Steve Cramer wrote: > One more thing is that carbon is stiff, but brittle. I've seen racing > paddles snap in half under load. If you use a carbon paddle, > protect the > shaft from dings and cuts. Don't drop it on the rocks. And carry a > spare. Yes, carbon fibre (graphite) paddles are more brittle than fibreglass paddles. I was worried about this very aspect prior to purchasing my Lightning Ultralight. When I questioned Hank (or one of his employees, I forget which) I was told that while the paddle shaft is more vulnerable than a comparably sized fibreglass shaft that just taking normal care of the paddle would suffice - ie don't slam the car door on the shaft, don't rock bash the shaft, etc. Several years of happy use have followed and my experience has been that the carbon fibre-based Ultralight is a fine paddle and will last for years with normal use. Use, not abuse. Paddles of any material can always break, be lost, etc. Always carry a spare. Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Apr 20 1999 - 09:47:20 PDT
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