image courtesy of Betty Designs and breedfreakphoto.com

Over the years we have heard several variations on the following story from paddlers emailing us with questions about SUP equipment selection:

I’m working on paddles too. Due to a warranty issue, I’ve switched from using my Hobie 7.8 to my wife’s QB Kanaha AC 90. The smaller blade seems to have opened up another gear for me.

This is not at all surprising for us.  As we mentioned in a previous post, we are running some studies looking at blade face size, stroke rate, and their relationship to heart rate and performance in SUP racing.

One of our early observations is that some paddlers are using a blade face that is too large for them to handle.   By the end of a long paddle workout these SUP athletes have a lower stroke rate and, in some cases, sloppier form than when they started their workout. We theorize that by the end of their workout their glide per stroke is decreased as a result of the fatigue and poor form. This indicates that they they are carrying muscular fatigue and not able to maintain their performance for the duration of the workout.

In our experience, paddlers tend to choose a paddle that is too large rather than too small. Two factors that might be involved with this phenomenon are:

1. The tough guy syndrome: using a small blade face is considered “un-manly” in some circles. The thinking goes that an 83 or 90 sq in blade face is something that women and kids use. If that is your thinking – get over it. Blade face size is not a reflection of your manhood.

2. The “middle zone” trap: Many paddlers stumble upon a blade face in the 90 sq in size because it is a “middle” size.  There is no real thought to this decision other than that they do not want to go too big or too small so they just get the “middle” size.  The fact of the matter is that this is a terrible way to pick a paddle blade face size.

The right paddle size is the paddle that will allow you to maintain good form, your appropriate stroke rate, and glide per stroke for the duration and intensity of your workout or race.

The “right” size paddle,  therefore depends on a number of factors including

1. Your size: Bigger paddlers can generally manage a bigger blade

2. Your strength:weight ratio: if you are strong for your size you might benefit from a larger blade. Conversely, if you are weak for your size you might benefit from a small blade face size.

3. Your paddle performance type: Some paddlers do better with a higher cadence while other paddlers do better with a lower cadence. This factor is partly determined by genetics but can be modified with focused training.

4. The size of your paddleboard: as a general rule you might select a smaller paddle (higher cadence) when paddling a shorter SUP race board such as a 12-6 vs. a longer board such as an unlimited or 14ft.

5. The length of your SUP race or workout: Longer races and workouts may require using a smaller paddle blade face. Over time a smaller blade allows for a higher cadence which will allow you to preferentially stress to your cardiovascular system which is a renewable and highly trainable resource vs. your muscular system which is not  renewable (e.g. once your muscles are fatigued it is game over). Conversely, shorter races and sprints may require you to use a bigger blade face.

6. Your injury burden: if you have previous shoulder or elbow injuries you might consider using a smaller blade to take some pressure off of your joints.

With all of these factors at play it can be difficult to choose a, SUP paddle blade size. As a starting point, Jim Terrell of Quickblade paddles recommends using The Quickblade Formula to get you in the ballpark. The formula is:

(your body weight in lbs. + 200 lbs) / 4

For example:

• if you weigh 160lbs, it would be 160+200=360, then divide 360 by 4 and you get 90, thus you should use a ~90 sq/in paddle.

• If you weigh 200lbs, it would be 200+200=400 then divide by 4 you get 100, thus you should use ~100 sq/in paddle.

• If you weigh 120lbs, it would be 120+200=320 then divide by 4 you get 80, thus you should use ~80 sq/in paddle.

If you use this formula, Jim suggests that you stay within about 5 square inches of your calculated blade face size as a starting point for your purchasing decision.

Many paddlers would benefit from having more than one paddle at their disposal.

Truth be told, just like surfboards, bikes, or golf clubs, to get the most out of your paddle racing and training you will likely need to have more than one paddle in your quiver. To give you an idea of how one professional paddler approaches his paddle blade selections our editor Chuck Glynn uses the following Laird Standup paddle blade sizes for his racing and training.

• Races longer than 12 miles 95 sq in
• Races shorter than 12 miles 105 sq in

Comparing apples to apples

In this post we refer to blade sizes described by the area (sq in) of the blades face. Although this is an accurate method of describing blade face size, SUP athletes need to be aware that it can be notoriously difficult to compare blades based solely on the size of the blade face.

Paddle specific factors such as the shape of the blade face and the angle of the blade relative to the shaft will have dramatic effects on the performance of the paddle. This is why you read marketing literature and talk with salespeople  who will say things like “this 91 sq in blade pulls like a 96 sq in blade.” Currently there is no industry standard for describing blade face size other than the area of the blade that will allow you to “compare apples to apples.” This means that you will need to experiment with different paddles to find a quiver of paddles that works for you.