For those who want a shorter single blade to use in your surfski/kayak I usually size people by the length of their blade used in a canoe. So measure from a chair seat to bridge of nose and add 18" -thats the approx length to use in a canoe. Most canoe seats are 5-6 above the base of the canoe so in a kayak you are 4-5 " lower so deduct that from the length of your canoe paddle. This gets you in the approx length needed. Remember some kayaks are wider than others so adjust accordingly also the shorter the shaft the less balanced the paddle will be. A paddle should be blade light so with a wood blade 43-44 o/a length is fine, a carbon blade enables you to go shorter but then you have a blade width issue. I think that width of 7.75-8.5 is the spread for blades.
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