I've been reading about canoeing, since I don't do it much (every few years on this trip), but I have been getting different opinions on paddle length.

So... How long should your paddle be? Someone said "hold it upside down like a rifle--the blade should start around your ear". Another guide said the paddle should be at your Adams Apple while standing up (ladies, I guess you don't get to paddle). A third said to "Go to REI, ask them, then get the next size down since they always recommend a size too big". Real scientific.

So, I ask the folks here... How should you size your paddle? Assume that you're using a basic paddle, like what you'd get from an outfitter included.

Hold your arms straight out from the sides of your body so that they are horizontal, then bend your arms 90 degrees at your elbows so that your forearms are pointing straight up. Measure the distance between your hands and that is a good approximation of what your paddle length (from top of grip to beginning of the blade) should be. You can do this while holding a straight rod or something similar in your hands and it makes the measurement pretty easy.

Just my 1-cent worth.

What about bent vs. straight paddles?

Pilgrimpaddler: "Hold your arms straight out from the sides of your body so that they are horizontal, then bend your arms 90 degrees at your elbows so that your forearms are pointing straight up. Measure the distance between your hands and that is a good approximation of what your paddle length (from top of grip to beginning of the blade) should be. You can do this while holding a straight rod or something similar in your hands and it makes the measurement pretty easy.


Just my 1-cent worth."

Depends upon not only your torso height but the boat you paddle. Some canoes have seats low to the water, some high. Also, if you kneel you may prefer it a bit longer? If you can test paddle a few paddle sizes in the boat you will be paddling, that would be ideal.

MOST paddlers I see use paddles too long for them and end up with the paddle diagonal to the water. Indeed, I used to believe a 60" straight paddle was perfect for my 6'2" frame. I've shrunk an inch with age, but my paddles have shrunk almost a foot. I use 54" straight paddles and prefer something about 50-51" in a bent shaft.

Many naysayers will tell you things like "Bent shafts are for racers," "You can't paddle a J-stroke with a bent," or "You can't paddle from the stern" with a bent or "They are too fragile." BS. You can learn to J-stroke and even scull with a bent with a little practice. My 16 year old Zaveral was in use all day on in it's usual environment, a rocky, Ozark river. Only time I pulled the straight shaft out was because I take a paddle that a dear friend who's passed away made me. I take his paddle on the river and feel like he's still there for a bit....

So, bent or straight, try one a bit shorter than recommended by the salesperson and I betcha you will be happier?

select a size a good starting point.

Plenty of other factors come up after some experience. Style of paddle, blade size, obvious to begin with.

Moving to other specifics, more advanced as, paddling cadence, shoulder width combined with paddling position width, arm reach. All more dependent on style of canoe, paddle, and personal preference.
My favorite paddle winds up noticeably shorter than recommended. I have long arms and torso compared to leg length accompanied by med to wide shoulders, and like a faster cadence traveling, also more interested in my own efficiency and comfort than technical points. Different features and personalities my need a longer shaft.

butthead

I have straight shaft paddles from 56 to 63 inches that all fit perfectly because they all have 35 inch shaft length and I'm a kneeler.

I was taught to let your arms hang straight down to your sides and then hold the paddle upside down and cup the grip in your hand and the throat of the paddle should be between your nose and hairline. Works pretty well for me.

Better is to test paddle the paddle and make sure the blade is fully buried during the piwer phase of your stroke while using proper technique (stacked hands and vertical shaft). If you're burying a couple of inches of the shaft too then you can use a ahorter paddle.

Grandma L: "What about bent vs. straight paddles?"

The link I listed from ZRE does without considering the blade portion. It gives a shaft length not including the blade, bent or straight.

butthead

I also use a shorter paddle than predicted. If I use the typical rules of thumb I have to have my top hand above my eyes to do an in-water recovery and practically above my head to do an out of water recovery. Nothing suave and sophisticated about that, and I paddle single blade at least in part for the cool factor. Also very tiring.

Best way is definitely to test a couple in your typical canoe. Start with a rule of thumb size, then 1 longer and 1 shorter. At least 1 of them should jump out at you as wrong, then you only have to narrow it down.

I use a 60" BB Beavertail that I'm sure is too long for me. I like how it feels though, and with probably 500 miles it's never let me down.
I'm sure it'd be better suited to me if I were 6'2" instead of 5'11".

Eventually you’ll arrive at an approximation by the average outcome from trying all the recommended methods.

Then you’ll try the paddle you chose on the water and fairly quickly conclude that it is just right, just a bit long or just a bit too short. Then you’ll buy the perfect size and be happy for years to come. Until one day you say to yourself: Why is this paddle just a bit too long? Oh yeah, your bow paddler and partner in life is up there in front with the shorter of your two bent shafts, trying to figure out why her paddle has inexplicably become two inches too short ...

The two inches can indeed make that much difference. And switching from stern to bow might well require a longer paddle, and vice versa.

How to avoid making the wrong choice? Borrow or rent paddles, or buy some very cheap ones, until you settle on ”just right.”

Here's another resource for sizing a paddle.

Sanborn Paddle Sizing

I started with a 60" based on those dry land approaches to sizing. After plenty of time on on the water I now prefer a 48 or 50 kneeling or sitting solo and a 52 when tandem.

The best way to size a paddle length is not very scientific. Just experiment with different lengths. I used to use a longer paddle but as I have aged in these many years my paddle continues to get shorter. I am now only 6 feet tall and am down either a 48 or 50 incher. I figure if I can continue to paddle another couple of years I will likely be looking in the children's section for my paddles.