Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
You know when your forward stroke is getting pretty solid because you begin breaking paddles. This is the third one I've busted now, and it's the exact same model most single-bladers use in the Texas Water Safari, Colorado 100, and other races so it's no weak puppy. Whatever, here's what we have to keep us amused this afternoon:
Here's a close-up of the point of interest....
So the first thing to do is get some clean edges to work with. If this were wood, first thing to try is knitting all the splintered grains back together with wood glue, and that usually works wonders. But if it's too torn up, or just plain impossible as is the case with this mess, then you cut 'er back to make a fresh clean edge. Yes, the paddle will shrink an inch or two, so it's desirable to keep the cut off portion to a minimum.
Next step is to make a plug that'll fit snugly inside the shaft. It would be best to use fiberglass or carbon fiber cloth inside and out, but you don't have access to the inside of this shaft .... so you do the next best thing. I selected cedar as my material since it's strong, lightweight, and easy to work with. Grab a chunk and use one of the shaft cut-offs as a template to mark out the piece you'll need.
And cut that sucker out. Then tilt the blade over 45 degrees and knock off the corners.
Then bring out your old friend the block plane, and begin knocking off more corners, then more corners, then..... Note that I'm using a stop block on the workbench to keep the plug from scooting with each stroke of the plane. It makes a world if difference if you try to work with your tools instead of try to fight them. Also note that storing lumber on sawhorses doubles as a dandy workbench.
Be sure to check often. It's a lot easier to take some off than to put some back on....
This particular shaft is tapered, so I'm moving over to the stationary belt sander to ease one end a little....
A perfect fit will require that you tap 'er in somewhat forcefully with the palm of your hand.
Use epoxy to glue it all up, then chase the repair on the outside with some bias-cut 4-ounce s-glass. With bias cut cloth, each and every glass strand passes over the repair at a 45 degree angle. Be sure to rough up the surface before expecting the glass to be able to perform its best. I used 80-grit sandpaper.
Nuthin' to it! Tomorrow I'll feather in the edges of the cured cloth and add a fill coat to make the weave a little less pronounced. I'll post a picture of the finished repair when we get there.
Here's a close-up of the point of interest....
So the first thing to do is get some clean edges to work with. If this were wood, first thing to try is knitting all the splintered grains back together with wood glue, and that usually works wonders. But if it's too torn up, or just plain impossible as is the case with this mess, then you cut 'er back to make a fresh clean edge. Yes, the paddle will shrink an inch or two, so it's desirable to keep the cut off portion to a minimum.
Next step is to make a plug that'll fit snugly inside the shaft. It would be best to use fiberglass or carbon fiber cloth inside and out, but you don't have access to the inside of this shaft .... so you do the next best thing. I selected cedar as my material since it's strong, lightweight, and easy to work with. Grab a chunk and use one of the shaft cut-offs as a template to mark out the piece you'll need.
And cut that sucker out. Then tilt the blade over 45 degrees and knock off the corners.
Then bring out your old friend the block plane, and begin knocking off more corners, then more corners, then..... Note that I'm using a stop block on the workbench to keep the plug from scooting with each stroke of the plane. It makes a world if difference if you try to work with your tools instead of try to fight them. Also note that storing lumber on sawhorses doubles as a dandy workbench.
Be sure to check often. It's a lot easier to take some off than to put some back on....
This particular shaft is tapered, so I'm moving over to the stationary belt sander to ease one end a little....
A perfect fit will require that you tap 'er in somewhat forcefully with the palm of your hand.
Use epoxy to glue it all up, then chase the repair on the outside with some bias-cut 4-ounce s-glass. With bias cut cloth, each and every glass strand passes over the repair at a 45 degree angle. Be sure to rough up the surface before expecting the glass to be able to perform its best. I used 80-grit sandpaper.
Nuthin' to it! Tomorrow I'll feather in the edges of the cured cloth and add a fill coat to make the weave a little less pronounced. I'll post a picture of the finished repair when we get there.
- Light Keeper's Kid
- TKF 1000 Club
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- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:37 pm
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Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
Great job,at first i thought u were asking we rookies
Mike
Mike
-
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Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
I recognize the stick. Defiantly the most popular Water Safari single blade.
What are you doing to um? Did you drive T posts with it in the hill country or use it for a jack stand?
Nice work on the repair and congrats on the big bass.
What are you doing to um? Did you drive T posts with it in the hill country or use it for a jack stand?
Nice work on the repair and congrats on the big bass.
- gerald
- TKF 4000 Club
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- Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2003 10:48 am
- Location: Gatesville, tx www.theoldmansboats.com
Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
Great report. I've done a similar repair on my Epic lengthlock Wayfairer paddle (the active tourer), but eventually I shipped the paddle back to Epic and had a new shaft installed.
Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
All three (of my) paddles were broken doing some sort of maneuvering, like side sculling or wing strokes or something. In this case, I was horsing my canoe into a stand of marsh grass so I could stabilize the boat so I could, um, "run the bilge pump" over the side. I didn't contact anything but water with the blade. When you're using your entire body to torque up a paddle, you can get lots more resistance from water than anything else. It's amazing, but true. I break plastic foot braces too.
I'm sure I'll replace this shaft, but I don't want to be without the paddle while I'm waiting for the new part. If it were a kayak paddle I'd let the factory handle the repair, but a single like this? DIY. This kind of paddle is sold with a loose T-handle so you can saw off the shaft to the length you want before gluing on the grip. When I got this baby I left the shaft long by an inch or two "just in case". Glad I did now, I tell ya. It weighed 9.7 oz originally, can hardly wait to see what it gained from the repair.
Actually, everything about this has been great fun so far. It kind of makes you feel all hairy-chested and macho to break a paddle on nothing but water, and it's a fine experiment to put your own seat-of-the-pants engineering to the acid test as far as the repair is concerned.
I'm sure I'll replace this shaft, but I don't want to be without the paddle while I'm waiting for the new part. If it were a kayak paddle I'd let the factory handle the repair, but a single like this? DIY. This kind of paddle is sold with a loose T-handle so you can saw off the shaft to the length you want before gluing on the grip. When I got this baby I left the shaft long by an inch or two "just in case". Glad I did now, I tell ya. It weighed 9.7 oz originally, can hardly wait to see what it gained from the repair.
Actually, everything about this has been great fun so far. It kind of makes you feel all hairy-chested and macho to break a paddle on nothing but water, and it's a fine experiment to put your own seat-of-the-pants engineering to the acid test as far as the repair is concerned.
- bowgarguide
- TKF 5000 Club
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Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
Pogo
This just goes to show that even buying a good paddle you can get defect in the shaft
Ron
This just goes to show that even buying a good paddle you can get defect in the shaft
Ron
- gerald
- TKF 4000 Club
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- Location: Gatesville, tx www.theoldmansboats.com
Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
When I broke my double blade paddle I was half way up some big honking rapids. It's an exciting ride in rapids going backwards until you figure out how to use a broken section of paddle...
Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
As a matter of fact, I'm here to tell you that some people run rapids backwards on purpose. No, not me .... I'm not a river guy. But some folks right here on TKF do it ...... because it's advantageous to fishing. I won't let on who I'm talking about, but his initials are Iamdamoder.
Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
Done. The finished paddle length is now 47", which just happens to be what I came up with originally, but was too chicken to shorten it to (since I'd never used a single blade before), so I lost 2" total. Finished weight of repaired paddle is 10 oz on the button, not bad at all (that's what it's advertised to be). Shoot, unless this thing is weak or something, and I can't see that happening, I'm going to forget the replacement shaft and call it a day right here.
Now, I *could* purty up the repair a little, but know what? I ain't gonna. Man, it's great to be able to fix your own stuff!
Now, I *could* purty up the repair a little, but know what? I ain't gonna. Man, it's great to be able to fix your own stuff!
- Trexhunter
- Posts: 207
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:58 pm
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Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
Great tutorial.
Would the same methodology work on a fiberglass kayak paddle?
Would the same methodology work on a fiberglass kayak paddle?
Re: Repairing Broken CF Paddle Shaft
Thanks. Answer is yes, all other things being equal. Every fracture is different, of course, tough to say without actually laying an eyeball on "whatcha gots".