The right size for SUP paddles - blade size
The size of the paddle blade is an important factor in how much pressure you can exert during a paddle stroke. The larger the blade, the greater the counter-pressure in the water. At the beginning of the SUP (racing) sport, this resulted in a short-term misguided development.
The misconception was: the bigger the paddle, the faster you can paddle.
However, a high paddling frequency cannot be achieved with paddle blades that are (too) large - which works against good speed. In addition, increasing paddle pressure significantly increases the strain on the muscles and (shoulder) joints. As a result, the paddle blades become smaller again and the paddling frequency increases. If in doubt, a paddle that is slightly too small is better than one that is too large. Particularly in the second-hand and cheap segment, there are still quite large "paddles" on the market, so you should at least be aware of this.
How to measure the blade size of a SUP paddle
Unfortunately, three different units are used for the blade size, which is worse than for board lengths in centimetres, feet and inches. In any case, most manufacturers also state the size of paddles in square inches: this is also the usual measurement for the surface area. Rarely is it still measured in square centimetres. If only the blade width is specified, the surface area can only be estimated. The "hard currency" is therefore the area in square inches. Apart from special children's paddles, this is usually between 78 and 95 inch². Beware of cheap children's paddles: These are often far too large.
Step 1: Leaf size according to body weight
| Weight | Recommended size (inch²) |
| Under 60 kilos | ≤ 82 inch² |
| 60-75 kilos | 80-85 inch² |
| Over 75 kilos | 83-88 inch² |
After around 15 years of SUP testing, this is roughly what the most popular paddle sizes of our SUP testers look like. If you paddle with a slow frequency or like to paddle with good pressure, choose a paddle at the upper end of the range. A slightly smaller paddle is recommended for high stroke rates. Our test team's top ten paddles, many of which are still on the market unchanged or slightly revised, can be found in this test.
Step 2: The right length of SUP paddle
Rule one: If you are still unsure about the paddle length, definitely choose a vario paddle, i.e. a paddle with an adjustable length. According to our test experience, the paddles available on the market are generally suitable for people between 1.64 and 1.85 metres in terms of adjustment range. If you measure above or below this, you may need to look for a shorter or longer base tube. The basic length can vary considerably. These are the basic rules for the optimum length:
- Too long: can easily lead to shoulder problems
- Clearly too short: more strain on the back
- When the paddle blade is fully submerged at the front, the knob should be at about nose to forehead height.
- On inflatable SUPS, you stand higher above the water than on most hardboards. Hardboard paddlers therefore use paddles that are up to ten centimetres shorter.
Paddle length (for inflatable SUP boards)
| Category | Basic length |
| Touring and all-round | The hand rests on the handle of the standing paddle with the arm only slightly bent |
| Sporty touring | The hand rests on the handle of the standing paddle with the arm clearly bent |
Step 3: Checking and fine-tuning the paddle length on the water
When paddling, you can easily check whether your set length is within the correct range. For touring paddling and as an all-round length, the following applies: The paddle blade is always fully submerged with the lower arm extended in front of the body. At this precise moment, the paddle handle should be between nose height and just above the head with the upper arm only slightly bent, as shown in the pictures above. The paddle is vertical when viewed from behind. Perhaps you can judge this yourself, otherwise a fellow paddler can watch you from the side or perhaps even take a few photos.
Stephan Gölnitz
Deputy Editor in Chief surf
