Why I write my name on both paddle blades

[grahamfitter]

This H20 paddle broke in the middle twice! Both times I was surfing a big wave, first in the Grand Canyon and again yesterday in the ocean at San Onofre (Southern California).

(Lousy phonecam image)

I bought the paddle at Moosefest in October 2006 so its about 3 1/2 years old. It first broke a year later and H20 repaired the paddle. It was looking good until...

Cheers,
Graham

 

[refried]

have you tried Werner Paddles? I've Never broken a shaft, and the blades last for years

 

[grahamfitter]

Oops missed this...

That is why I stay away from carbon shafts. I busted one of Mike Johnsons carbon surf paddles trying punch over huge set wave at Moro rock. Nothing like a triple overhead backward summersault to cure you from from using a carbon shaft. I didn't make my roll and swam a hellacious swim.

Are you on the west coast now? Come up and visit!

I was working in OC for a couple of weeks so have kayak will travel! I'm back in New England but if I'll definitely take you up on your offer next time I'm in the area.

have you tried Werner Paddles? I've Never broken a shaft, and the blades last for years

I just bought an AT2 (carbon shaft and all) so we'll see how that goes.

Werners seem to be strong but the blades wear down really quickly in the steep creeks here in the Northeast. It would probably be a bit different if we paddled bigger water. I have a Werner breakdown paddle which has worked fine when I've paddled with it for practice.

The H20 paddle probably broke because I offended the river gods: I deliberately dropped it into a Grand Canyon whirlpool to see what happened. The answer is it appeared about a hundred yards away a minute or so later and broke a couple of days after that. On reflection that probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done on a river but at the time it seemed completely reasonable. :smilies27

I'm getting the H20 fixed again but I won't be relying on it for bigger water. Its a shame because its probably the comfiest paddle around and the green blades and yellow grips make it easier to find in the water. Allegedly.

Cheers,
Graham

 

[048642]

Paddle Smart Program

Slight thread Hijack:

The Paddle Smart Campaign, which provides water-proof, reflective, self-adhesive stickers for affixing owner identification and contact information to small, human powered water craft, is an example of a best practice from the field being implemented for wider use across the Coast Guard.

The Pacific Area recently launched Paddle Smart at the local level after the program was created and implemented in District 1.

Paddle Smart is a simple and effective program that will save taxpayer dollars and potentially save lives. When there is a report or discovery of an unattended/adrift canoe, kayak, dinghy or other paddle type craft in the water, the Coast Guard search and rescue machine responds with the assumption the owner is in distress until evidence can be found to support otherwise.

The information on the sticker can allow response entities to quickly identify the owner/operator of the vessel and aid search and rescue planners in determining the best course of action.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paddle-Smart-Identification-Stickers/316164896505

 

[grahamfitter]

Slight thread Hijack:

The Paddle Smart Campaign, which provides water-proof, reflective, self-adhesive stickers for affixing owner identification and contact information to small, human powered water craft, is an example of a best practice from the field being implemented for wider use across the Coast Guard.

The Pacific Area recently launched Paddle Smart at the local level after the program was created and implemented in District 1.

Paddle Smart is a simple and effective program that will save taxpayer dollars and potentially save lives. When there is a report or discovery of an unattended/adrift canoe, kayak, dinghy or other paddle type craft in the water, the Coast Guard search and rescue machine responds with the assumption the owner is in distress until evidence can be found to support otherwise.

The information on the sticker can allow response entities to quickly identify the owner/operator of the vessel and aid search and rescue planners in determining the best course of action.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paddle-Smart-Identification-Stickers/316164896505

That's a worthy hijack -- thanks for posting.

Visible contact info is a simple solution to several real problems. Everybody I paddle with already writes that on both kayak and paddle in case it gets lost after a swim and somebody finds it later. It generally isn't used as a distress signal since we mostly paddle inland whitewater but offshore is a completely different story where an unaccompanied craft is cause for concern.

Bright orange stickers on black paddle blades would make them easier to chase downriver, too!

Cheers,
Graham