![]() ![]() The edges of most carbon-fiber paddle blades are solid for about three-eights of an inch all around the blade. Back at home, sand the edge butter-smooth. Use a nailboard or the file on your multi-tool to smooth the edge. If the chip goes unchecked, it can grow into a crack or break. The knife-thin edges, which run so quietly in the water, can chip if you hit a rock real hard.They are lighter, better-balanced, smoother and quieter in the water, extremely durable and generally, more maintenance-free than wooden paddles. I'm completely won over to carbon-fiber paddles. I've always done that to my wooden paddles and I've never had a blister. Whisker the wood as described above if you want the smoothest finish. Better to sand and varnish them then lightly sand and polish smooth. Old time canoe books emphasized that to prevent blisters, wooden paddle grips should be left unfinished (or oil-finished), never varnished. Cracks in shafts and blades are easily repaired with epoxy and fiberglass/Kevlar. Even a small repair adds weight to the blade of a paddle - which adversely affects balance - so confine your work to the immediate damaged area and sand out the over-flow. Cracks and gouges in the edging can be repaired with boat-building epoxy and fiberglass or Kevlar cloth. Most of today's best wooden paddles have tough synthetic edges that will take quite a beating. Bent-shaft paddles are less likely to break if stepped upon, if you set them on the ground, "blade up".įabric paddle bags protect the finish of your paddle while driving bumpy roads. In camp, paddles should be set flat on the ground, not leaned against a tree where they can fall and become damaged. This is the standard procedure when finishing gun-stocks. Repeat this process several times until the wood no longer feels rough. Sand the wood smooth then whisker it again. The heat will encourage the grain to rise. Here's how: thoroughly wet the wood then hold the paddle over a heat source (stove flame)-but not too close! Keep turning the paddle as it heats. If you have to completely re-finish a wooden paddle-that is, sand it to bare wood, "whisker" the bare wood before you varnish. Not all varnishes have UV inhibitors choose one that does. Two coats of marine spar varnish (sand lightly between coats) are enough. ![]() Sand lightly (not back to bare wood), then polish with progressively finer grits of sandpaper until the surface is baby-bottom smooth. Polyurethane varnish is fast and easy, but marine spar varnish is much tougher. Scratches and gouges that break the finish of wooden paddles should be repaired as soon as possible. A good method for home storage is to tie short cords around the grips and hang them from nails or pegs. Wooden paddles may warp if stored flat or stacked helter-skelter in a barrel. Here's how to make your favorite paddles last almost forever: STORAGE AND TRANSIT But at these prices, they better last a long time. Have you checked the price of canoe paddles lately? Good ones cost over $100 great ones approach $300 - and they're worth it.
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