Kayak paddle length for wider canoe

Looking for advice. I have an Old Town Discovery 133. It’s a bit over 40 inches wide at center. If I solo from the front seat facing backwards…wondering what length kayak paddle I would need? I’m about 5’10”. Unfortunately I don’t really have the opportunity to go out and try different lengths.

Appreciate any input!
Ryan

Some guidance here:


At 5'8" with canoe widths 29-32" I like my 260 cm paddle. You might want to go a little longer.

My paddle is a Bending Branches "Slice" - they don't seem to make it any more, but it is very similar to the "Angler Classic" listed in their Fishing Kayak selection.

40"?! Dang.

I have two 280cm paddles, BB Angler Ace and BB Impression Solo. Great for a wide-beam Prospector and an OT Tripper. Little long for the 27" Encounter, but not bad.

I paddle low angle with a double, as i value a dry lap over efficiency/speed. Long shafts are the key to low-angle comfort. You can go shorter with high angle. 230-240cm seems common.

I bought an Oceanbroad adjustable that can be 240, 250 0r 260. I like it because I have a couple of different canoes I paddle solo.

My solo canoe is 32" at it's widest with a fair bit of tumblehome. I'm just under 6'2. At first I though 260cm was good but after spending some time using a high angle lightweight 250cm I got used to it. My spare is also high angle and adjustable 240-260cm. Playing around 255cm feels pretty nice were I ever to order a custom fixed length. You did say any input so I shared this even if it's not super relevant.

BWCA66 said:

I bought an Oceanbroad adjustable that can be 240, 250 0r 260. I like it because I have a couple of different canoes I paddle solo.

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Thank you. I see these on Amazon as the price is pretty low. Would you say the overall quality is good? I like the idea of adjustable to see what I prefer most. I’ve held carbon paddles that are so nice and light, but I don’t want to commit before being certain of the length I’ll need.

First of all, a double canoe paddle is NOT a kayak paddle. Canoe paddles are longer. You’d be miserable using a 260-280cm paddle in most yaks. A big sit on top fishing yak might be the exception. Mostly, you could use a kayak paddle in a small canoe but not a double canoe paddle in a kayak. The yak seat would be too low, too narrow.

My wife made the mistake of bringing a 230cm yak paddle for our last lake trip. Poor girl was working herself to death, couldn’t keep up until I lent her my 260 (I was using the Badgertail). She won’t load the wrong one again.

Where you sit in the canoe makes a difference, as do the seat heights and your physical attributes (in addition to the canoe’s width).

The water you’re paddling can make a difference too. Narrow, intimate, or fast streams could require a shorter paddle. Experimentation is your friend. My wife is 5-5 and uses a 250 in a solo canoe on a fast stream but a 260 on the lake. I’m 5-9 and take a 260 for windy lakes also.

Basically, you need to experiment. Start with a 250-260, go up to a 280 if there’s too much drippage, or you feel too much like a wind mill. Good luck!

Black_Fly said:

First of all, a double canoe paddle is NOT a kayak paddle.

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Ah, but they are... making a yak paddle longer makes it easier to use in a canoe but it's still just a long yak paddle. Not that I'm judging... using a kayak paddle in a canoe is certainly better than not getting out at all.

(lipstick your pig all you like... it's not my pig)

Black_Fly said:

First of all, a double canoe paddle is NOT a kayak paddle. Canoe paddles are longer. You’d be miserable using a 260-280cm paddle in most yaks.

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That's an awfully broad statement with a narrow threshold between the two. Call it what you like but a double-blade paddle is a double-blade paddle regardless of length or blade shape. This thread has a lengthy discussion but no clear consensus. It's like trying to break out two broad categories of single-blade paddles based on length alone.

tketcham said:

That's an awfully broad statement with a narrow threshold between the two. Call it what you like but a double-blade paddle is a double-blade paddle regardless of length or blade shape. This thread has a lengthy discussion but no clear consensus. It's like trying to break out two broad categories of single-blade paddles based on length alone.

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Blades are also shaped different, but you mean like a sword and a knife? Like a limousine and a car. Like a musket and an AR15? Like a center and a guard? Like a dock and a pier? Like spaghetti and macaroni? Double blade canoe paddles have evolved over hundreds of years. They are distinctive.

Black_Fly said:

They are distinctive.

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OK, but I'm not convinced and don't need to be because I don't use a double-blade paddle for canoeing. I may decide to use one if I'm no longer able to comfortably use a single blade paddle. Just for discussion, this is what Joe Moore at Placid Boatworks says about double-blade canoe paddles. He includes a Werner double-blade paddle as an example of what to consider. I looked at Werner's selection and found a few that seem to match the paddle he shows. None of their double-blade paddles are specified as canoe paddles, though. If you have an example of a specific double-blade canoe paddle it would be interesting to compare them.

Bending Branches makes a canoe specific double bladed paddle. It comes in 260 and 280. I’ve never used one so I couldn’t say what the difference is.