one of my kayak paddlles has a ferrule that has become slightly loose.
i've heard about coating the male side with wax or urethane or epoxy.
which is best? and what techniques do you recomend?
thanks.
No personal experience
but Andy Knap sez in his book to add thickness with 2-part epoxy in thin layers. Sand the layers carefully until the desired fit is achieved. And make sure the epoxy is fully cured before reassembling!
Jim
I’ve successfully used epoxy
Just paint it on very thin and allow it to cure fully before testing the fit. Lightly sand any tight spots until you get the fit you want.
BTW, you can also use epoxy to tighten up a loose button hole in a paddle. Just remove the button from the inner section, and use the same procedure outlined above. Once the button is a snug fit on the inner section, repeat the procedure on the outer section. The end result should be as good, or even better than new.
Ferrule Joint Repair
This month’s issue (August 2004) of Canoe & Kayak Magazine has a very good article about ferrule joint repair on Page 27.
Stay safe on the water
thanks guys
i appreciate the advice given above. i actually tried urethane and had pretty poor results. it crumbled and jammed the two halves together. it took an extra set of hands and some serious grunting to separate them.
i think i’m going to try epoxy on the button since that’s where most of the slippage is.
Put it on the hole
it should adhere far better there. Perhaps you’d want to mix it with a filler but that needs advice fron Nystrom, Scott B or one of the other boat repair titans.