C-Forum

I have a carbon bandit i've used for 2 seasons and just noticed that there sounds like there is water in the shaft. I was just wondering if anyone has had this and how they fixed it. I'm concerned about heating up carbon fiber to pop off the t grip and dont really want a shorter paddle. also is this a non isue and just live with it?

Thanks

Ian

Try hanging it by the blade for a few days? If that empties it out, some electrical tape around the T-grip joint should keep it out well enough after that.

Shep

If the t-grip is plastic, you should be worried about that rather than the carbon shaft.

I had a heck of a time getting the T grip off my carbon Bandit. Long story. If I were you I'd just try sealing around the junction with superglue or warmed epoxy.

Being careful with a heat gun, I've never had problems removing the plastic T grip from carbon shaft Werners. I have done it over the years on 3 different Werners to shorten up the shaft. I put the T grip back on with epoxy and one small stainless steel screw thru the shaft and into the plastic T grip to keep the grip from rotating later. Never had a problem. The blades wear out sooner or later and then I purchase another and go through the same procedure.

might not be the t-grip.
last time i checked over a paddle with water in it, it was because the shaft was compromised. other times I found cracked blades. Check it over good.
..if water is in it, it'll also come out of the same spot. find the wet spot.

The glue that has been used the Bandits i ve had doesn't soften with heat.... the grip does though....

Larry Horne wrote:might not be the t-grip.
last time i checked over a paddle with water in it, it was because the shaft was compromised. other times I found cracked blades. Check it over good.
..if water is in it, it'll also come out of the same spot. find the wet spot.

I'll second what Larry said.

I don't use a Werner so I can't speak to that paddle specifically, but I have had experience with other hollow shaft paddles and it has typically been a crack in the blade that allows water to seep into the shaft. If that is the problem, it can be difficult to repair reliably. I've often had to resort to actually drilling a "drain hole" in the shaft a little below the grip, to make it easier to get the water out; I just cover the "drain hole with a little electrical tape when not being used to drain out the water.

John

The blades wear out sooner or later and then I purchase another and go through the same procedure.

Berkshire: Talk to your dealer. You can special order Werners to the inch, which means you don't have to buy, say, a 58" and trim it to 57". They'll do odd sizes.

Thanks for the advice, I'm in school now so I have time to wait, I tried putting it upside down and it seems as if some of the water has left, hopefully this takes care of it, Werner will fix it for free but I would have to ship it to them. I'm not overly keen about drilling into the shaft and after a good inspection couln't find any cracks. Right now I'll see if it will all come out the tgrip end.

Ian

Milkman - Thanks for the heads-up. From what Ian says, it sounds like they changed the glue in the Bandits so I would have been skunked with my old approach.

I was looking at my paddle and trying to find the leak and the t grip sheared off the shaft, i was disapointed and If I were to replace my tgrip I would heat it up, pop the old one out and then replace it with a homemade wooden one? I'm wondering about building a t-grip, what kind of wood and are there concerns about swelling wood inside the shaft causing cracking.

Thanks


Ian

Hope you more lucky than me in terms of taking the t-grip(or remaining part) off the shaft.... I try a lot of things with out success. As for your own grip, I made a bunch, I use all kind of wood and it is well sealed, and that you use epoxy(g-flex work great) to fix the grip to the shaft, you wont have any problems... I also used a piece of carbon shaft that I mounted on the right size dowel to make a grip out of( the dowel being the piece that goes inside the shaft) and filling the ends of the hollow grip with a piece of minicel foam glued with contact cement.

I'll try to post pics over the week end.
Cheers
David

All you did was look at and it broke
There not making them like they used to.

I'd contact Werner and see what they say now that the T grip broke.