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A paddle is lifted and swung two thousand times an hour. Its length decides whether you hit the hull, and its weight decides how your shoulders feel at the takeout. Here’s how to size it.
The chart
Bending Branches and Aqua-Bound publish the same chart: find your boat’s width across the top, your height down the side. Their words: the two most important factors are your kayak’s width and your own height.
| Boat width | Under 5 ft | 5 ft to 5 ft 6 | 5 ft 7 to 6 ft | Over 6 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 23 in | 200 cm | 210 | 220 | 220 |
| 23–27.75 in | 210 | 220 | 220 | 230 |
| 28–32 in | 220 | 230 | 230 | 240 |
| Over 32 in | 230 | 240 | 240 | 250 |
Most boats on this site are 28 to 32 inches wide, which puts most adults at 230 cm, taller ones at 240. The fishing sit-on-tops and tandems at 33 to 34 inches move up a step. Between sizes, the makers say go longer for relaxed low-angle paddling and shorter for an aggressive high-angle stroke.
Low angle, high angle
Low-angle paddling keeps the shaft nearly horizontal, the blade enters the water well out from the hull, and the stroke is relaxed: touring and recreational. High-angle keeps the shaft steep, the blade close to the hull, and the stroke powerful: whitewater, fitness, and wide fishing boats where you need to reach past the beam. Blades follow: low-angle blades are long and narrow (the Aqua-Bound Sting Ray), high-angle blades shorter and wider (the Manta Ray). A beginner on a lake is a low-angle paddler whether they know it or not.
Feather
Feather is the angle between the two blades. Zero means they’re in the same plane, which is simplest. A feathered paddle (30° to 60°) lets the upper blade slice through a headwind while the lower one pulls. Every paddle here adjusts; start at zero and try 45° on a windy day.
Weight, and the included paddle
The aluminium paddle that comes with a Lifetime or an Intex is 38 to 40 ounces, and so are the Pelican Poseidon and the Bending Branches Whisper. The Aqua-Bound Manta Ray Hybrid, with a carbon shaft, is 31. Eight ounces sounds like nothing; across two thousand strokes it’s half a ton of lifting you didn’t do. The aluminium paddle is fine for the first season. The carbon one is the upgrade most paddlers make first, before a better boat.
Aluminium paddle, 230 cm
Pelican Poseidon 230 cm
Pelican Poseidon
The default starter paddle: a two-piece aluminium shaft, fibreglass-reinforced polypropylene blades, feather adjustment to 65°, and drip rings, in the 230 cm length that fits most recreational boats.
- Length
- 230 cm (90.5 in)
- Weight
- 39 oz
- Shaft
- 2-piece aluminium, push-button
- Blades
- Fibreglass-reinforced polypropylene
- Feather
- 0–65°
Suits: The paddle to buy with any boat that doesn't include one, and the one to replace an included paddle with.
Weigh: Thirty-nine ounces is heavy; you feel it after an hour. One length on this listing. Amazon calls the blades fibreglass; Pelican says fibreglass-reinforced polypropylene.
Carbon-shaft paddle, 210–260 cm
Aqua-Bound Manta Ray Hybrid
Aqua-Bound Manta Ray Hybrid 2-piece Posi-Lok
The upgrade paddle: a carbon shaft with fibreglass-reinforced nylon blades at 31 ounces, a Posi-Lok ferrule that feathers in 15° steps, in six lengths. The high-angle blade suits wider boats and stronger strokes.
- Lengths
- 210 / 220 / 230 / 240 / 250 / 260 cm (separate listings)
- Weight
- 31 oz (879 g)
- Shaft
- 100% carbon, ovalised
- Blades
- abXII fibreglass-reinforced nylon, 7.5 × 18 in
- Feather
- Posi-Lok, 15° steps, left or right
Suits: The second paddle, or the first for someone who already knows the aluminium one will hurt.
Weigh: Pick the length from the sizing chart, not the longest; 250 cm is for boats over 32 in wide or paddlers over six feet. The low-angle Sting Ray version was out of stock on the check date.
Two-piece, and the leash
Every paddle here splits in two for the trunk. On flat water a coiled leash keeps it with the boat when you let go to fish or drink; in surf or moving water a leash is a snag, so leave it off.
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