Your PADL Board comes with an adjustable paddle, suitable to people from 5' to 6'8" in height. An adjustable paddle is useful to allow friends and family to use the same equipment, but what length should your paddle be set up?
Having a paddle set up shorter or longer than ideal can lead to sore muscles, uncomfortable paddling position, damage to board, and difficulty tracking. The correct paddle length will also depend on your paddling style. The typical, recreational user will be standing up straight, while a speed or race user will be hunched over to increase leverage and paddling speed.
For a basic rule of thumb to adjust your paddle, stand up tall, firmly grasp the handle and extend the handle as far as feels comfortable while still holding on to the handle. Lock the paddle in place and get on the water! The paddle will be roughly 6-10" taller than your height. Ensure that the handle and paddle blade are in the same plane/parallel to each other.
You want the paddle blade to be fully submerged below the board during the full stroke. While paddling, you will ideally keep the paddle as vertical as possible during the entire stroke.
