Siren Stand Up Paddle Tutorial: Sizing & Assembling Your Paddle

We've been giving a few paddle-sizing & assembly tutorials by email recently, so we thought we'd post the details here for reference. It's really pretty easy, just remember to measure twice, cut once; and to push the handle on the shaft without glue a few times to get the hang of how the handle seats on the shaft.

1. First, assemble all the required materials. You will need:

• a hacksaw or any other saw with fine teeth
• 5 minute epoxy, available at any hardware store
• medium grit sandpaper
• a paint pen (or anything similar to mark where to cut the paddle)
• that round piece of foam that came with your paddle.

2. Size the paddle. A good rule of thumb is that the paddle should be one "shaka" longer than you are tall. Stand with the paddle at your back and make a "shaka" above your head. Have someone make a mark with the pen so you know where to cut. If you want to be more scientific about it, paddles to be used in the surf should be 7-8" longer than your height, and paddles for flat water paddling should be 8-9" longer than your height to accommodate a more upright paddling stance.



3. Cut the paddle at the mark you made in step 2. Be sure to keep your saw perpendicular to the shaft as you cut. It doesn't need to be perfect but get it close.


4. Gently sand any burrs away and slightly bevel the end of the paddle where you made your cut. This will help the handle seat more easily.


5. Push the round foam piece into the shaft so that it is flush with the end of the paddle. This will prevent your epoxy from running down the shaft.


6. The Handle has a flat side and a round side. Be sure that you install the handle with the flat side on the side of the paddle that the blade angles forward (the side with the logo) so that when you paddle the rounded side is in your palm and your fingers wrap around the flat side. You also want to be sure that the handle isn't twisted with respect to the blade of the paddle. Get a feel for how the handle slides on the shaft by putting it on a few times without epoxy.

7. Mix the epoxy per the instructions on the package. Coat the inside of the hole in the handle and the end of the shaft. Slide the handle on the shaft observing the orientation guidelines laid out in step 6.




8. Some of the epoxy will seep out where the handle meets the shaft. Just leave it as-is if it makes a nice bead; if it's a mess you can run your (gloved) finger around the area and make a radiused fillet (just remember the epoxy is very sticky, and that you only have 5 minutes, so work fast! Usually the bead the epoxy makes on its own looks pretty darn good).


That's it! Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Email info@sirensurf.com if you have any questions!