We have used Werner paddles for maybe 15 years, including some
whitewater paddles that got years of abuse--thrown onto rocks, shoved
into boats, tossed into trailers with a dozen others, etc. We still
have the oldest of them, and we have never had any problems with any of
them. The only time the coating on a shaft got damaged was when the
shaft of one got jammed between some rocks when I was rolling in a
rapids. (I know--stay tucked, and roll at the bottom...) Even then,
the damage was limited and never spread. My touring paddle is also a
Werner and looks brand new after maybe 25 times out.

So maybe yours is a fluke. Or did you do something unusual to the
paddle? E.g., store it outside where it was exposed to UV for
protracted periods? Does your boat's cockpit have an edge that would
have abraded it when you stuffed it into your boat?

Brian's suggestion of clear-coat sounds promising, although if you try
that, you might want to rough up the surface a little after it cures. A
really smooth surface, once wet, won't give you optimum control. Trying
Werner's shrink wrap might be a good idea, since if it does not work, it
gives you an in with them. For fixing it, just wear some latex gloves
so that your hands don't get irritated from the fibers.

--remove "no.spam."--



wrote the following on 10/6/2005 4:26 PM:
I have an odd problem with my paddle and I was wondering if anyone had
any suggestions. I'm almost ready to pitch it in the garbage. A few
weeks ago, a friend of mine was using my paddle and said she didn't
like it - it irritated her hands. She said when she finally buys a
kayak and paddle, she won't buy a fiberglass one like mine. I thought
nothing of it until it started to irritate my hands yesterday. The
shaft feels prickly when I run my hand along the length, and my palm
sparkled in the sun until I rinsed my hand in the lake.

It is a Werner fiberglass paddle, and it is 3.5 years old. It cost
$240. I splurged, but felt it would last a long time, so I am not
happy. Werner refuses to replace it since it is out of warranty (1
year), but they are sending me some shrink wrap stuff to put on. The
shrink wrap might work, but I'd have to cover the whole shaft - I don't
even want to touch it to carry it. What if I accidentally rub my eyes
with fiberglass fibers on my hands?

After pushing harder with Werner, they still refused to do anything for
me other than send me shrink wrap. They blamed me for leaving my paddle
in the cockpit of my boat (exposed to sun and the elements) during our
short (Vermont) paddling seasons. They say their paddles tend to last
20 years, but they take no responsibility when a paddle lasts 1/5 that
time. So I am wondering, how many of you leave your paddle in your boat
on your car for various lengths of time, vs. bringing it inside every
time?

Werner is being foolish because if I convince even one person to not
buy a Werner paddle, they would have been better off replacing mine.

I bought it from a local shop, and now I have dilema of where to buy a
replacement. I try to buy local and support small business owners, but
on the other hand, if I buy from EMS, REI, or L. L. Bean, I know I will
never have to worry about equipment failing before it should. Any
ideas?

I am thinking that spray paint may work better than shrink wrap. Any
comments?

Cathy