Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view

Getting Water Out Of My Paddle

It is possible to get water inside your paddle. This can happen when there is a break in the seal on one of joints and water finds its way in or if a blade has been damaged/punctured. There are a number of solutions for “getting water out of my paddle” ranging from the simple to the extreme.

Getting Water Out Of My Paddle

In most cases if water is a problem then it would have found its way into the paddle shaft. However some paddle blades have a hollow or foam core. If punctured a hole can be created that allows the blade to also take on water.

Options:

Is the paddle in warranty? Did the paddle take on water because of wear/tear or due to a manufacturing problem? If its the latter contact the place where you purchased the paddle, the distributor or the manufacturer directly.

It found its way in, it will find its way out. Let science do the hard work. If you can stop using the paddle on the water. Get it sitting out in the sun for a bit. The water will hopefully evaporate and find its own way out. You need to be prepared to wait. You may feel the need to add some heat through the use of a hot air gun. If the paddle is composite there is a risk that you may damage the epoxy that holds everything together thus weakening the structure of the paddle. I would personally avoid adding additional heat.

Reach for the power tools. Drill a hole to get the water out. This is probably the quickest way to get rid of the water but it will do damage that will need repairing. It may also comprise the integrity of the paddle and is best avoided if you can.

What next?

Assuming you have had to sort of the issue yourself then you will need to repair the paddle in such a way that any hold/gaps are filled and water can’t find its way in again.

Adding some additional poxy to joints or even overlapping with electrical tape will help. If the damage was to the blade it will need to be made good. Depending on the size of the area damage it may need a patch. Check out our guide on paddle repair.

Have you tried anything else that has sorted a problem like this? If so make a comment about it below.

1 Comment

  1. Joe

    Had a paddle with water in where the entry source was not clear.

    Drilled a small hole in the centre of the shaft.

    Then used a bike pump to put air in.

    Washing up liquid and water spread over the paddle and look for the bubbles.

    Found a very tiny hole.

    To drain it we put a string into the central hole we drilled and left it with that hanging. Moved it from side to side a couple of times a day.

    It drained out pretty quick.

    Then sealed the holes with resin.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© 2024 Unsponsored

Theme by Anders NorénUp ↑