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On 26-Aug-2004, (Jeff Potter) wrote:

Is the idea to stay away from paddles and
shafts that are too short?

Too short or too long. If it's too short, you won't get the
full blade submerged early enough in the stroke to get real
power. Too long and you're just using a lot of torque for
the same forward force. That excess torque translates into
excess yaw and more muscle fatigue.

The shaft should be the right length to allow you to grip
the shaft at the control position (oval, ridge whatever)
and still get the blade into the water correctly.

Therefore, two things are measured - the distance between your
hands and the distance from the hand to the water. The latter
takes into account things like kayak beam, freeboard and seat
height.

In general, the longer your arms, the longer the shaft.

Since every person has a different preference for how far
apart their hands should be, that has to govern. Beginners
seem to grip with their hands too close together, so they
can't get a reliable length estimate until the paddler has
enough experience to use a paddle correctly.

Technique also plays into this. If you never use a vertical
stroke but rely on a low stroke, a slightly longer paddle is
good. If you use a Greenland-style paddle, your hand position
is closer together and the shaft (or loom in GP speak) is quite
short. I think the trend to shorter paddles recently reflects
a shift to more emphasis on vertical stroke techniques.

It all comes down to what you're comfortable with.

Mike