What is the design difference between high and low angle kayak paddles?

I use more of a high angle, at least in part because of the width of my boat, but I was wondering if there was any notable difference in paddle design, if I used one listed for low angle with my high angle technique, would it matter?

There are two main differences between paddle designs for different types of strokes.

One difference is that a high angle paddle tends to be shorter. Since the high angle stroke is more vertical and closer to the boat, the shorter paddle will still engage the water fully. If the paddle is too long for your style of paddling, you’ll definitely notice it: your top hand will be too high (above eye level) or else the blade in the water will be way underwater. Either way, the paddle will feel unwieldy.

The other difference is the shape of the blade. One designed for a higher angle stroke tends to be more symmetrical. Take for instance a canoe paddle– it is completely symmetrical and is designed for a completely vertical stroke. During a stroke, the water pushes on each half of the blade equally (think of the paddle shaft dividing the face of the blade in two). However, if the stroke is less than vertical, this is not the case, and the paddle will want to spin. This is why most kayak paddles have asymmetric blades, with the top edge of the blade being longer than the bottom. The longer the top edge is relative to the bottom, the more the paddle is designed for a low angle stroke. If you find that the paddle blade tends to flutter or try to spin as you’re taking a stroke, then your stroke might be too high angle for the paddle design.

Learn to Paddle with Guy Leech & Tom Woodriff

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