Paddle Repairs

Keeping paddles in good shape takes just a bit of effort but its more of a tradesman kind of thing. "A good carpenter keeps his tools sharp," and all that. Having a paddle in good shape is part of paying attention to the details.

Once water gets to the inside of a wooden paddle, or worse inside a carbon-fiber paddle, nature is starting to win the battle. Nicks or dents should be sanded out and refinished.  Broken varnish surfaces should be resealed. If a crack appears in a wooden paddle it is often not the end.  I have found that Titebond 3 is the best glue for paddle repairs.  Standard carpenter's glue: white glue, yellow glue or Titebond 2 are NOT water proof and will bleed out of the crack with any prolonged exposure to water.

A crack is often easy to repair by ensuring the paddle is dry and working the glue into the crack and putting a clamp on it until the glue sets.  See the glue bottle for directions.

Carbon Fiber paddles should have all nicks sanded out with fine sandpaper for three reasons: to prevent getting a carbon fiber sliver in your finger (they hurt!), a nick can propagate a crack or act as the weak spot that will cause the carbon fiber to fail, and finally to ensure that no water reaches the hollow core of the paddle. Like fiberglass, carbon fiber paddles have a strong cloth stabilized with a resin to hold its shape. Often carbon fiber paddles have hollow blades and shafts with balsa wood or Styrofoam inside to stabilize the shape.  Getting water in that space is not a good thing, especially if you live in a cold climate where your paddle may freeze occasionally. 2-part epoxy can be used to fill cracks, nicks and split seams and should be done at the outset of damage.  Again, read the directions on the epoxy container.

Refinishing Wood Paddles

A wooden paddle can usually be completely refinished with little effort.  First sand down the old varnish with medium grit paper until you are content with the surface.  Next, fine sand it with 180 to 220 grit.  Wipe all the dust off. Best is a microfiber cloth or blow the dust off with compressed air. If you use a Polyurethane varnish select the "Satin" finish. It will give you better grip with wet hands without resorting to wax, like some folks seem to like.

There are three products that produce a good paddle finish.

Polyurethane Varnish: I have found newer poly-urethane products such as Minwax or Varathane will produce completely acceptable surfaces and take less time to apply than older oil based spar / marine varnish which will produce the best wearing surface, although the indoor finishes and will not stand up to continuous immersion in water. I have experimented with waterborne Varathane varnishes and found their surface extremely hard; however, repetitive coats sometimes do not bond properly and will peel off under the wear and tear of wet hands and water while paddling. even after sanding in accordance with the instructions. I usually use up to 5 coats of Polyurethane as it spreads quite thinly. Sand off the nubs on the 3rd and 4th coats as required. Sounds like a lot of coats, but you can be all finished by the time the oil varnishes first coat is dry. Beware of drips and runs.

Spar Varnish: There are Urethane based / Varathane spar varnishes as well out there that are very good. Minwax Helmsman claims you can recoat it in 4 hours and is dry in 24 hours. Essentially, a spar varnish is designed with enough solids (typically 50-60% solids) to maintain a hard coat, but with still enough oils in it to allow flexibility under strong sunlight. The term "spar" varnish applies to the term for the mast in a sailing vessel, called a spar.  Not all Spar Varnishes contain reflectants. So despite the nautical name "Spar Varnish", many of these are not technically a Marine varnish. Minwax brand claims to have reflectants added for UV protection. If you want to know for sure, check the website of the manufacturer.

Marine Varnish Marine varnishes from marine stores are often up to 10 times the price of a similar product from a hardware store. A well designed marine spar varnish will have UV reflectants built into it.  Call it "sunscreen" for your paddle. These reflectants keep the UV light from breaking down the varnish and from causing damage to the underlying wood. An indoor only Varathane product will not have this reflectant and will not stand up as well to the conditions found in paddling nor soaking in water.

Traditional oil base varnish, is best applied when you have a little time. Read the labels consider your climate. If you are in Sacramento, California, everything will probably dry in a day as advertised. If its winter and the weather outside is cold and rainy, it can take a long time. Oil base varnishes takes roughly 2 to 3 days for each coat to dry in moderate climates. Over 30 degrees C or 80 degrees F, the varnish can dry in a day.  The first coat is best reduced by 50% with turpentine or mineral spirits to ensure it penetrates the wood. Apply a second full strength coat and wait until it is quite dry to the touch.  Sand lightly with 180 to 220 grit paper to remove the dust nubs.  A third coat should do it, however often if there are still dust nubs or bumps, further sanding and a fourth coat will be required.  This needs to dry thoroughly. BTW, spar varnish smells like linseed oil.

Varathane is a product that catalyzes to produce a hard surface and the Professional version advertises that two or three coats can be applied in one day.  Apply as with spar varnish and a refinish job could be done in a couple of days. With both spar varnish and Varathane, a warm ambient temperature and low humidity will produce the fastest drying time. High humidity and low temperatures will require a heater to dry the finish properly.

As mentioned, spar or marine varnish are my preference.  They have a slight golden colour and often enhance the colour of the wood.  In my opinion, spar varnish produces a slightly more durable result. It also takes quite a bit of patience to dry. Industrial manufactured paddles will most likely be finished with a fast dry product to accommodate factory production techniques. When you sand down your paddle, you will be able to smell the spar varnish if it was used.