some hints on stopping damage on board rails from paddle I;ve tried different types tape with limited success

pshannam said...

some hints on stopping damage on board rails from paddle I;ve tried different types tape with limited success

What paddle are you using?

DJ

there are 2 things that i have used, "super ding tape" if you do an inet search you will come up with it, works well, its a clear thick poly tape and also you can get "paddle guard" you will find this on ebay from the usa, its a rubber moulding that glues to the edge of your paddle, this also protects your paddle if you are paddling over oyster beds or a rocky bottom.

For the "weekend waterman" like myself try a white rubber moulding (you'll know the profile when you see it) from Clark Rubber that you buy by the metre. I used Araldite (or similar) and I have no paddle dings at all on my board.

cheers froggo

Taping your paddle is essential. All it takes is a clumsy wipeout or dropping it in the car park and your $600 carbon fibre paddle blade has a nasty chunk out of it.

Standard electrical tape is fine. If you do it right it won't come off and it is dead easy to renew it. Just put a neatly applied layer around the rail and then run a wrap about 20-30 cm up the shaft.

Not sure about chips along the rail. There was talk about some dud batches of boards coming out a couple of years ago before they worked out the resin formulation for rails. Most modern boards barely chip at all. I have never had a rail chip ever. It's not from skill. In a fit of frustration (first time on a short board in chop) I gave the board a thorough beating. I felt better and there were only black marks on the board. They polished out easily.

Thanks guy very helpfull imfomationcheers

Bunnings has CLEAR WATERPROOF Duct tape ... at about $3:50 a rail its worth it ..

What board are you on ? You could just have really brittle paint.