Canoe Ponderings by Red Rock Wilderness Store

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Mitchell Paddle Sizing?

Q. How can you sell a 56" Mitchell Crusier Paddle 7 Degree Bend when
Mitchell does not have a 56" listed on their web site? I need a 56" 14
degree bent shaft. Any help?

A. Mitchell custom-builds paddles for us per our spec's, hence the 56" seven degree paddle.  We're pretty much the only canoe shop in the world who promotes a 7 degree paddle that will effectively do a J stroke and give the benefit of a bentshaft to the back of the canoe without the inefficiencies of a 14 degree paddle. 

Now, I've yet to meet anyone who needs a 56" 14 degree bentshaft paddle and I meet a lot of paddlers.  How tall are you and what make & model canoe are you paddling?   We can usually special order paddles  from Mitchell anytime.  Takes a while longer to get them, but  I'm not too sure about a 56" 14 degree.  For this length, you'd need to be over 6'4" tall and have a torso length that's about 36" long - sitting up straight on a chair, measuring from the chair to the tip of the nose.  Then, you'd need to be paddling something that is NOT a Mad River or Wenonah canoe, more like a Souris River that floats higher on the water.  If your paddle is too long, the droop of the blade really interfers with your comfortable ability to lift it out of the water at the end of  the stroke and too much blade with the paddle shaft  goes into the water making it less efficient. You only want the whole blade in the water.  I'm 6'2" and use a 52" 14 degree in the bow and a 54"-56" 7 degree in the stern depending on the canoe. I prefer a 54" 7 degree but in the 7 degree, there is more leeway so either one works for me personally and other as well.  7 deg. paddles, because they are a flatter bend, are a different story compared to 14 degree paddles.  We only stock two sizes of this paddle because 99% of the paddling world uses these two lengths.


Joe
Red Rock