Hi guys

now that I've got this 12'6 board I need to get a right size paddle.

im 70kg, what blade size do you recommend for touring on this board?

What paddle have you got now.. and what board did you have before?

I started on a carbon Naish adjustable which was 98sq in, way to big in hindsight. I used it for surfing. I think for a medium starboard bolt which I've also used for surfing and has been fine but wayyy too small for my 12'6 at the length I cut it to surf my 8'0.

Im not sure whether to stay around the mid 80's or go for a small in the 70's

double post

like they say its a preference thing blade sizes
maybe something less than 80sq blade?

What do you guys find works best if you're going to be paddling more than a few kms? Go as small as possible so less stress on the shoulders? I've never tried anything smaller than my medium bolt.

also what kind of length paddle do you suggest for a 12'6? Ie how many cms or inches above head height?

I was playing around with my adjustable the other day and ended up having it extended to about 6'4 (my height is around 5'8 and that seemed to get a full stroke near the nose when padding but not sure if that's too long or not

Also in terms of fin placement, for flat water / touring would you generally have the fin in the back of the box to aid in more strokes per side?

The medium bolt blade size should be fine for the type of paddling you plan on doing . Sounds like you have your paddle length way too long though at 6"4 . I started at the standard Shaka above head height and have been gradually getting shorter . Hope this helps

Even for a 12'6 board? This is the length I had it

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benjl said..
Also in terms of fin placement, for flat water / touring would you generally have the fin in the back of the box to aid in more strokes per side?

Yes is the short answer but that also depends on the shape of Your fin, a hatchet fin will give you better tracking than a dolphin fin and the length will also have an affect, ie 9 or 10inches. Really it won't make a huge difference on a long casual paddle as I understand a fin has little affect unless you are doing more than 14km per hour anyway.

I have a Ke Nalu Mana 90 and it is great for long distance paddling, I had a smaller sq inch paddle and it was good but you paddle more and sometimes I felt left ke I was working hard for little reward. Went to a bigger face and I can catch more bumps more often and you need all carbon it saves a lot of energy in a long haul.

6 inches abouve your head is about as high as you want a paddle and it makes no diff if you have a 10, 12 or 1ft board.

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benjl said..
Also in terms of fin placement, for flat water / touring would you generally have the fin in the back of the box to aid in more strokes per side?

With technique, you can paddle on one side without having to switch, but it is less efficient as you have to waste some of your energy and stress your body fighting the row effect. Putting the fin in the back allows to have a more efficient stroke.

Look at my diagram with the "nail" atwww.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Tips-for-straighter-paddling#1604649

The farther back the fin, the farther back the nail, and the less angle you have to pull your blade in the "J stroke" (angle between the pink and green arrows). But the harder it is to turn at buoys in races.

Thanks guys, I think it's near the middle of the fin box at the mo but will slide it back as I'm not really doing any buoy turns at the mo. I think one day I was getting about 30 strokes each side before changing with some j-strokes.
i went sup-surfing again on my 105l board lastnight and was such a difference to the tourer! Although feel as though my paddle technique and 'walking the board' on the touring sup helped on the short surf sup.

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benjl said..
I think one day I was getting about 30 strokes each side before changing with some j-strokes.

You should train to invert the row effect: paddle so paddling to the right makes you turn to the right. Once you experience it, you will get over this row effect fear that plagues us when we learn to SUP, and realize that you are totally in control of how much yaw you want to have.

I'm definitely better on my right side, I can always get more strokes in than my left side

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benjl said..
I'm definitely better on my right side, I can always get more strokes in than my left side

That is probably because you are getting over the top of your paddle more on the right i.e. the shaft is more vertical whereas on the left you paddle is going out at a bit of an angle if you know what I mean.
At least that's what a lot of people (me included) do at first.

Hmmm interesting, quite possibly. I always favour my right side when paddling on to waves so would also have a lot more experience in j-strokes with that side when getting perpendicular with an approaching wave.

Black project has a nice chart: blackprojectsup.com/sup-paddles/how_to_choose_and_customize_your_sup_paddle/

Am 5'8" weigh 65 k paddling on a 404 V3 12'6".

Currently using a 82 square inch or a 79 depending on conditions.

Both are cut 6 inches over my head.

Somewhere there is a tremendous series by Larry Cain on breaking the stroke into sections which can be practiced individually.

Once I learned how to plant to the hosel cleanly without splashing on every stroke it was so much more fun!

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DaveSandan said..

6 inches abouve your head is about as high as you want a paddle and it makes no diff if you have a 10, 12 or 1ft board.

I would just add to that - it's less about the length and more about the thickness of the board. On a 10' board, you might only have 4" thickness whereas a 12'6" or 14' could be 6"+ at the standing area. On the other hand, a dugout 14' may have you at 1" above the water so that's a different requirement again.

If in doubt, leave it longer and use hot glue rather than 5 minute Araldite. You can always cut more off later but you can't really add more back on.