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

I hate to say it but it sounds to me like it's more of an owner induced
defect than a Werner induced defect. The paddle will last a long time if
properly taken care of as with anything but if something gets abused in one
way or another it's going to have a shorter life span. Werner will stand
behind their product not only for a year but for many more if something goes
wrong that's a manufacturer defect. I'm a little surprised though that they
didn't ask you to send the paddle into them so they could at least take a
look at it. As for storing my paddles, I've always kept them inside out of
the weather mostly because of theft than anything. I think like they said,
the shrink wrap is going to work the best. I think painting it will only
temporarily help it and will soon wear off and the glass will come through.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Courtney


wrote in message
ups.com...
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

Courtney wrote:
I hate to say it but it sounds to me like it's more of an owner induced
defect than a Werner induced defect. The paddle will last a long time if
properly taken care of as with anything but if something gets abused in one
way or another it's going to have a shorter life span. Werner will stand
behind their product not only for a year but for many more if something goes
wrong that's a manufacturer defect. I'm a little surprised though that they
didn't ask you to send the paddle into them so they could at least take a
look at it. As for storing my paddles, I've always kept them inside out of
the weather mostly because of theft than anything. I think like they said,
the shrink wrap is going to work the best. I think painting it will only
temporarily help it and will soon wear off and the glass will come through.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Courtney


wrote in message
ups.com...
I think rather than paint I would sand lightly (very lightly - wet) and
lay on a thin coat of epoxy. Remember though that this offers no UV
protection. If they are to be in the sun more than during use, then I
would put some cheap paint over the epoxy as often as needed.

ken



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

On 7-Oct-2005, No Spam wrote:

I think rather than paint I would sand lightly (very lightly - wet) and
lay on a thin coat of epoxy. Remember though that this offers no UV
protection.

If you can find it, you could use an epoxy gelcoat. That would provide
UV protection. Otherwise, a good quality vinylester gelcoat - also
very hard to find. Most gelcoats are generic polyester and are not
very good quality - spar varnish would be much better than a cheap
gelcoat.

You could also consider an epoxy paint - available at marine shops.
The quality of epoxy with UV protection. It might be hard to find a
small (one cup) size of this paint - the smallest I've seen are
one pint and that's an expensive and wasteful option unless you're
painting other stuff too.

Mike

wrote:
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?

snip
I have a carbon fiber ONNO Mid Tour 2 piece
http://eteamz.active.com/paddleshop/news/ in a paddle bag in the front
hall. I wouldn't think of leaving it in one of my boats or out in the
elements.

Steve

Michael Daly wrote:
On 7-Oct-2005, No Spam wrote:


I think rather than paint I would sand lightly (very lightly - wet) and
lay on a thin coat of epoxy. Remember though that this offers no UV
protection.


If you can find it, you could use an epoxy gelcoat. That would provide
UV protection. Otherwise, a good quality vinylester gelcoat - also
very hard to find. Most gelcoats are generic polyester and are not
very good quality - spar varnish would be much better than a cheap
gelcoat.

You could also consider an epoxy paint - available at marine shops.
The quality of epoxy with UV protection. It might be hard to find a
small (one cup) size of this paint - the smallest I've seen are
one pint and that's an expensive and wasteful option unless you're
painting other stuff too.

While these solutions will work, they're all rather expensive and
difficult to apply well. You can get a spray can of clear coat in the
automotive or paint department of Walmart or any auto parts store. It
will be durable, UV resistant, easy to apply and inexpensive. You can
also find the 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper needed for the job there, too.

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

Dan Koretz wrote:
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.

Good point. After a couple of coats of clear, a light wet sanding with
the same 400 grit used on the shaft should do the trick, though I would
probably use 600 or 800 grit given the choice.

Cathy, I know you're disgusted. But why not try one more thing, ask them to
apply your purchase price towards a new Kallista bent shaft carbon. My
girlfriend has one, and it's a very nice paddle. If you offer to send yours
in, they'll have something to examine further plus, they'll know you're not
trying to pull a fast one. You'll still put down some cash so you're not be
looking for a freebie, but you'd end up with a nicer paddle. Good luck.

Dave



wrote in message
ups.com...
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

On 6 Oct 2005 13:26:39 -0700, wrote:

Snipped a whole bunch

. 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. T

Most people keep their paddles indoors, more, I suspect, from fear of
theft than sunlight, but sunlight does a job on most materials, from
wood to artificials.

This might also be a warning that your kayak, which you obviously also
keep out all paddling season, should get some protection from the sun.
UV light does the same job on plastics that it does on human skin and
isn't re grown the way skin can be. You don't want to hit a rock and
have it shatter from sun damage, do you?

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)