Choose The Right Paddle

Choose The Right Paddle - Allen Macartney

Rating: *****

While paddles seem like one of the most basic parts of going out in a canoe, the size, shape and material all factor in to the comfort and power you get our of your stroke. While this article mainly focuses on what to look for while buying a new paddle, it can also be used to pick the right paddle from the Outdoor Ed room.

The article mentions multiple factors that go into a paddle; length, shape, grip and blade. Finding the right length can be found by just standing up the paddle straight against yourself, checking if it hits between your nose and chin. It also explains that bow paddlers tend to have shorter paddles for their strokes. The bent vs. straight is more whether or not you are you are a pro. Bent if you are, straight otherwise. The grips differ if you are in rapids or calm water, T-grip is preferred in rapids for control while Pear is preferred for comfort. Lastly the blade depends all on personal preference and where you sit in the boat.

This article informed me of which paddle I should choose out of all the ones in the Outdoor Ed room, which has always been a mystery to me, making the paddles in class a bit awkward. The article also gives a lot of information not exactly necessary for picking a paddle as they all have the same blade/grip, but would prove handy were I to rent a canoe in the future.

Macartney, Allen. "Choose The Right Paddle" Ottawa Outdoors - Summer 2013: p. 5.