cut 1-piece paddle into 2-piece

I’m looking to cut solid kayak paddle in half, shorten it, and convert it into a 2-piece paddle.

It seems the aussies sell a kit to accomplish this from the brand “smart shaft”

http://bla.com.au/default/shop-online/canoes-kayaks/paddles/smart-shaft-kit.html



Has anyone seen “smart shaft” products stateside, or know of any other brands/kits to do this available in the U.S.?



Thanks

Prijon used to offer a kit.
I think the US distributor is at wildnet.com

wildnet
Wildnet.com !



WildNet was the old BBS system I participated in be fore I had internet. :slight_smile:


out of stock
Out of stock on Wildnet- any other suggestions?

Thanks!

google "ferrule kayak paddle"
and you’ll see some possibilities. This link goes to a relatively simple ferrule.



http://www.kayakproshop.com/BBPaddleFerrule.html


Two more

– Last Updated: Jun-23-13 5:58 PM EST –

Pygmy offers a stainless steel ferrule:
http://www.pygmyboats.com/accessories/paddles.html

CLC has SS and carbon:
http://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/boat-gear/kayak-paddles/kayak-paddle-ferrule.html

OOPS, I MEANT THREE MORE ----

Duckworks has the best deal on carbon, this is the one you want:
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/misc/saw-frh/

serious Q…
…why do all that work ( unless it’s a experiment) when you could probably buy a shorter 2 pc unit ??

$$$
Because buying a new, properly sized 2-piece paddle of the same quality as this one-piece paddle would be like $300…

So if possible I’d rather buy a $30 ferrule and invest some time and energy into making this paddle usable vs. buying a new one

If you can just live with shortening it
If you can settle for just shorter rather than 2-piece, you can do that fairly easy. I’ve done that with my 1-piece WW paddle: did not shorten it, but changed the offset and put it back together. Adds about 1-2oz of weight and is as strong as before.



I swear I’ve seen some nice adjustable length ferules advertised somewhere, other than the ones already mentioned in this thread to date. I can’t remember where though… Epic kayaks might sell their collars and inserts as spare parts but they don’t list them on the web site - talk to your Epic dealer and you might be able to get them this way.



The cheap snap-button ferules (such as the one in the links above from CLC or other sources) are OK but they don’t actually “lock” into a solid one piece - there is always some play. So make sure you are OK with that. A bit of play might not be a big deal in practice anyway - my first WW paddle was a Werner Desperado 2 piece (carbon shaft with a push-button ferulle). It had a bit of play when I first bought it used and I was worried it would fall apart or get worse with tough white water use. It did not - worked quite well for 3-4 years until I lost it at the parking lot… It did have play and I did not like that in some cases as I could feel it in the water, but at the same time it was not really a big deal and I could ignore it most of the time. The 2-piece convenience was great!

Paddle shortening
I did this on two of my one piece Epic paddles to shorten them years ago

Greg Barton/Epic sent me the locking collar parts

You need to let Epic know exactly what Epic paddle you have because the have different diameter shafts

could go back to 1-piece…
Yeah good point- I guess its not a big deal whether the end product is 2-piece or 1-piece, since my goal is just to shorten the shaft and change the blade offset, not really add portability or adjustability



What method did you use to reconnect after changing the offset of your 1-piece WW paddle?