I Can get a good deal on a used Werner Camano. Looks a little rough, but wondering are they easy to “fix up”?
Any way to fix them up or polish out scratches… do I bother?
Your 2 cents is appreciated. This would be my 2nd paddle. I currently have a 230cm Aqua-bound Sting Ray Carbon, looking for a 220cm to switch things up, and this paddle has excellent reviews.
All I see is normal wear and tear. At the right deeply discounted price, I would go for it. I would probably consider a very, very light coat of epoxy along the edges to seal any unseen nicks after air drying the paddle for a few days. Otherwise, some wax should make that paddle shine again.
I’d also call it harmless wear and tear, but it is a lot. Whoever owned it didn’t worry about using it to push off rocks, dig ditches, etc.
As kayakhank recommends, I’ve also used a little epoxy to freshen up and protect the edges of carbon fiber canoe paddles that have seen hard use on rocks. I just use 5 minute epoxy and a toothpick (or wooden shishkabob skewer) and dip it in the epoxy and then roll it onto the paddle blade edge holding the toothpick perpendicular to the blade. If there are any deep nicks on the blade itself you can use the point of a toothpick to fill them in so they don’t grow. The epoxy should provide a slight sacrificial edge as well as helping to prevent existing nicks/gouges from growing. I’ve used the same technique to repair fine edged wooden paddles that have lost little chunks from the edge after I misused them in shallow rocky areas. Don’t try to do it all with one batch of 5 minute epoxy…take your time and make several small batches of epoxy. I also sometimes stretch a piece of electrical tape over the edge to give the edge a little bit of protection and resilience. You can even use two layers of electrical tape and replace as necessary.
I agree that you should buy it and that it has plenty of life left in it.
If it’s a 2 piece paddle, check that the ferule works well and has no play.
I’d like to be able to… but it’s an 8 hr drive away… think I’ll take the chance on it everyone… thanks for your help.
Anyone know of a thread on here talking about the epoxy repairs you’ve mentioned? Like to read up on that more.
