Paddles

Paddles Buyers Guide & Paddle Reviews

Find the complete list of Paddles and read Paddles Reviews from top brands like Werner, Bending Branches, Aqua-Bound for all Kayak, Canoe, and SUP paddles!

Several factors come into play when choosing the proper paddle for your canoe, kayak or other paddle craft. Length, type of stroke you prefer and what blade dimensions (length, width, shape), weight, and even “feel” all play a role in selecting a paddle best suited to your style.

A critical starting point for developing your own padding style, is to learn and incorporate proper posture and procedure into your paddling routine.  For kayakers, that includes incorporating torso twist when paddling using various body contact points and proper posture. Similarly for canoers, it means a well-positioned and executed paddle stroke from different positions in the canoe. Once you have developed an efficient paddling style, you can better determine which paddle attributes enable you to get the most out of your paddle - and your boat.

Choosing the Proper Paddle Length

Nothing beats an actual on-water paddle test in your own boat or one with the same characteristics. Demo days are an excellent way to test different paddles to determine which combination of parameters (length, weight, etc.) work best.

For kayak paddles, a general land-based “proper length” determination is to stand with your hand raised high above your head (like you want to be called upon to answer a question)  and casually wrap your extended fingers down over the tip of the paddle perpendicular with the other tip on the ground. If your elbow is obviously bent or you have to stretch to even tickle the top edge of the blade with your fingertips, you’ve got the wrong length paddle. The width of your kayak and whether you prefer a low-angle entry or a high-angle entry when paddling will also determine the proper length and reach of your paddle.

Canoers can assume a paddling position in the boat and hold the paddle vertically alongside the gunwales. The distance from your nose to the waterline should equal the distance of the shaft between the grip and the throat where the shaft meets the blade. On land, kneel with your butt about six inches above the ground, hold the paddle vertically with the grip touching the ground.  The throat of the paddle shaft should be in line with the area between your chin and your nose.

Tips for Buying a Paddle

Here are some of the many factors to consider when selecting the proper paddle for your canoe or kayak:

• Choice of materials includes wood, aluminum or composite (fiberglass; graphite)
• Each material presents pros and cons: strength vs. weight, sturdiness, “feel”
• Shafts are straight or bent (providing an aid to aligning your grip on the shaft)
• Static weight is the physical weight, “swing” weight - it’s sense of ‘weight’ or flow while in motion
• Asymmetric shaped paddles provide unequal surface area against the water, particularly with low-angle strokes;  symmetric blades are used in whitewater paddling or with a more upright, high-angle paddling stroke.
• Shorter, broader blades provide for a more forceful, power stroke
• Longer, narrow blades provide for low-angle, casual or touring strokes
• A dihedral shaped blade reduces flutter common to flat-faced blades
• Curved, “spoon” and “wing” blades are especially designed to catch the water earlier, and are often used in racing paddles
• Long, narrow Aleutian (ribbed blade) and Greenland (no rib) paddles spread surface area along shorter, wider shaft for many paddling technique opportunities.