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Jeff Potter
 
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Default How to size a sea kayak paddle?

I've been kayak paddling a few years with the paddle what brought me.
But now I have a chance to buy a spare for the back of my sea kayak. Or
who knows maybe it will be my main blade. My main is cracking and
fraying and needs epoxy and some glass.

I mostly do fla****er speed paddling for an hour or two. But I look
forward to some actual seakayaking when I get around to it. I've had
Olympic-style stroke coaching. My seakayak pals are mostly fla****er
people and they still use the same technique when on wavey water in
seakayaks. I tend to as well---straight arms, wind up torso, but try to
keep arms a bit lower in seakayak.

Anyway, it seems like my 230 Lendl is pretty nice, maybe a tad long. I
have a 220 Streuer that I'm borrowing that seems short. But I really
haven't been seakayak paddling that much. I'm 6'1" with 30-31" torso. My
boat has a 20" beam---Seda Glider knockoff striper. Extremely cool, fast
boat.

I have a chance to buy a new 2-piece: 230 or 220: which length to go
for?

Much of what I read on paddles these days hints that 220 might be the
ticket. Less fatigue, higher cadence. The shop rat showing me the
paddles is my size, is pushing the 220, says that's what he uses.

I'm a terrible shopper. I hate choices.

--

Jeff Potter
****
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