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Werner doesn't stand behind its paddles
wrote in message oups.com... I have an odd problem with my paddle and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I'm almost ready to pitch it in the garbage. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was using my paddle and said she didn't like it - it irritated her hands. She said when she finally buys a kayak and paddle, she won't buy a fiberglass one like mine. I thought nothing of it until it started to irritate my hands yesterday. The shaft feels prickly when I run my hand along the length, and my palm sparkled in the sun until I rinsed my hand in the lake. It is a Werner fiberglass paddle, and it is 3.5 years old. It cost $240. I splurged, but felt it would last a long time, so I am not happy. Werner refuses to replace it since it is out of warranty (1 year), but they are sending me some shrink wrap stuff to put on. The shrink wrap might work, but I'd have to cover the whole shaft - I don't even want to touch it to carry it. What if I accidentally rub my eyes with fiberglass fibers on my hands? After pushing harder with Werner, they still refused to do anything for me other than send me shrink wrap. They blamed me for leaving my paddle in the cockpit of my boat (exposed to sun and the elements) during our short (Vermont) paddling seasons. They say their paddles tend to last 20 years, but they take no responsibility when a paddle lasts 1/5 that time. So I am wondering, how many of you leave your paddle in your boat on your car for various lengths of time, vs. bringing it inside every time? Werner is being foolish because if I convince even one person to not buy a Werner paddle, they would have been better off replacing mine. I bought it from a local shop, and now I have dilema of where to buy a replacement. I try to buy local and support small business owners, but on the other hand, if I buy from EMS, REI, or L. L. Bean, I know I will never have to worry about equipment failing before it should. Any ideas? I am thinking that spray paint may work better than shrink wrap. Any comments? Cathy Cathy, It sounds like you have serious sun-degradation of the fiberglass. I would consider one of two options: 1) wet sand it, and then apply a coat of clear coat, which would completely restore the shaft; or go with the shrink wrap and take the additional weight. Then keep it out of the sun. Neither your boat nor the paddle benefit from being left in the sun unprotected. At very least cover the entire setup in the future. What makes you think that items purchased from the retailers you mention will do any better under the same unprotected conditions? I would expect anything to suffer if left in the sun. REI and Bean carry many of the same standard kayaking items (Werner paddles), and I doubt that under the circumstances they would be any more supportive. I have two Werner paddles, a fiberglass Camano, and a carbon fiber Kalliste, and couldn't be happier. I've had no negative experiences, but I would NEVER them in the sun for any period of time. If I absolutely had to leave a boat exposed, I would at least place them inside a hatch to protect them. I hope that you get this worked out, and that you have many pleasant kayaking experiences yet to come. Jim Hill |