I had the miss fortune to break my sweet Grey Owl paddle last Sunday. I'll fix it. But the whole incident has given me time to reflect on the merits of take apart paddles. I broke the shaft where the right side carbon fiber ferrule joins the wooden shaft. As I see it the only advantages of a take apart are, ease of transport, and providing either a right or left feather. Short of those I've concluded that a solid shaft has to be better - if ease of transport is not an issue. It can be glued up to accommodate feathering. Because there is no ferrule they're lighter and stronger. Care to comment? I'm also looking at the possibility of a carbon fiber paddle. I've narrowed the choices down to Werner, Epic, or Lightning. If anyone has an opinion regarding the merits (plus or minus) of any of these I'd love to hear from you. Gordin Warner *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Apr 12, 2004, at 10:58 PM, Gordin Warner wrote: > As I see it the only advantages of a take apart are, ease of > transport, and providing either a right or left feather. Short of > those I've concluded that a solid shaft has to be better - if ease of > transport is not an issue. > It can be glued up to accommodate feathering. Because there is no > ferrule they're lighter and stronger. > Care to comment? > I'm also looking at the possibility of a carbon fiber paddle. I've > narrowed the choices down to Werner, Epic, or Lightning. If anyone > has an opinion regarding the merits (plus or minus) of any of these > I'd love to hear from you. > Last summer I had placed an order for a Lendal four-piece paddle. In the time between placing the order and its arrival, a local paddler decided to quit kayaking in favor of a major investment in road biking...so kayak yard sale deluxe...and I had a second set of Lendal four-piece paddle parts to mix and match. All have the pad-lok system that allows tightening the fit at the ferules. I can switch from straight to modified crank shaft, vary my feather, etc. I couldn't be happier...I can switch out blade shapes and materials to best suit my intended paddle. Banging in the rock gardens? Use a more durable blade material...cruising for distance, go light, etc. It's easy to stow extra blades and shafts in a hatch, too. I've put these various pieces through enough use and abuse to trust them, and to make use of the variety they offer. If one piece breaks, the paddle isn't a total toss off. The pricing has also become more reasonable over the past year as well. -Will *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> As I see it the only advantages of a take apart are, > ease of transport, and providing either a right or > left feather. Short of those I've concluded > that a solid shaft has to be better Gordin, I don't paddle much anymore, but when I did I found switching from my "normal" right-hand control to left-hand control on my break-apart paddles was good practice for technique & fine tuning of paddle strokes / maneuvers. Spencer ===== Spencer A. Smith a.k.a. SNAGGLETOOTH, Spinner, Sponge, Bark or Recneps *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 4/12/2004 8:53:22 PM Pacific Daylight Time, gwarner2_at_shaw.ca writes: > I'm also looking at the possibility of a carbon fiber paddle. I've > narrowed the choices down to Werner, Epic, or Lightning. If anyone has an > opinion regarding the merits (plus or minus) of any of these I'd love to > hear from you. > > I have a Lendal 4 piece Paddlok. If I want to travel with it it can carry on a plane. The ferrule is very tight and the key system is not an inconvenience as it stays in a pfd pocket. I can change the blades for weight savings or design reasons. A broken blade or tube can be replaced. If I want a shorter paddle I can just buy a tube. I can change feathering if I use it as a spare for an unfortunate person who lost or broke theirs on a trip. (In their dreams! I would first laugh and say, like hell you will! Here, use this old Toksook paddle. Derek Hutchinson still uses one of these things I think. And they would say: but I need a left handI control! To which I would laugh cruelly and say:Turn it upside down then!) I like the Nordkapp blades but will buy the new kinetic blades in carbon layup. A New carbon 4 piece retails for 50 to 100 bucks USD less than the Werner My Wener Molokai is also a 4 piece. The blade is fantastic. My wife's Kaui blade really is sweet, too. At 220cm, its a bit longer than I want. My 4 piece from Werner may be a a one in a million misfire but it is not the same quality as Lendal. It takes in water and one side the holes are not lined up with the maximum length of the ferule. Works fine though. New Werners have the variable feather joint which is sweet. If you break anything you cannot exchange the components. Also, a standard two piece ferrule system wears down and gets wobbly after a few years. Don't overlook the Aquabound paddles. A bit weightier than Werners or Lendals but good blades and high quality control. Cost is a lot less than the Werner. FWIW I've seen wood paddles break at the ferrule before and the wood seems to get soft at the junction of the metal or glass ferrule and the wood and after a few years you hear a very dissatisfying snap that lets you know you will be spending some money soon. Cheers, Rob G *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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