feasible to play around.

Although recreational sea kayakers will often benefit from less feather than the old 90 deg days it is common to see performance paddlers using higher angles (45 deg plus). A performance paddler, particularly using a wing, has a much higher angle paddle stroke that starts with lots of body rotation. It is hard to explain in writing, but this style of paddling lends itself to paddles with a little more feather.

So, what do we use? Well Simon tends to move himself around on a set of carbon paddles around 210cm with a 30deg feather with a midsize blade. James, he uses a set of Carbon paddles also 210cm midsize blade and a feather around 20 deg. Both use straight paddles but might pick up a set of cranks for expeditions. Cranks can put your wrists at a more natural angle and help with wrist pain (holding the paddle lightly has the same effect) but maybe this is a blog article for another day.

Happy paddle shopping everyone!!

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