Author Topic: Cutting your new carbon paddle.  (Read 19521 times)

DavidJohn

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Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« on: June 29, 2008, 01:28:40 AM »
For those who have never done a paddle circumcision it can be a scary thing..and painful if you get it wrong..  ;D

When I cut my new Kialoa paddle last week I took some pictures that might help those who might be a bit worried about taking a saw to their new carbon paddle.

Paddles come at a maximum length for those tall bean poles like me..and anyone any shorter will need to cut it to suit themselves..This is important.

I think the best rule of thumb is to flip the paddle upside down..rest the handle on the ground..and where the paddle blade starts to spread from the paddle shaft it should be about eye level..this seems to work much better than the old 6-8" above head hight..or stretch you arm up so the handle is when you arm is slightly bent...btw..Mine are about 12' above my height..I'm about 6'4" tall.

If you're into big chunky boards and mostly flat water you need it longer..and if your are into waves on a sinky board you need it shorter..It's best to be a bit on the long side if anything because you can just paddle deeper..that's better than having to bend over to fully dip the paddle.

Here's a pic taken from the Starboard site...and a pic of me and how mine ended up..Sorry about the stunned mullet look..  ;D ..I took two pics and the other was a real shocker and couldn't hit the delete button quick enough..  :-X





Once you work out where to cut the paddle shaft I use a hack saw..and also use a saw guide to make sure the cut is at 90 deg..It's no biggie if it's not perfect.

It's probably a good idea to put masking tape around the shaft where you are going to cut it..To mark where to cut it and to lessen the chance of splintering the carbon fiber



There's no going back now..  :D



All paddles are slightly different with the shaft and style of T grip..The Kialoa has a small foam plug in the T grip..This has to be removed.





I then get a small screwdriver and poke some holes in the foam core of the T grip to let the glue run in the holes to help prevent the chance of it twisting on the shaft.



I use 5 minute Araldite...The good thing about the 5 minute Araldite instead of the full strength Araldite is that it can be un-glued after.



The next thing is to tip the paddle upside down and make sure there's nothing inside to rattle about..and then push that small foam plug into the end of the shaft.



I then run glue into the end to make sure that little sucker seals properly and stops any water getting into the paddle shaft.



I then run glue into the T grip and let it flow into the hole in the foam that I made.



The next step is very important..and you need to act fast..Sometimes they lie about it being 5 minutes..I've seen 5 minute glues go off in less than 1 minute..  ???

Also note that most T grips are not symetrical..Most are shaped to go one way and the more curved side fits into your palm..and the straighter side goes against your fingers..You need to double check this and maybe mark it with some tape so you don't have to worry about which way it goes when you push it one with the glue in it.

Push the T grip on and quickly make sure it's straight..I first lay it down on a flat surface..You can see that what you thought was straight is nowhere near straight.





I don't stop at that..What if the ground is not straight..  :) ..I rest it on something horizontal and double check by lifting it up and down to check that it's straight.



Once the glue has set..I then like to run a bead of glue around the join..See paddle left without..and paddle right with..It's no big deal to not do this.



I have paddled with a paddle less than an hour after doing this but it's best to leave it over night before using it.

Cutting a paddle and gluing a T grip is no big deal for most people..But for those who are not sure I hope these pics help.

DJ




NZ WHOA

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2010, 09:04:22 PM »
I just bought a kialoa methane uncut trying to figure out the right length. I took off the handle and I don't have a blueish foam circle thing is that normal. Also how do you unglue the 5 min glue. Thanks for the help.

mik911

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2010, 09:26:54 PM »
Great write up and pics. Will definitely refer to this when I do my first CIRCUMCISION.  As they say:
 See One, Do One, Teach One.

Mike

Ron House Coastal Cruiser 12'6"
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Fanatic Fly Race 12'6" carbon SUP
BARK 14' prone custom paddleboard
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crtraveler

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2010, 04:38:57 AM »
Nice Tutorial DJ !
Naish Mana 10' (currently water-logged in Costa Rica)
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Easy Rider

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2010, 05:01:54 AM »
I know DJ said it - - but it is super important to wrap the shaft in masking tape before cutting. (an then cut through the tape)

Carbon (or fiberglass for that matter) is very easy to splinter when cut with a hack saw. 

Not only will it damage the shaft - but carbon splinters are not much fun to get out of your fingers.
Easy Rider is the name of my store in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
My name is Warren Currie . . . and we SUP Surf indoors . . . in a shopping mall!

gorgebob

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2010, 08:25:46 AM »
Nice write up. If you don't have the jig you can cut slightly long and sand down flat. The shaft will sand quickly. Also scuff the shaft with 100 grit on the outside to give the epoxy some bite. The 60 min. marine epoxy is what Werner recommends and what I use.
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outcast

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2010, 09:05:09 AM »
Tile Saw!!!

I like the above, and agree with the tape to prevent microsplinters, but a TILE SAW blade has been working real well for me when cutting carbon

(Poached from cutting carbon windsurfing masts/booms/bases)
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enden

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #7 on: September 09, 2010, 10:59:39 AM »
To remove the handle, I used a hair dyer and heat it a little at a time while twisting the handle back and forth.

DavidJohn

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2010, 01:06:55 PM »
Jeez that post popped up out of nowhere.. I posted it years ago.

Re replacing or removing the T grip handle the main reason for doing this is to shorten the paddle and rather than trying to unstick the glue by heating it up and risking damaging the shaft or handle the best thing to do is just cut the shaft to the length that you want to shorten it to and glue on a new handle.. You can buy a replacement handle from Kialoa for about $20 I think.. or you can use the old handle by making a couple of cross cuts and squeezing the shaft carefully with pliers and breaking the shaft to get the bits out of the handle.. I've done this a few times without a problem.. Here's a couple of pics showing what I mean.

DJ






NZ WHOA

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2010, 01:54:26 PM »
Sweet thanks is that blue foam thing supposed to come in all Kialoa paddles.

bigdom

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #10 on: September 09, 2010, 02:21:58 PM »
great tutorial

a few more bits of advice

1 measure twice cut once

2 tape the handle on and have test run to get the right lenght
but dont forget you cant cut the shaft longer

 8)

Argosi

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #11 on: September 09, 2010, 03:23:48 PM »
The carbon handle on my paddle just broke. I have a replacement handle made of wood.

Any suggestions on what glue to use for a wood handle on a carbon shaft?

DavidJohn

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2010, 05:29:24 PM »
Sweet thanks is that blue foam thing supposed to come in all Kialoa paddles.

They used to be a blue foam plug.

Now they are a grey color.. and yes they should come with the paddle.. A cork will do.

I think any epoxy glue should be ok for gluing wood to carbon.

DJ

werkSUPrider

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #13 on: September 10, 2010, 01:28:01 PM »
Great tutorial and pics. Not sure if I'm ready for my first circumcision, guys at the SUP warehouse cut my qb, but really informative.
Thanks!

Bklyn2Oahu

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Re: Cutting your new carbon paddle.
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2012, 04:45:01 PM »
DavidJohn,

Thanks for the awesome tutorial!!  I followed all your directions today and hopefully when I check the paddle tomorrow, it will be fully cured.  The only difference between my paddle is that the t-handle was a male receptacle vice a female, but everything else was smooth thanks to your instructions!
14' Naish Glide

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