There are many ways that people use to determine this. I remember when I was in Boy Scouts and I was told that the best way to do this was to find a paddle that fit perfectly between the ground and your arm pit. When I went to buy my first "expensive paddle," the salesman corrected me when he saw me measuring out my $200.00 paddle this way. Since I bought that paddle, there have been a few different techniques used on paddle measurement, and the paddle stroke has evolved. Bottom line, it is a personal fit. Two years ago, I changed to a shorter paddle based off of a style of paddlestroke that was taught to me. The stroke has been successful for me, so I will share the technique that I was told to measure paddles based on this technique. This advice comes from Marc Gillispie through the New York Marathon Canoe Racing Association.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE CORRECT PADDLE LENGTH?
It depends on your seat height, whether you are paddling a C-1 or C-2, what your torso height is, how long your arms are. The best way to discover the appropriate length is to sit in a canoe, back straight, lean forward slightly, fully immerse the blade, have your lower hand just above the gunwale and your upper hand just at the top of your head. There it is. I usually recommend a 2" difference between C-1 and C-2.
That is Marc in the bow and Matt Strieb in the stern. They are showing where your hands should be when making the measurement. On a side note, Matt was the salesman who sold me my first "expensive paddle"
:-)
Another method-Sit on a hard seat chair, measure from seat to bridge of nose, add 18" (assuming paddle has 18" long blade) add 2" for straight shaft. Adjust length depending upon where you are seated. A bow paddler may need one 1" longer. As you progress you will use paddles of slightly different lengths. Like coat hangers your paddle collection will grow.
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