Removing the T grip from an Aquabound paddle

[sganarelle]

I have needed to do this for a long time. I need to shorten my AB paddle by several inches. How do I remove the T grip so I can reuse it one the paddle is cut down? How should I reattach it?

[CurlyFries]

Hey

I just cut down my paddle the other day. Check out this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7965777

Heat the handle in hot water until it comes loose (submerge 3 inches of the shaft too). Do it gradually though - heat and twist.

Not sure what epoxy works well. The epoxy i got didn't work. I hear the two part syringe plastic weld works great.

Dave

[Jim Michaud]

The boiling water trick only works if the handle is held in place with glue. When I tried to shorten my Mitchell paddles it didn't work because they were held together with epoxy. I ended up cutting the shaft just below the handle then chipping the epoxy out with a 1/4" wide chisel. If your paddle has a plastic shaft the T-grip is probably glued in. If the shaft is made of glass, carbon or Kevlar the T-grip is probably epoxied in place.

You can buy a small amount of two part epoxy at any hardware store. If you use epoxy I would suggest using the slow cure stuff. In my experience the fast drying epoxy doesn't hold up nearly as well as the slow cure. Besides, you'll have more time to make sure that the T-grip is aligned with the blade.