Hi,
Somewhere (means I forgot where) I saw a wooden “T” shaped handle that can be used to convert half of a broken hollow kayak paddle to a canoe paddle in an emergency. Does anyone know of a vendor?
Thanks,
Adrian
no
but I bet you could make one pretty easy. Or you could carry a spare paddle…
The problem is…
…that the two ends of the paddle are not the same; one has a female ferrule and one has a male ferrule. The diameter also varies from one paddle manufacturer to the next, since most of them make their own 'glass/carbon ferrules. Consequently, making a T handle that will work on all or even most paddles could be very difficult.
As was pointed out, you should be carrying a spare paddle anyway.
As one who paddles canoe and kayak
I would be able to make use of such a spare, but many years of experience suggests that it is not a broken paddle that typically poses the problem, but rather the total loss of a paddle.
So you have to decide under what circumstances to carry a spare.
I’ve been using a tennis ball
You can make a hole with a knife and slip it over the end. I think it’s the most comfortable single blade handle I’ve ever used.
not necessary
I’ve seen them in plastic, made by several manufacturers of low-end double-bladed paddles and designed to match their own paddles. However, I don’t really think they are necessary on most rivers, because if you lose half your paddle, you can usually find a stick or tree branch to serve the purpose.
Your river knife should be big enough to cut live wood of this size, and a little searching should turn up a branch with a “Y” or other feature to serve as a “T”. Even without a cutting capability, you should be able to find a straight stick of proper size and diameter, which you can use as is (a handle is helpful but not required for paddling) or to which you can tie on some sort of handle, either from your kit or found in the wild.
Or
or you could just hold the broken half like a kayak paddle and paddle on.
Not many yakkers know what to do with a T grip anyway. So why complicate things?
agree
if I break a paddle and break/lose my spare then I’m in such a rare situation that I’ll be glad to put up with some poor ergonomics using half a paddle back to shore. If very far from shore I suspect I’ll also be on my VHF asking for any help there may be nearby.
If you must
I would get a spare paddle but you might try to get the handle from and old snow shovel (garbage bucket stuff) and some electrical tape.
You have a t or demented D grip.
I would buy a spare…
Lendal made some for their shafts
i carry one…and since my lendals are 4 pieces i can make any paddle i need to…