How to Size Kayak & SUP Paddles from Home
(photo courtesy of @puremichigan_kaileigh)
When you can go into a paddle sports retailer and size a paddle, that’s great. But if you don’t live near one or they’re not open when you want to buy a paddle, it’s easy to size yourself from home, too.
Size a Kayak Paddle from Home
There are two things to keep in mind when sizing a kayak paddle: your height and the width of your kayak. We have a simple table that makes it easy to know how long your paddle should be:
If you already have a kayak, simply measure its outside width at the cockpit. If you don’t have a kayak yet, you’ll want to decide which one you’ll buy before you choose your paddle. All the manufacturers list their kayaks widths as part of the specs.
There are other factors in choosing a kayak paddle, too, like blade style, ferrule style and weight. See our Kayak Paddle Sizing Guide for more.
Size a SUP Paddle from Home
To measure yourself for a SUP paddle simply add 8-10 inches to your height if you’ll be paddling on flat water likes lakes and slow-moving rivers. (If you get into surfing or racing the measuring is a little different).
All our 2-piece and 4-piece SUP paddles are adjustable-length, so you buy a paddle that’s in your height range. For example, if you’re 5’8” you’ll add 8-10 inches, which is 76-78 inches. You could choose either the 70-80 inch paddle or the 76-86 inch paddle.
Our one-piece paddles, the Malta Carbon and Malta Fiberglass, come in fixed lengths. So you’ll choose the one that’s closest to your height + 8-10 inches.
For more, see our SUP Paddle Sizing Guide.
(photo courtesy of @hawaiirish.juanita)
Size a Packraft Paddle from Home
Like kayak paddles,the length of a packrafting paddle depends on a couple of things: your purpose and the width of your packraft.
Here’s a chart you’ll find helpful:
As you can see, if you’ll paddle mostly whitewater, your paddle can be shorter. For all-purpose and bike rafting, you’ll want a longer one. Tandem paddling (because your packraft will be bigger and wider) you’ll want an even longer one.
A note on our Shred Apart paddle: When you paddle tandem you can break this down into two canoe paddles, which is very handy. Then when you’re alone, keep it together and use as a kayak paddle.
See our Packraft Paddle Sizing Guide for more.
It’s really quite simple to size yourself for a paddle at home. Just follow these easy steps and you’ll be good to go in no time!
Our friendly Customer Service team is waiting for your paddle questions. Contact them today: 715-755-3405 • [email protected]
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