How long should your paddle be for sea kayaking?

[novice]

I heard one racer say maximum length is 220 for very tall man and an
average of around 216. Shorter for a small woman. Most paddles seem to
be 230 cms.

[Brian Nystrom]

It depends on your size and the size of your boat. The wider the boat
and the higher you sit above the water, the longer the paddle should be.
While 230cm was considered more or less the "standard" touring paddle
length for years, the current trend is toward shorter paddles in the
210-220cm range. If this is your first paddle, I wouldn't get overly
worked up over finding the perfect length. Chances are that your
needs/wants will change as you gain experience and skill. Start with a
220-230cm paddle, use it for a while, then make any changes that you
feel are necessary.

[Bill Tuthill]

Sounds like advice from somebody who wants to sell paddles.
In practice, 4 cm (216 to 220) makes hardly any difference.
Materials and blade shape cause more substantive effects.

If you don't own a paddle yet, I advise buying one with
adjustable feather angle, once you settle on a length.
Werner makes these, but so do other manufacturers.

[cram...@gmail.com]

Might have been Greg Barton, he's said something quite like that. And
yes, he does sell paddles, that are both length and feather adjustable.

WW paddles have been sized in 2 cm increments for many years. They,
like touring paddles, are getting shorter.

Unless you order custom, you can only buy 210, 220, 230, and 240 most
places. I'm 5'11" with long arms in a skinny boat and 220 is good for
me. Actually, my Cricket is a 215 after it broke at the ferrule and I
fixed it. My wife is 5'3", also in a skinny boat, and Greg recommended
a 210 for her.

Steve

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Brian Nystrom:

>It depends on your size and the size of your boat.

Could it also depend on whether the user wants the equivalent of high or low
gearing?

I use a short (203 cm) paddle for surf because after I kick out of a wave I need
to paddle really hard to accelerate out and over the next wave before it breaks
on me. The shorter length acts like a lower gear on a bike: more power with
less muscle but more rpm's.

For fitness paddling I like about eight inches more length because I can go
further per stroke.

Seems to me like my own formula for paddle size involves my upper arm length (to
make the 90 degree "U" grip with paddle held overhead) and the "gear" that I
want.
--
PeteCresswell

[novice]

Yeah, it was a pro racer who sells paddles or represents paddle
company. Hes always saying the boat dont matter but make sure you buy
the 600 dollar wing paddle.
I'm going to take hack saw to my paddle.