I know this has been discussed last year, but I forget the answer.
Will leaving a carbon fibre paddle such as a ZRE, ONNO or Epic in a closed vehicle that will be in the heat hurt the paddle in any way ?
Heading to the beach next week, and the daytime temperatures will be in the upper 80’s which translates to hotter than hell in a closed vehicle.
Thanks in advance,
JackL
Never thought about it…
Guess mine gets pretty hot as it’s been in the low 90’s…
I just returned from a paddle and today I had to dunk it in the water as the carbon shaft was getting hot to the touch…
I Sure Hope Not
Mine stays in the car many days closed up and hot. So far it does not look like a pretzel.
May be even warmer. I understand it may hit 90 Sat up here so you could expect that plus a degree.
Happy Paddling,
Mark
If it were only 90…that’s a mild day
in these parts from mid-May untill mid-October. Carbon fiber seems a pretty stable material not as prone to warping or melting as some fiberglass and soft plastic products, like my kayak.
Yes it is bad for it
Most Carbon or fiberglass paddles are made with epoxy resin. This resin does not handle temps over 100 degrees well. My advice would be to wrap the paddle in towels or in a case or put it in the trunk.
In the back seat things can get as hot as 140 degrees as your car acts like a solar oven. Even so your things in the trunk will not get near as hot. Wrapping items in the back seat with a towel does make a big difference but an insulated case works even better.
The most common failure of epoxy carbon stuff stored in cars is archery equipment. The failures can be spectacular! …amd dangerous.
If your paddle does get really hot then I’d let it cool slowly and not use it until it was cool.
Also Jack
Some of the paddles have a foam core that the heat might damage.
Paddles in heat?
– Last Updated: Jun-15-06 6:20 PM EST –
I thought that we were going to be discussing paddle reproduction ;-)
Sorry, Jack. Your question is an interesting one and I'm curious to see the answers. The way you phrased your question struck me funny.
Mind in the gutter...
Next weeks lesson on "Tool time"
How to repair a kayak paddle. Your gonna need a Binford 9000 turbo glue gun.
I am very surprised that my Camano hasn’t turned into julyfruits.
Brian
Soflo
ruined bows, and paddles
I never thought about storing paddles in vehicles. 2 of mine are sealed up tight in the hot car as I type this. ;-(
But, I once ruined a beautiful laminated wood recurve bow by leaving it in the closed up car one summer day, for practice after work. It completely twisted it, and it never shot straight again. ;-((
I know laminated wooden canoe paddles aren’t under the same kinds of built-in stress as a recurve bow, but I wonder about leaving decent wooden paddles in the car through the summer. There has to be some way to leave gear in a closed vehicle for use after work.
Paddling in heat
can be dangerous for a woman if she is paddling in moose country during rutting season.
I have a kayak paddle with carbon
and epoxy blades, and if it is left in a closed car where it can be hit by the sun, the center of the paddle blade will swell up like a giant blister. I have been able to fix this by drilling small holes, injecting fresh epoxy, and clamping the blister flat.
Probably the blade maker (Double Dutch) used some kind of non-epoxy glue to stick the inner and outer halves of the carbon layers together. With the heat-sink character of black carbon layers, the inner adhesive gassed and caused the blister.
I still use the paddle, but I am very careful to keep it covered when it is inside my car.
Better yet,
Keep them refrigerated.
Sorry about that
but after you pointed it out I did get a good chuckle out of it.
At least I didn’t say, “It is that time of the month for my paddle”
cheers,
jackL
take em out
I often tie my solo to the roof for an afterwork paddle. I will take my paddles into work because the heat will eventually weaken the epoxy enough to fail when I least need a disassembled paddle!
See you at the Latta?
I Think
You should wrap your paddle in orange peels then report back to the rest of us on how that worked.
Happy Paddling,
Mark
No , no, no
the orange peels go into the weeds at the shore line with the bannana peels right next to where I am going to have a pit stop on some lady’s beach,
who just chewed me out and yelled at me for coming up too close and passing by her with my kayak!
cheers,
JackL
OK , thanks
Here is the count:
Four canoe paddles, two wing paddles, and four touring paddles.
I’ll just make “the bride” sleep in the car and I’ll sleep with the paddles
On Latta: we made a big boo boo when we agreed to go to the beach with the kids for the week.
It would have been a three hour drive from our place to there, but now it will be a five hour drive from the beach.
Can you say leave at 2:30 AM ???
How much does tired affect a race?
Cheers,
jackL
FrankInNC or Grayhawk
may have the best idea. Keep the paddle in your trunk if you have one, or tie it to the rack if your car and paddle are going to sit for a while.
Mark