Paddles: Shaft Length? Symmetrical vs. Asymmetrical Grip?

Of all the goofy things, trying to find a paddle can actually be a royal pita. I've done plenty of reading online (old age retention of said reading is questionable), and feel I'd like to go with a laminate wooden paddle. Remember this is a new endeavor and I'm still gearing up. A Nova craft Trapper, primary use of slow narrow river solo tripping

Is there much difference between a symmetrical v asymmetrical palm grips and is the asymmetrical something you get used to fairly quick if switching sides? I'm thinking a shorter v longer blade due to possible skinny water. My torso length, seat to nose is 32", which the bending branches chart puts me at a 57-58" inch shaft. I'm not interested in bent shaft paddles.

Ordering directly from bending branches is simple enough. Without getting too crazy price wise, the java, arrow or catalyst seem to fit the bill. To switch things up a bit, for my spare paddles I've been looking for a grey owl pathfinder without success. Grab an arrow blem at a discount instead?

Then I'm moving onto packs/storage.

Any and all advice welcome.

Microtus said:

I'm not interested in bent shaft paddles.

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Microtus said:

Is there much difference between a symmetrical v asymmetrical palm grips and is the asymmetrical something you get used to fairly quick if switching sides?

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I would only prefer an asymmetrical grip if I were using a bent shaft because bent shaft paddles have defined power faces and back faces. For a straight paddle with undefined and switchable faces, I would always prefer a symmetrical grip so I can easily palm roll the paddle on recovery strokes when I want to. I rarely switch sides and prefer to use a repertoire of single-sided correction strokes, which can take quite a while to perfect unless one takes competent instruction.

Bending Branches and Grey Owl both make several quite decent straight paddles, as do Sawyer, Badger, FoxWorx and several others.

Microtus said:

My torso length, seat to nose is 32", which the bending branches chart puts me at a 57-58" inch shaft.

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This doesn't make sense to me for several reasons. First, one's neck, head and nose are not part of one's torso. Second, seat to nose length is an imperfect analog for shaft length because your seat can be sitting on different height seats in different canoes. Third, a so-called "torso length" of 32" cannot possibly translate into a shaft length of 57"-58", although it could translate into a total paddle length of 57"-58" depending on the length of the paddle's blade.

The most important thing to determine for a paddle is shaft length. Once you determine that, you determine the total length of your paddle by adding the blade length to the shaft length.

The most accurate way to determine your shaft length if you have a canoe is to sit or kneel in the canoe as you typically would, with your typical gear load, use a broom handle or any straight stick in the water, as you would a paddle, and then measure the distance from the top of of the stick to where it enters the water.

None of this is scientifically absolute. Different paddlers like to have their top hands at different heights for different situations, so they may prefer different shaft lengths for bent vs. straight paddles or for whitewater vs. flat water. That's why experienced paddlers often end up with a lot of different paddles. If you are just starting out, these experiential preferences won't yet be apparent, so many paddles within a small range of shaft lengths will be quite practical and satisfactory.

Ah, I stand corrected....their chart shows a 57-58" paddle length, not shaft length. Appreciate the thought-out response, more research begins.

Any of the out of water methods of determining paddle length ( such as overhead 90 degree arms, or the chair while seated method) are a wild rough guess at best, but the only real way to get an accurate measurement is from within the canoe that you will be paddling with crew and expected gear on board a floating trimmed canoe. All the better if you can try for an hour or so before you buy.

I have a collection of carbon bent shaft racing paddles, as well as a collection of straight shaft wood paddles for tripping and cruising. As Glenn mentioned, my choice of paddle for the day depends greatly on what model of canoe I am in (could be 12’ solo or a 34’ voyageur), where I am seated in the canoe (bow, midship, or stern), the particular positioning of the seat and how it is mounted, and whether I am racing or training or tripping in it on that day.

My carbon bents range from 48-54 inches full length. An inch does make a significant difference during a long marathon race. The straight woods are also a variety of lengths. All my wood paddles have a relatively thin blade with sharp blade edges for easy slicing through the water in various kinds of strokes. Most cheap wood paddle blades tend to be more like thick cricket clubs than useful paddling tools.

All Both the bents and the straight wood paddles are sized such that during my stoke, my bottom shaft hand grips loosely just above the water level while my top grip hand looks to be aimed to strike me toward a point between my chin and my nose during the full power portion of the stroke. Some of the grips are slightly asymmetrical, but I prefer a symmetrical "palm grip" on the wood paddles, since some strokes, such as with the box or Indian stroke, you reverse the paddle power face and top grip on each stroke. Switching sides is not a factor since the power face does not change by simply changing the side you are paddling on.

I prefer a symmetrical grip but it's not a deal breaker. I have a cheap Bending Branches Loon that I've used and abused on shallow rocky rivers for the past few seasons and it has an asymmetric grip. It's not a big deal. But if I had the choice between two otherwise identical paddles I'd pick the one with a symmetrical grip.

I too prefer a symmetrical grip on a straight paddle: the asymmetrical grips are very comfortable when oriented the "right" way, but uncomfortable when oriented the "wrong" way, while a symmetrical grip is comfortable no matter which way around it is and so it saves you a little bit of thinking. Plus, as @Glenn MacGrady said, it gives you the option to palm roll when you want to.

As for other advice: if you can, find a place to check out the paddle(s) you want in person before you commit to buying. Even better, find a friend who'll let you try theirs out! And don't be surprised if it takes trying a few paddles to hone in on what you like...or if, as you say, you like having a second paddle in a different style to switch things up. Everyone has their own preferences for how a paddle should feel, and paddles that look similar on paper (or online) don't always look or feel the same in-person. Of course, it's better to have any paddle than not to have one at all, so don't sweat the purchase too much either—get something and go have fun! You can always get something else later once you figure out what you do and don't like about your first paddle...

Also, regarding sizing: if I recall correctly, Bending Branches recommends a paddle slightly longer for someone my size than what I prefer. As @yknpdlr says, your ideal paddle length is going to change depending on what canoe you're in, how heavily it's loaded, what kind of conditions you're paddling in (e.g. whitewater vs. flatwater), etc., but to get an estimate of the correct shaft length, I prefer the sizing method where you hold your arms at 90º overhead (link). Give that method a try and see how the number compares to the one you get with Bending Branches' method.

Last, speaking generally, I think you are right to go for a paddle with shorter blade (e.g. "Sugar Island" shape) for your first one: it's probably the most popular and versatile shape, and as you say, it will be best for shallow water.

I really like an asymmetrical grip in a straight shaft paddle. However, I'm not a switch hitter, I always paddle from one side. I find the flat surface against my palm is a nicer fit, and when turning the grip up for the end of the j stroke, it just feels better. A 57 to 58 inch paddle sounds fairly long, unless you are looking at an animal tail style blade.

I've sized hundreds of people to paddles over the decades and the one common factor in every case is that nothing is "common"...
torso length is only one small factor- length of arms, shoulder breadth, preferred style, boat size (including optimum waterline), cargo load and trim,and even blade and grip types are all equally important.
Ideally, you'd size it in the boat, in the water, loaded with your typical load, but that's hard to do at a paddleshop- the best alternative is to sit in a chair with your paddle over head, and assuming that your body is fairly proportional, grab the grip and shaft at the throat, ideally your elbows should be bent at 90°, that will get you in the ballpark, usually within 2-3", close enough to get you on the water.
now go out and actually try the paddle under your typical conditions and see how it feels- make sure you can return it first or be prepared to keep it as a spare (a handy thing anyway), you will quickly find out if you need longer or shorter, but even that will change over time as your skill increases, your body ages, or your setup changes, overall length really means very little simply because the blade sizes can vary wildly between different brands and styles.
as an example, my cruising paddles all have around a 31" shaft, but can be anywhere between 29" for my high- cadence sprint paddle to 36" for my north canoe steering paddle, and overall lengths vary between 47" for my sugar island to a whopping 78" for my voyageur paddle.
for straight shaft paddles I find a symmetrical grip is preferred simply because I can use either face for the power face, allowing me to do palm rolls or other quick maneuvering moves, while I prefer an asymmetrical grip for bent or scoop blade because I can instantly index the power face.

I'm not sure what switching sides has to do with symmetric vs asymmetric grips, at least it doesn't matter for me. Are some people rotating the paddle 180 when they switch sides? I've never done that. For me the very minor annoyance is that I have a 50/50 chance of picking it up wrong when I've set it down, which I do a lot because I'm often fishing.

Are some people rotating the paddle 180 when they switch sides? I've never done that.

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Yes. In fact, I usually rotate 180 degrees (palm roll) during recovery every stroke. (Obviously, asymmetrical grips won't work any better than bent shafts for me)

I'll agree on paddle sizing and, because I'm notoriously frugal, I'd suggest grabbing a couple of plastic & aluminum cheapies at Cabela's or Walmart to start. Shaft length will be the same (or very similar) with a wooden paddle and you might save a buck. The cheapie will also be adequate as a back-up / loaner paddle.

All of the water up here is ice for another month, and I've got to start somewhere so ordered a BB 58" explorer plus. It won't be my last paddle but will give me a baseline and can always be used as a backup or loaner. Interestingly enough, the 90 degree measurement also came out to 32", at least 2 wild rough guesses came out the same.

It's nice getting informative responses when your brand new and flying blind. It's one of those you don't know what you don't know things. I imagine everybody is different, even 2 people the same size in the same canoe, and it's going to take time on the water to figure things out, just like most things people do.

I make canoe paddles, I think I've made over 50 at this point and given away ~40 to tripping partners. After 20-25 builds I finally ended up on my favourite design to be a double bent shaft with an asymmetrical grip. Not a crazy double bend, just enough to keep the blade vertical for as long as possible in the water without having a really awkward grip on my low hand.

Second favorite for me would be my ottertail with asymmetrical grip that I use on pure lake trips where I know I won't be slogging through shallow water rivers. You just can't beat a nice long ottertail blade imo!

As far as shaft length, I usually sit on a chair and measure from the seat top to my nose and that's what I use for the shaft length (not including blade)

Beautiful work!

jvermast said:

I make canoe paddles, I think I've made over 50 at this point and given away ~40 to tripping partners. After 20-25 builds I finally ended up on my favourite design to be a double bent shaft with an asymmetrical grip. Not a crazy double bend, just enough to keep the blade vertical for as long as possible in the water without having a really awkward grip on my low hand.

Second favorite for me would be my ottertail with asymmetrical grip that I use on pure lake trips where I know I won't be slogging through shallow water rivers. You just can't beat a nice long ottertail blade imo!

As far as shaft length, I usually sit on a chair and measure from the seat top to my nose and that's what I use for the shaft length (not including blade)

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Jvermast, those are indeed lovely paddles. Your skills are impressive, and thanks for sharing your photos here.

I have many bent shaft paddles, including one Mitchell double bend with a wooden shaft and carbon blade, and I definitely prefer an asymmetrical palm grip for all of them. It's interesting that many outrigger paddlers now seem to prefer double bend paddles, but many of them prefer tubular t-grips. They probably feel the t-grip gives greater rotational control in the gigantic ocean swells in which they paddle, surf and power rudder.

With most straight paddles, and especially my Bruce Smith ottertail, I palm roll quite a bit at the end of my forward stroke and use a partial (or even full) in-water slicing return on the recovery for correction. I strongly recommend all single-side/single-bladers to learn and practice the palm roll, which is also key to the Christie turn. It increases your paddling maneuver repertoire and also your fun. Since you are using both paddle faces when using palm roll maneuvers, a symmetrical grip is the most practical and comfortable.

Here is Charles Burchill using palm rolls on Christie turns, some reverse maneuvers, and some of his forward strokes:

I also enjoy the palm roll, honestly never had a name for the technique until now so thank you!