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Kayak & Canoe Paddle Length

Your height and the kayak’s width — or your torso, for a canoe — against the paddle makers’ own charts, side by side, so you can see where they agree and where they don’t.

What are you paddling?
ft/in
in
Your stroke — relaxed is low angle

Kayak · 5′ 8″ · 30″ wide · low angle

230 cm paddleBoth makers’ charts say 230 cm for you in this boat.

Bending Branches & Aqua-Bound
230 cm (90.6″) · 5’7"–6′, 28–32" boat
Werner (low angle)
230 cm (90.6″) · 5’6"–6′, 28–32" boat
  • Aqua-Bound: Consider sizing 5 or more centimeters longer if you have two or more of the following: A more relaxed, casual paddling pace · A true low-angle (horizonal) forward paddling stroke · Abnormally wider boat width · Flare, flat-bottom, or V-shaped (usually beveled outward) boat design · High seat position in the kayak/canoe · You are taller than 6’ and outside our sizing guide.

These are the makers’ charts, not a fitting. Your arms, your seat and your boat’s shape all move the right length a few centimetres — which is why several makers sell adjustable paddles.

Every chart was read on the maker’s own page 2026-09-26.

Quick answer: kayak paddle length comes from two things — your height and the kayak’s width at its widest point. A 5′8″ paddler in a 30-inch recreational kayak gets 230 cm from both Bending Branches’ chart and Werner’s; the same paddler in a 34-inch boat gets 240 cm from one and 250 cm from the other. Fishing kayaks run longer — Bending Branches’ own fishing chart says 250 cm for 5′8″ in a 32-inch boat, and 260 cm if you paddle with the seat up high. For a canoe, measure your torso sitting down, seat to nose: a 30-inch torso takes about a 56-inch straight-shaft paddle, or 52 inches bent.

Why the width matters as much as your height

A paddle has to reach the water past the side of the boat. In a narrow touring kayak your hands can stay close to the hull and a short paddle does the job; in a 34-inch sit-on-top the same stroke has to clear a lot more boat, and a short paddle means knuckles on the gunwale or leaning out on every stroke. Too long is the opposite problem — more swing weight, and the boat wanders. That is why every maker’s chart has width down one side and height across the top.

Measure the width at the widest point, or take it from the maker’s spec sheet. Rough guide from Aqua-Bound: recreational kayaks are 26 to 30 inches wide, touring kayaks 22 to 25, performance kayaks 19 to 22.

Where the two kayak charts agree, and where they don’t

Bending Branches & Aqua-Bound / Werner (low angle), in centimetres
Paddler24″ kayak30″ kayak34″ kayak
5′2″220 / 220230 / 230240 / 240
5′8″220 / 220230 / 230240 / 250
6′2″230 / 230240 / 240250 / 250

Mostly they agree. The difference shows up in wide boats and at the edges of each chart’s brackets — and the brackets are not the same: Bending Branches jumps from 5′6″ to 5′7″, Werner’s chart puts 5′6″ in two rows at once. The calculator says which way it read an edge whenever you are standing on one. It never averages the two: 245 cm is a length neither maker printed.

Both charts are for a relaxed, low-angle stroke, which is how most people paddle a recreational or fishing kayak. If you paddle high-angle — shaft near vertical, faster cadence — go shorter: Werner says its high-angle blades work best at 205 to 215 cm, and Aqua-Bound suggests 5 cm or more shorter if you have two or more of the high-angle signs (an aggressive pace, a narrow boat, a low seat).

Fishing kayaks: longer on purpose

Fishing kayaks are wide and stable, and many put you on a high seat. Bending Branches publishes a separate chart for them, and it runs well past the general ones: 5′8″ in a 32-inch boat is 230 cm on the general charts and 250 cm on the fishing chart, or 260 cm if you only ever paddle with the seat raised. If your seat moves up and down, Bending Branches suggests an adjustable-length paddle. More on the paddles themselves in 7 Best Kayak Paddles for Fishing.

Canoe paddles: measure sitting down

A canoe paddle is sized by your torso, not your height, because what matters is the distance from the seat to where your top hand sits — about nose height — with the blade’s throat at the waterline. Sit up straight on a flat chair and measure from the chair, between your legs, to your nose.

Overall paddle length by seated torso, Bending Branches / Coontail
TorsoStraight shaftBent shaft
26″52″ / 51″ or 52″48″ / 48″
28″54″ / 54″50″ / 50″
30″56″ / 56″ or 57″52″ / 52″
32″58″ / 57″ or 58″54″ / 54″
34″60″ / 60″56″ / 56″

Bent shafts run about four inches shorter than straight ones for the same paddler. Both makers say to go a size shorter for a narrow tripping canoe or a low seat, a little longer for a wide, flared canoe or a high seat — and Bending Branches adds 2 to 4 inches for a long, narrow beavertail blade. If you are still deciding which boat, Kayak vs. Canoe is the place to start.

FAQ

What size kayak paddle do I need?
Look up your height against your kayak’s width on a maker’s chart. For a 5′8″ paddler: about 220 cm in a 24-inch touring kayak, 230 cm in a 30-inch recreational kayak, and 240 to 250 cm in a 34-inch sit-on-top, depending on whose chart you read. The calculator shows both charts side by side.
Is it better to have a kayak paddle too long or too short?
REI’s advice, printed with Werner’s chart: if you fall between two sizes, it is generally better to go shorter — you save a few ounces — unless you have a shorter torso, when the added reach of the longer one helps. Too short in a wide boat, though, and you hit your knuckles on the side or lean out on every stroke.
Do I need a longer paddle for a fishing kayak?
Usually yes. Fishing kayaks are wide and many seat you high, and Bending Branches publishes a separate, longer chart for them — 250 cm for a 5′8″ paddler in a 32-inch boat, 260 cm with the seat in the high position. An adjustable-length paddle covers both seat positions.
How do I measure for a canoe paddle?
Sit up straight on a flat chair and measure from the seat, between your legs, to the bottom of your nose. That is your torso length. A 30-inch torso takes about a 56-inch straight-shaft paddle, or a 52-inch bent shaft. In the field, stand the paddle’s grip on the seat between your legs: the throat should reach your hairline on a straight shaft, your nose on a bent one.
Why do paddle size charts disagree?
They are different makers’ charts, built for their own blade shapes and with their own height and width brackets. The disagreements are small — usually nothing, sometimes 10 cm in a wide boat — and the calculator shows both rather than averaging them into a length nobody makes.
What length paddle for a high-angle stroke?
Shorter than the low-angle charts. Werner says its high-angle blades work best at 205 to 215 cm; Aqua-Bound suggests sizing 5 cm or more shorter when you have two or more signs of a high-angle style, such as an aggressive pace or a narrow boat.