C-Forum

I have a 58" H2O paddle that I need to shorten to 57". I have a new grip to replace the old one thatI will destroy in the process. What I'm unsure of is the best way to remove leftover wood from the old grip left in the shaft. Any idea of the best procedure to drill out or otherwise remove this wood from the shaft? H2O told me they use an epoxy glue to fix the grip in the shaft.

Since none have replied with the best method I'll suggest 'a' method. Note that I have not done this myself but am hoping that sbroam will chime in with the right way.

First is to get a forstner bit just a bit smaller in diameter than the paddle shaft then with shaft in vice drill out the center of the remaining plug. Don't clamp at the plug but behind it.

Since you want good bond with the new t-grip plug you will have to chip and sand the remaining wood out to the shaft wall +/-.

Find a 3/8 " or smaller spade bit and sharpen the edge and with that ream out as much wood as you dare. Next, glue a 1 or 2" long 3/4" diameter dowel to a spare drill bit. Glue a strip of 50 grit sand paper to the barrel of the dowel and then proceed to sand the remaining wood down. I don't think this has to be perfect. I get West systems repair kits with pre measured packets and filler material to thicken.

Once you have the hole in the shaft close it is time to fit the t-grip to the shaft with a bit of trial sanding and fitting.
Apply the epoxy mix to the t-grip plug and insert into shaft parallel to blade.

The end of this way.

Depending on the age of the paddle there are a couple of methods for shortening it. Older paddles had the blades held on with hot melt glue. I don’t know if newer ones still use that method. I shortened mine by heating up the blade with a heat gun and pulling it off. Don’t twist it! There are ribs molded into the blade inside and you don’t want to damage them. Pull the blade off and cut the shaft. At this point you need to cut a couple of slots into the shaft. Use the removed piece as a guide for what to do. Heat the blade and shaft and insert the shaft into the blade. Make sure you line up the ribs with the slots and don’t twist it. Let it cool and your done.
Second method is drill out the wooden handle and then use a Dremel tool with the sanding bit to slowly get rid of the remaining wood.

I guess I'm lazy and/or not fussy, but I've never cleaned a cut-off insert out of a paddle shaft to shorten it by 1". I either live with the 58", or find the bottom of t-grip insert and shorten it that much, which might down to a 56". Maybe you'll like a 56"!? The alternative is to keep buying paddles anytime you see a good deal, and then you'll have a selection of lengths, or at least one that will be the easiest to shorten to a desired length!

I assume you've tried removing the t-grip just with using heat? Can't hurt to try (though that sounds like famous last words).

Drilling/dremeling/sanding the insert out of a shaft seems like a risky pain in the butt, but good luck!

Cheers, Pat.

It seems like a lot of work, to shorten a paddle 1”.

How long will it take you to wear down the blade an inch?

Can you swap paddles with someone? Trade for a 57”?

Buy a shorter replacement paddle and use the 58” as your spare?

Can you convert your paddle into a take a part/breakdown by cutting the shaft and inserting a connector AND at the same time shorten it to 57”?

Not sure how relevant my info still is, but back in the day when I used H20 paddles they used hot glue to bond both the T-Grip and the blade to the paddle. If they still do, then all you need is a hair dryer or a hot air gun and some patience.
If the T-Grip is really epoxied in now you could remove the blade, cut the shaft by 1 inch, lengthen the blade positioning slot in the shaft accordingly and reattach it with hot glue. This might not work for a bent shaft though as it might lower the bend too far.

TGG!

Hi Gonzo, H2O changed to epoxied grips very early in production but continued with hot melt blade attachment for quite some time.

I used H20 paddles in the mid to late 2000's, but have since moved on and got rid of the last one in around 2010, so my info is quite old.

TGG!

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm going to try Jim's method. This is a paddle for my wife to replace her current H2O that has lasted I don't know how many years without wearing down very much while I've probably gone through at least 4 paddles in that time. So it's worth the trouble to get it perfect. IMHO, the H2O C1 paddle is a great choice if you want a long-wearing paddle and don't mind some flex.

Drill it out and then clean the rest of the ID with this.
https://www.amazon.com/Tungsten-Carbide ... =256263011