Todd,

I think that you'd be pretty good with a 15-16" loom. As for paddle length - it is kind of like trying to hit a moving target. As soon as you make it, the kids seem to grow. From my experience you definitely want the paddle to be several inches longer than the typical the length of how high they can reach up and curl their fingers over. Because of a child has different body proportions than adults, that standard method always seems to yield a paddle that is too short, and besides you need to allow for at least a bit of growth before you have to carve a new paddle. And, the loom diameter should still be about the circle formed when touching the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb. And finally, I like to make the paddle with a subtle shoulder to serve as a tangible place to show them where their hands should be grasping the paddle.

-John

: Anyone have advice on sizing a Greenland paddle for kids to use? I'd like to
: make a paddle for my 6 yo and 4 yo to use with a Sea Flea that I am
: making. I'm not sure if I use boat width, height and arm span, or just
: make a rough guess what will work best for them. I'm thinking 15-16 inches
: for the width of the loom, but I'm not sure about overall paddle length
: and blade width. The 6 yo is a bit under 48 inches and her sister a few
: inches shorter. The Sea Flea will be 19 inches wide. I'm also wondering if
: I might be able to use 1x4 cedar instead of 2x4 because the loom diameter
: will need to be much smaller. Any thoughts?