Paddle Dimensions
Follow these instructions to determine the
critical measurements for your custom paddle
Blade Width:
| Blade width is measured by forming the letter 'C' with your thumb and first finger, as wide as you can make it. Or to put it another way, the widest blade you can grip comfortably and securely with one hand. Its important to be able to grip the blade this way because many Greenland style strokes and rolls use an extended grip on the paddle. Most common widths run between 3" and 3-1/2". |
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Blade width is one of the most important dimensions. Many of the traditional strokes require an extended paddle position. You need to be able to grip the blade at any point along its length comfortable and firmly.
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Loom
length: The loom is that part of the paddle between the normal grip position of your hands, or the length between the shoulders of a shouldered paddle. Traditionally, this is measured by standing with your arms relaxed. Then raising your hands until the elbows are bent 90 degrees, and holding the thumbs and first fingertips together. Measure the distance between these. This normally yields a dimension between 18" and 22". Here, I am measuring 18". I use a 20" loom length on my paddle. |
Loom length is also a very important dimension. The traditional sizing method shown here is based on Greenland-style skin-on-frame boats which are quite narrow compared to many production kayaks. If the beam of your boat is wider than the traditional method yields, you may want to use a wider grip on your paddle. It is much more important that the grip be comfortable to you than it is to be exactly as shown above.
| Loom
thickness and width: These paddles generally have an oval shaped loom. It is comfortable for most people to have a loom dimensioned to be comfortable when thumb and first finger can just touch tips reaching around it. By forming a letter 'O' with the thumb and first finger and measuring its diameter, you can use the diameter to start with, and estimate the oval dimensions. Generally, 1" to 1-1/4" in width and 1-1/2" to 1-5/8" in thickness are the ranges of comfort. Thicker looms add stiffness to the paddle. |
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Again it is much more important here to have a paddle that is comfortable for you to hold than it is to follow any particular guideline. Use these guideline as a general reference tool and modify the results for your own comfort.
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Overall
Length: Paddle overall length is traditionally measured by one of two methods: One way is to stand flat-footed, and reach up as far as possible with one hand. You should be able to curl your fingertips over the paddle tip. Another is to use an arm span plus the distance from the inside of your elbow to your fingertips. Average lengths run from 84 to 90". Paddles shorter than about 83" will tend to be used with a sliding stroke. |
Length and blade width work together in the paddle's cadence and the amount of bite it has. A narrower paddle will have a higher cadence and less bite for the same length. A longer paddle will have a lower cadence and more bite, for the same width. By varying the two, you can dial in a paddle to fit your needs. For example you may be taller than average, or you may have a wider boat and want a longer paddle. Then using a narrower blade will still keep the cadence up. Narrower paddles might take more practice getting used to. Some traditional style paddlers start out with blades as wide as can be comfortably gripped, and then move toward narrower paddles as skills increase.
Note that all of these dimensions are starting points... If you have some experience with a Greenland style paddle and are wanting to use that to base your dimensions on, that is a wonderful method of getting a paddle you will be happy with. Please contact me and we will discuss dimensions to fit you and your boat.
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