How to choose the right kayak paddle

Choosing a new kayak paddle is always exciting, but how do you know which one is right for you?

Your paddle significantly impacts your performance on the water, so it's crucial to be able to confidently determine the correct length, blade shape and materials when considering your perfect paddle.

First things first: for kayaking, you need a double-bladed paddle, which is what this article focuses on. For canoeing (i.e., open boats), you'll need a single-bladed paddle.

Good kayak shops (like ours, Check the link to our store here) stock a wide range of paddles suitable for several types of paddling. Whether you're just starting out on local sheltered waterways or you're an experienced paddler seeking a performance edge on longer inland or sea kayaking trips or white water rivers, there's something for everyone.

Starting at the beginning

When helping customers choose the right paddle, we're looking for 4 key pieces of information to help narrow down the choices

o Type of paddling - whitewater, sea kayaking, touring & recreation

o Paddler Height

o Paddling Style

o Budget

Type of Paddling.

We want to know about the type of paddling, wider more stable boats like recreational kayak and Sit on Tops will need a longer paddle to enable you to reach the water easily. While a white water paddler will need a shorter paddler than a sea kayaker, to allow for a higher cadence and more control.

Equally a recreational paddler or someone paddling long distances won’t necessarily need a large powerful blade found on whitewater paddles that would be tiring to use for a long time.

Your height is also a factor in the paddle length you need; the taller you are the longer you paddle should be.

Paddling style.

Typically we refer to two ‘styles of paddling’ - high angle or low angle.

Low angle paddling allows for a relaxed, slower stroke cadence where your top hand stays below your shoulder height, and the paddle shaft stays relatively horizontal with the blades entering the water a little way from the sides of your kayak.  This is best suited to paddlers on flat water or calmer seas.

(Low angle - hands kept relaxed and below shoulder height)

High angle paddling tends to involve more effort, allowing for a high cadence and more efficient paddling for great speed, with a more vertical paddle shaft and the blades entering the water closer to the side of your kayak.

(High angle - Top hand above shoulder height)

If you’re new to paddling and not sure which style you prefer or if you switch between them, don’t worry too much at this stage!

Budget.

This will always be personal, and you don’t need to buy the most expensive paddle to get something that will work perfectly for you and allow for many hours of happy paddling. 

As a rule, though, the more you spend on a paddle, the lightness and rigidity will improve. Reducing the weight of the paddle means less effort for you so it's worth considering your options and what might offer you the best value long term.

Armed with that information we can then start looking at some of distinguishing features of the distinctive styles of paddles you’ll find in our shop and website and which ones are best for you.

What difference do all the blade shapes and size make?

All modern paddle blades will be asymmetric in shape allowing a more uniform delivery of power when it’s pulled through the water and reduce the amount of flutter.

High Angle paddles tend to be shorter and wider and may also be offered with different blade sizes or surface areas to accommodate for paddlers of varying strength.  The bigger the surface area allows you to generate more power, but you’ll need more energy to pull it through the water making it more tiring to use, especially for longer trips.

Low Angle Blades are longer and narrower for a less powerful but less tiring stroke that’s easier to maintain over a long time.

What Length should I get?

These guides from Aqua Bound provide a good starting point when choosing the length of your paddle based on your height and boat width. 

Even with all the information below taken into consideration there is an element of personal preference in what paddle length you end up with.  It’s also true that if you use a low angle style you will want a slightly longer paddle than if you’re a high angle paddler.

Some paddles will allow you to adjust their length so if you’re not sure this can be an option worth looking at!

 White water kayak paddle length Guide

Touring kayak paddle length guide. high / low angle

Materials

The two main parts of the paddle are the shaft and blades. The combination of materials used will determine the weight and overall performance of your new paddle.

We’ll look at shaft construction first. The two main options are.

·       Aluminum /Alloy Shafts – The cheapest but heaviest option, very strong.  

·       Composite – Either Glass Fibre or Carbon Fibre or a mixture of the two.  Offers incredible strength, low weight, durability and with varying levels of stiffness.  Glass Fibre is cheaper than Carbon fibre and tends to be slightly heavier but produces a shaft with more spring/flex.   Carbon is usually stiffer which great for high performance paddling or when you really want the lightest and stiffest option.

Glass Carbon mix, you'll find many companies produce kayak shafts with a mix of the two materials, this allows manufactures to fine tune products and produce a shaft that has great strength and flexibility, but also remines light weight.

The blades of your paddle will also come in different materials.

Plastic – The cheapest option, and exceptionally durable although not indestructible as they can split with the right impact.  The heaviest option and also a little more flexible which reduces performance in the water.

Fibreglass Reinforced Nylon – Using fibreglass in the resin allows for a reduction in weight over plastic only blades without being much more expensive and improves blade stiffness.

Carbon Reinforced Nylon – Still plastic but a little lighter and stiffer than the other plastic / nylon options available

Fibreglass – You’ll notice a much lighter blade with a lower swing weight and improved performance in the water than the three options above. Exceptionally durable although over time you might notice chips around the edge of the blade

Carbon Fibre – The lightest and stiffest material offering the best performance on the water, fantastic swing weight and incredible strength that provides a positive controlled stroke from catch to exit. Carbon is an extraordinarily strong material, but can be brittle, and if impacted on hard rocky surfaces can crack and fracture with time.

What is swing weight? Swing weight equates to the effort it takes to move your paddle throughout the stroke, the lighter the blades of your paddle, the more minimal the swing weight will be. Lighter swing weight = less energy used.

Shaft type

Kayak paddles are either straight shaft or bent shaft with bent shafts being the more expensive of the two options.  The bend in the shaft gives you a more ergonomic design and helps your hands sit in a more natural position during a forward stroke and can help reduce the strain on your wrists and elbows caused by long or persistent paddling.

Feather

This is the angle at which the paddle blades are off-set relative to each other. Zero feather means the blades are parallel to each other, 90 degree feather, the blades will be perpendicular to each other. Choosing the "right" feather depends on a few factors, technique, body type, skill level and or the conditions you're paddling in. By far the most common feather your find paddles set to today is 45 degrees, this feather encourages rotation during your paddle stroke, but also allows for easy bracing strokes to steady the kayak. With time come experience however and eventually all paddlers will find the feather that best fits their style and needs. 

Ferrule

1 piece, 2 piece or 4 pieces. For most people starting out in a kayak a 1 piece paddle is the easiest way to go. As you continue your journey through the sport 2- or 4-piece paddles will more than likely become a consideration. On a 2 piece paddle the blades will be connected to a length of shaft and joined with a ferrule, this is where the 2 pieces of the paddle will come together, there are then two main styles of ferrule, the standard ferrule joins the paddle together at a set length but allows for multiple feather positions. the versa-Lok system again joins the two ends but also allows for between 10 and 15cm (depending on manufacture) length adjustment as well as unlimited feather options.

4-piece paddles will use either of the ferrule systems mentioned above but with the advantage of being able to remove the blades as well, normally via a push button joint. In the water this doesn't really have an advantage or disadvantage, but from a traveling point of view it makes packing the paddle down really easy, and if you're planning to do a lot of traveling with your craft? A 4-piece paddle is a great option to consider.

So, there you go, kayak paddles! I hope that gives you the answers to hopefully some questions you might have. If you are still confused however, please come into the shop, our staff will be on hand to talk you through the option available and help you make the right decision to confidently get out on the water and enjoy the sport.