Sizing Chart and Information

The information on this page is designed to provide a guide to those customers who
are not sure what size Xylobladz outrigger canoe paddle to order.
REMEMBER - This is only a guide but a good way to prompt some thought
into why and how you end up with a measurement!

Measuring a person standing up ( to the sternum..which part of it or arm pit, tight or loose
and is open to "vagueness") does not always work as it measures your height from your feet,
not from the sitting postion and as most outrigger paddlers to this point are usually sitting down
when paddling, so it follows that to measure ones height from the water you do it sitting down!

If you really do know what you want already,
order even more quickly here.

Measuring for a Paddle

Over the past 23 years, Xylobladz has collected a significant amount of data
on paddle requirements based on individuals measurements and have developed a formula
as a GUIDE for customers not sure of what paddle length that they should order.

Why is this just a guide? Well individuals are just that - Individual. Not everyone is built the same and
some people use different methods to determine the paddle length (the exception to the rule).

This guide will hopefully be able to assist you in determining an appropriate paddle length,
especially if you are not able to see the person actually paddling in the canoe.

There are two important measurements to take - and you may need a friend to help you!
Your measurements will also help us to continue refining our custom formula.

Measurements Required for the Xylobladz Formula
(Also see diagram below)
Seat to Shoulder Have the person sit on a flat surface (chair / bench). Measure from the top of the shoulder (top outer apex) down to the seat.
Arm Length Have the person hold their arm straight out in front of themselves with fingers also straight out (in line with the arm). Measure from the top outer apex of the shoulder (now feels like a hollow in the shoulder) to the tip of the middle finger.

Once you have these measurements, you can use them to determine your ideal paddle length using our matrix.

Back to the start of the step by step page.

Other Methods of Measuring

Comparing with another person.

Assuming that you have a paddle that is of suitable length for yourself. As a GUIDE, sit next to the person
(shoulder to shoulder) and measure the difference between your seat to shoulder measurement and theirs.
The difference measurement can then be used to approximate the change in paddle length (shorter or longer)
by that amount. (For example - your seat to shoulder may be 22inches and theirs is 21 inches.
Therefore, a paddle one inch shorter MAY be appropriate for the person).

Remember, the height of a person standing does not have a lot to do with the seated height in the canoe.
For example, you (at 6'2") may sit next to someone that is only 5'8" tall, but may only be 2-3"
(or less) shorter in shoulder height than you.

So when you compare different peoples height for paddling and paddles, do the comparison sitting down!

Sitting on the Floor.

There is a method where you can sit on the floor and stand your paddle vertically next to you and wrap your fingers
over the top of the grip. This SHOULD give the right height for your paddle.
Caution: The paddle length may be incorrect for those with arms that are not considered
to be of "standard" proportions (longer or shorter).

Less Common Methods.

There are less common methods that are used to measure paddle length, but these are also open to interpretation
and are a little less controlled and rely on guesstimation. For example, how straight your arm is,
where you grab the paddle.

Measuring a person standing up ( to the sternum..which part of it or arm pit, tight or loose and is open to
"vagueness") does not always work as it measures your height from your feet, not from the sitting postion
and as most outrigger paddlers I have seen to this point are usually sitting down when paddling,
so it follows that to measure ones height from the water you do it sitting down!

Some just measure shaft length to the neck of the blade. This assumes that your blade is always the same length.
That is the person determines that the shaft needs to be 34" plus an 18" blade is 52". What if you want a 20" blade
this makes your paddle 54" which may be too long for you to use. Better to work out your hand spacing and add the
depth in the water you like your blade from your bottom hand and add this to your hand spacing.

All techno babble really isn't it! I just want a paddle!

Sizing Charts

Paddle Length Matrix in Inches
Arm Length Measurement
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
Seat to Shoulder Measurement
20
48-48.5
48-48.5
48-48.5
48-48.5
48-48.5
48-48.5
48-48.5
48.5-49
48.5-49
21
48.5-49
48.5-49
48.5-49
49-49.5
49-49.5
49-49.5
49-49.5
49.5-50
49.5-50
22
49-49.5
49-49.5
49-49.5
49.5-50
49.5-50
49.5-50
50-50.5
50-50.5
50-50.5
23
50-50.5
50-50.5
50-50.5
50-50.5
50-50.5
50-50.5
50.5-51
50.5-51
50.5-51
24
51-51.5
51-51.5
51-51.5
51.5-52
51.5-52
51.5-52
51.5-52
52-52.5
52-52.5
25
51.5-52
51.5-52
51.5-52
51.5-52
51.5-52
52-52.5
52-52.5
52-52.5
52-52.5
26
52-52.5
52-52.5
52-52.5
52-52.5
52.5-53
52.5-53
52.5-53
53-53.5
53-53.5
27
53-53.5
53-53.5
53-53.5
53-53.5
53-53.5
53-53.5
53.5-54
53.5-54
53.5-54
28
53.5-54
53.5-54
53.5-54
53.5-54
54-54.5
54-54.5
54-54.5
54.5-55
54.5-55
29
54-54.5
54-54.5
54-54.5
54-54.5
54.5-55
54.5-55
54.5-55
55-55.5
55-55.5
Note 1
 This chat is based on a Force Five OC-6 Canoe. For an OC-1 Canoe, consider shortening this 1-2.5 inches off the overall length of the paddle as they are lower to the water than the OC-6. NZ paddlers should consider many of the W6 are lower to the water also.
Note 2
 The estimated paddle length is shown at the intersections of rows and columns.
For example - A 26 inch seat to shoulder and a 31 inch arm length would result in a paddle length of 52.5 - 53 inches.

Paddle Length Matrix in Millimetres
Arm Length Measurement
635
660
685
710
735
760
785
810
840
Seat to Shoulder Measurement
510
1200/30
1200/30
1200/30
1200/30
1200/30
1200/30
1200/30
1230/45
1230/45
535
1230/45
1230/45
1230/45
1245/55
1245/55
1245/55
1245/55
1255/70
1255/70
560
1245/55
1245/55
1245/55
1255/70
1255/70
1255/70
1270/80
1270/80
1270/80
585
1270/80
1270/80
1270/80
1270/80
1270/80
1270/80
1280/1300
1280/1300
1280/1300
610
1300/10
1300/10
1300/10
1310/20
1310/20
1310/20
1310/20
1320/35
1320/35
635
1310/20
1310/20
1310/20
1310/20
1310/20
1320/35
1320/35
1320/35
1320/35
660
1320/35
1320/35
1320/35
1320/35
1335/50
1335/50
1335/50
1350/60
1350/60
685
1350/60
1350/60
1350/60
1350/60
1350/60
1350/60
1360/70
1360/70
1360/70
710
1360/70
1360/70
1360/70
1360/70
1370/85
1370/85
1370/85
1385/1400
1385/1400
735
1370/85
1370/85
1370/85
1370/85
1385/1400
1385/1400
1385/1400
1400/10
1400/10
Note 1
 This chat is based on a Force Five OC-6 Canoe. For an OC-1 Canoe, consider shortening this 30-70 mm off the overall length of the paddle as they are lower to the water than the OC-6. NZ paddlers should consider many of the W6 are lower to the water also.
Note 2
 The estimated paddle length is shown at the intersections of rows and columns.
For example - A 660mm seat to shoulder and a 785mm arm length would result in a paddle length of 1335-50mm.

    Back to the start of the step by step page.