The paddle I have is 226 cm…
The paddle I have is 226 cm and had the notches that are located about 6" out onto the blade on the bottom edge.
I believe the thought was that as you raise up the paddle and the water starts to run down the blade toward the shaft that when the water gets to the notch it is supposed to drop straight down
But I found that by the time the water reached the notches, the motion of the blade was already coming inward enough toward the boat, so the water from the notches drips into the boat because it misses the drip rings that are on the paddle shafts. I ended up grinding down the notches to make a smooth transition of the lower blade edge from the center of the blade all the way down to the shaft (and hence an uninterrupted flow of water) – so then the drip rings do their work and stop the drainage, letting it drip outside the boat. I do not plan to buy any more paddles with notches in the blades. The drip rings on both ends have loosened up slightly after only a couple years of use; this is not an issue if you don't mind that they can end up sitting out near the blades. Other than these things, it seems like a "strong", basic paddle for recreational use.
