Surfski Knowledge Base

(from Discussion on facebook - Epic Kayak Owners Group)

Trevor Wagner

so i just got these paddles. planning on using them for wildwater (i dynell the edges myself) but made a mistake and forgot to check length. Its 210 to 215 and i race 205. Has anyone successfully chopped these down? its a club carbon with the shafts that slowly go from round to oval shaped…. but looks like i can get away with the reduction just barely. If I can get the clamp off and re-install it…. it may work…. looks like remnants of hot glue in the seam to me. Anyways any help would be greatly appreciated, otherwise will probably re-sell to a taller person!

Michael Fekete
I would ask the epic dealer you bought them from to exchange them. If not sell them and get a 205
I wouldn’t try to shorten them

Trevor Wagner
Author
Michael Fekete this is secondhand

Ralph Dismukes

I have. Removed the ferrule with a heat gun, cut the shaft and epoxied it back in. Trick is getting them off. Seen the blades removed also. It was after former Epic employee told me how to do it.

Trevor Wagner
Author
Ralph Dismukes nice to know thank you. That would be easier than messing with the clamp

Alessia Faverio

You can heat the blades and remove them then cut the 2.5 cm off each side

Trevor Wagner
Author
Alessia Faverio thanks!

John Quinn
Alessia Faverio you're awesome with the knowledge!

Newt Scatchard
Boiling/hot water will usually work to soften hot glue

(Ed. Quick Blade has several videos on changing canoe paddle (single blade) length on youtube. e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-0QLgNzWII the principles are generally the same for wing paddles. One thing you want to remember with an adjustable wing paddle is to make marks before cutting that will allow you to restore the blade alignment with the existing feather marks on your paddle, or similarly with a fixed wing paddle, make marks that will let you keep the feather the same as before unless you are also changing the feather also)