Was hoping someone may able to help here.
Whilst paddling this morning I noticed that my adjustable paddle became jammed (seemed as if sand or similar got stuck ). It is now permanently at half a shaka above head height.
This afternoon I went to inspect paddle expecting that after drying it might come free but no luck . Any ideas on how to resolve ? I have tried WD 40 and even tried heating up with hair dryer but no luck.
It is a Starboard Hybrid Tiki Tec Hybrid Enduro paddle.
Not sure you could heat the carbon paddle to a high enough temperature, try some grease, push it in the ends and then try and twist it. When I was in scouts we got a guy's hand out of a drain pipe using grease. You could also try suncream. WD 40 works with metal, you are dealing with glass and carbon.
You could try an F1 forum I am sure they get carbon bits stuck together.
pump.
You want to shrink the inside and expand the outside.
You want lubrication. Try actual lube also its slppery.
I'd try soaking it in water overnight and then get someone on each end and twist..
Some elbow grease might be needed..
+1 Tardy.
Its sand that is stuck in the paddle that is probably causing the seal. DJ just reminded me of something. Give it a shot with a gerney or pressure washer. Make sure you flush out the inside as well.
Give the car a once over while you are at it.
Often unstick two piece carbon WSurfing masts, because they get sand in the ferrule.
Before it dries, place the mast ends between two soft surfaces that allows you to flex it back and forth in every direction. As you do this, you can see water oozing and very slight motions where the pieces join. The flexing breaks the "sticking, stuck, frozen" sand jammed in the narrow joint, which then allows it to be twisted free.
If it dries too much you might need to blast it with water as suggested and/or soak it first. Sometimes, masts get so stuck that the force required exceeds the tolerance of the carbon, and they snap. In the future, make sure the sand is purged regularly.
Assumes there is a nondestructive way to flex the adjustable shaft of the paddle.
It is a good practice to unlock, twist and pull the handle up, after EVERY use.
Adjustable's will lock up quickly, if not opened often. Nature of the beast.
Thanks for the tips everyone. Been soaking paddle overnight in my father in laws old barrel. Lets see how I go
I also have a lot experience with this with windsurfing masts
What worked well is keeping a spare wishbone in the van, and just clamping the wishbones below and above the stuck junction and using the leverage of the boom arms to "unscrew" the stuck parts by rotation.
I had two adjustable paddles that "stuck" together. Tried pouring hot water down one and cooling the other. Didn't work. I even drilled a hole in one end and tried screwing it out. That just made the hole bigger lol. What actually worked was putting the paddle end in a crack, in my deck, and twisted the handle end out. The second paddle was a breeze after figuring it out the first time.
