I want to change the blades on my Aqua-bound Sting Ray Carbon paddle. The oval-shape shaft is on left hand and I plan to make it to right-hand. Who know how it is fixed: by epoxy or thermo-glue?
How do you remove it in either case?
I don’t think we understand your question. The blades on that paddle are not removable as far as I can tell from the Aquabound website. Don’t understand why you’d want to switch the blades.
Isn’t the shaft ovalized on both sides? Website mentions the shaft is ovalized but there’s no choice for right or left hand control; it should be universal.
Have no idea what is keeping the blades on. You can call/email them and ask but I can’t imagine why they would tell you how to purposely take their product apart.
You’ll destroy it. Buy an adjustable feather paddle.
Shaft is oval only for left hand. After trauma my left hand is less strong than right one. I deside to change the blades. Some blades are epoxied to shafts, some is thermoglued by ethylene vinyl acetate (like Bracia). I want to know how it is made in Aquabound.
Call them.
I have an Aquabound Carbon Sting Ray and also don’t understand your problem. Isn’t your paddle a two piece? 'm not aware of any one-piece Sting Ray models. Their adjustable ferrule on some Sting Ray models allows 6 rotational positions to adjust the orientation of the blades and even the simple two piece allows both right or left hand 15 degree fixed options.
I have 2-peaces paddle. On your paddle oval shaft on which hand?
I send them a mail.
I plan to use heat gun.
He’s saying one side of the shaft is ovalized for the “control hand” and he wants to switch the shaft around. I didn’t know A-B made hand-specific paddles; I don’t see that on their website.
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On the Sting Ray, both shafts are only slightly oval with the longer axis at 90 degrees to the blade. The center ferrule allows setting to 45 degrees in either direction (right or left) from the neutral center line.
But I realize there are several different models of the Sting Ray. Can you post a photo of the ferrule of yours?
Paddle is far from me(((. I can make foto next weekend. The ferrule is like posi-lock, but black one. And ovalized only left side of shaft.
I’ve never heard of a paddle that has an ovalized (indexed) shaft only on one side. They’re generally symmetrical. Any chance that this is a manufacturing defect? Aqua-bound does not do customizations of paddles and I can’t imagine that there is any way to remove the blades without destroying the paddle.
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Enough heat to remove epoxy I hope the blade is steel.
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I agree with rstevens15: something doesn’t sound right. I highly doubt that the two ends of the paddle shaft would have a different cross section unless somebody switched the ends from two different paddles that did not match. And with posi-lock you can set the control angle left or right as you please. the ovalization of Aquabound paddles is minor (not like the full oval of my Greenland paddles) and should not really affect grip. If you are gripping so hard that you notice it you need to relax – no need to have a death grip on a touring paddle.
As has been pointed out, if you use high enough heat to melt the epoxy glue you will probably melt and deform the plastic in the blades. Since it is a carbon shaft they would have used epoxy to attach the blades.
I suggest that instead you sell this paddle and buy something that solves what you are perceiving as a problem. Why destroy a $250 paddle just because you don’t think it fits you?
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I think Dmitri is simply asking if we know if Aquabound uses a temperature-sensitive adhesive. I’ve removed grips from Zaveral carbon canoe paddles with a heat gun because they use adhesive that loosens around 200F. So does Devcon 5 minute epoxy. But for example Bending Branches uses an epoxy that gets harder with heat so you can’t get it off.
Best thing is to contact the manufacturer as Dmitri has done. And you can always just give it a shot with a heat gun but it can be a bit tricky.
Yes, you exactly describe my thought. I am wating the answer from manufacturer.
Melting point of nylon 240C, so if I try heat gun with 200C I should not to destroy it.
Structures, materials and products created using epoxy resin are initially oriented to temperature standards established in accordance with accepted operating standards: temperature from –40°С to +120°С is considered constant;
the maximum temperature is +150°C.
So I can try!
Our dealer answered me today, that AquaBound use thermo glue on paddles. But blades sits wery tight.
I would suggest taking the make no changes approach… just turn the paddle upside down by holding the left oval shaft in the right hand and right round shaft in the left hand. Unless you are a power paddler, racer, etc. you will likely not be able to tell the difference caused by the change in the paddle shape from using it upside down and it would fix issue you are having with the shaft shape (oval versus round).
Oh, and you want have to worry about ruining an expensive paddle with a heat gun!