: What does paddle size actually mean? From tip to tip or what? How about blade
: size...I've seen length mentioned, but nothing specific about blade width
: (or length of blade).

: Secondly, I've seen skinny paddles and fat paddles. Personal preference or is
: there a reason for each type?

The standard measurement is from tip to tip. Unfortunately, the critical measurement is the length of the shaft, which isn't specified. For a given length, a paddle with short blades will have a long shaft and a paddle with longer blades will have a shorter shaft. The best thing to do is to try several paddles to establish the shaft length you need, then purchase an overall length that will give you the desired shaft length.

Blade shapes have different purposes. The short, wide blades of a whitewater paddle give lots of purchase and thrust, and work better is shallow water with a vertical stroke than longer blades do. Longer, narrower blades are less strenuous on the body and work well with a lower angled touring stroke. Greenland paddles have very long, very narrow blades with an airfoil shape. They work well for general paddling and specialized Greenland rolls.