Lendal and Celtic Paddles are carefully designed to optimise the following:
- Strength: Must stand up to hard use in real conditions, including surf launches and landings, and rescues
- Weight: Lightweight reduces fatigue on long tours and expeditions
- Flex: Some flex required to prevent injury on long trips, but excess flex wastes stroke energy
- Efficiency: But you need to be using the right paddle to benefit from this!
A good fit is defined as the shortest paddle that allows you to make an efficient, effective stroke. The chart below should be used as a guide for those paddling 21″-22″ wide sea kayaks, with an efficient forward stroke. Low angle paddlers will probably need to go up one paddle size.
Sea Paddle Sizing Chart
| Height of Paddler | Paddle Length (cm) | Blade Size | Shaft Size | Large Blade | Small Blade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6ft 2in+ | 185cm | 218 – 222 | 750 700 | padded out standard shaft | 215 – 218 | 216 – 220+ |
| 6ft 0 in | 180cm | 214 – 220 | 750 700 | standard | 212 – 217 | 214 – 218 |
| 5ft 10in | 175cm | 210 – 216 | 700 650 | standard | 210 – 215 | 212 – 216 |
| 5ft 8in | 170cm | 208 – 215 | 700 650 | standard | 208 – 213 | 210 -214 |
| 5ft 6in | 165cm | 207 – 214 | 650 | standard or narrow | 208 – 213 | 208 – 214 |
| 5ft 4in | 160cm | 203 – 212 | 650 600 | narrow | 206 – 210 | 208 – 212 |
| 5ft 2in | 155cm | 190 – 210 | 650 600 | narrow | 203 – 208 | 206 – 210 |
How many pieces?
2 piece paddles
The blades are permanently attached to the ends of the shaft. In the centre you have a switchlok to adjust the feather to suit your paddling style and the Vari-paddlok to adjust the length.A two piece paddle will be slightly lighter than the equivalent four piece.
4 piece paddles
Can be broken down to a very manageable size, convenient for transporting and storage. One of the biggest attractions is the ability to replace individual sections, so if you damage a blade you only have to buy one replacement. The 4 piece paddles can also be packed in to the Celtic Paddles Bag which has room for 2 sets of paddles and a few accessories.
Choice of blade design and size
For touring you need a blade size that will allow you to maintain an efficient stroke throughout the day, even when you are tiring. The choice of blade size will depend on your build and your height, as shown in the table above. Larger blades are generally used for paddling in surf and tide races but if you are the kind of person that does a mixture of touring and playing in surf or tide races then you can either compromise with one blade that will suit all, or make use of the interchangeable nature of Lendal four piece paddles and have alternative blades that can be fitted to your shaft for different paddle days.
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Blade Materials
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Narrow or standard shaft?
Celtic Paddles offers a standard and a narrow diameter shaft. The narrow shaft is suitable for those with a small to medium hand size, but it is very much down to personal preference. The outside diameters are narrow 26mm and standard 29mm. As a rough guide, a narrow shaft would suit someone with a hand length of up to 17cm. We include narrow paddle shafts in our range, and they are available to try in our Paddle Sizing Clinics.
Which Lendal Joint?
A variety of different joints are used across the range of Lendal and Celtic Paddles, which are detailed below:
Paddlok
This is the standard button joint, but it does not function like a traditional snap button in other paddles. Instead, it works like a miniature jack. When you tighten the Paddlok key, the button very slightly deforms the male portion of the joint, wedging it tightly inside the outer tube. Since the parts are locked in place, any trapped grit can’t grind inside the joint. The result is paddles that last longer.
The Vari-Switchlok
This is the standard centre joint on all 2 and 4 piece straight paddles. It gives the choice of three settings in length, for example a 210cm shaft would extend to 212cm and 214cm in length. In addition the joint incorporates a Switchlok so you have a complete choice of feather. In order to have the full range of feather options for left handers, please order a left handed paddle.
Straight or cranked shaft?
There has been a tendancy in the last few years for both touring and expedition paddlers to move away from cranked shafts. The reasons are quite complex and are best explained face to face or over the phone. So if you’re considering a cranked shaft please feel free to give us a call.
Shaft Materials
The Celtic Paddles Pro range have rolled technology carbon shafts in either standard (29mm) or narrow (26mm) diameter. This means the shafts are seamless and therefore are stronger, have a high strength to weight ratio, have moulded handgrips and offer improved precision in the interior diameter, enabling precision fitting of the paddlok spigot. The Celtic Paddles Classic range uses the standard carbon shaft, offering stiffness, strength and lightness. Classic paddles are also available with a fibreglass shaft, which offer more flex and are cheaper than the carbon options.
There are a lot of options available within the range, so if you would like more information or to discuss your needs then call us for a chat on 07551611406 about the range or join us for a paddle sizing day here in Oban.