Paddle length gets discussed a lot … but not so often how to cut your paddle down to that length. Here’s a corrective, from the fine folks at supglobal.com:
When you get your paddle you may need to cut the shaft to the correct length and glue the handle back on. To do this:
- Measure your height onto the paddle starting from the bottom of the blade (or get someone to hold it against you and mark off your height on the shaft in pencil.
- Measure another 6 to 8 inches on top of your height and mark this off in pencil (cut it closer to 8” for flat water and closer to 6” for surf, if you do both then go for 7”).
- Use a hack saw or a similar saw with small teeth on the blade to cut through the tape and the shaft – take it slowly and surely and do not rush or you risk damage to the shaft.
- Once you have the shaft to the correct height use sand paper (on wood) or wet and dry paper (on carbon) to smooth the edges where you sawed (they need to be super smooth so bits don’t splinter into your hand when you are paddling so take your time). Make sure the inside of the shaft (if it is carbon) is free from dust. You can slightly rough up the inside surface to help the glue to stick, but clean out any dust.
- Time to glue on the handle. Use Araldite (the slow cure version is stronger) to glue the handle onto the shaft. Make sure you align it properly with the blade. Wipe any excess glue off straight away.
- If you have a carbon shaft, once it has set use bathroom silicon sealant around the point where the shaft and handle meet, then use electrical tape to cover the join. This is to prevent water getting into the shaft.
Put electrical tape midway over your mark all the way around the shaft (this stops the wood or carbon from splintering when you saw the extra shaft off).