Werner paddles: modifying the release button

At http://www.wernerpaddles.com/ferrule.php
Werner says: We have redesigned our Adjustable Ferrule to make it even better! The NEW low profile button looks and feels like a one piece paddle. The button is flush with the shaft preventing snagging or unintended release.

I guess Werner has listened to their customers' feedback. If you like to have your paddle as a two piece job (for easier transport and for storing it on the deck of the kayak) you might have had the occasional odd incident where the paddle came apart in the heat of the battle (surf zone).
This hick up never happened to me but to some of my paddling buddies.

Werner has changed the release button on the new 2009 paddles but it is offering a retrofit solution for the older style button that protrudes from the shaft.
You can order for free a little rubber booth that will cover the button and prevent accidental release of the paddle.

booth installed (not needed here: button shaved already)
For ordering the part email: info.y07@wernerpaddles.com and they will pop one in the mail for you in no time.

I installed the rubber booth but was not totally satisfied with the result.
The paddle now had a big bump on the shaft.
Greg Schwarz, the eternal tinkerer, has showed me a better solution: shave the button.
The idea did come to mind but I was afraid to ruin the ferrule system.
Greg shaved the button and it worked.
He warned me to be careful and shave off only what the button will allow.
For some reason not all release buttons are the same.
Of the 3 Werner paddles that I have shaved, one had a shallow shoulder and care had to be taken not to reduce the button too much and ruin the part.
The button contains a spring that holds the catch mechanism in place.
If the button is shaved too much the spring might be exposed and pop out and ruin the mechanism.


I shaved the button progressively until I came close to the spring but still leaving enough material to keep the spring in place.
I used a Dremel® tool to shave the button until flush.
I have now two Werner paddles that have the button flush with the shaft.
On one paddle the button did not have enough shoulder (the spring was going to pop out).
For the one that the button still protrudes, I shaved the rubber booth and reduced the “bump” .
While shaving the button is a better solution than just installing the booth I am sure it is not endorsed by Werner.
Hack away at your own risk.

Customer service and loyalty

I often wonder why people are loyal to a brand or product.
What is it that makes them support a brand large or small?
Why would anybody praise a product?

I do understand a sponsored individual that has been paid to endorse or use a particular brand but why would an individual that has parted his/her hard earned cash to actually purchase a product than go about advertising for the company for free?
I am probably just as guilty as a lot of folk out there.
I label my products, I let people know what I use and often defend the brand if somebody seems to be rubbishing it publicly.

So why am I driven to do so?
Maybe because I am insecure and I want to convince myself that my choice was the right one and I want others to know that I have not done a mistake?
Maybe because I want to boast that I can afford those items and make myself feel superior in owning them?
Or is it something more profound that is deep in our complex human behavior?...

I took stock of the brands that I believe in and that I have been endorsing.
There are several but certainly not all.
I have a lot of gear. Really, a lot.
Accumulated throughout the years of backpacking, mountain biking and now sea kayaking I have used a lot of products.
I have also tested products and consulted to outdoor gear manufacturers in the past but those are not the companies that necessarily I am loyal to.
So why am I fond of some products and not others?
I guess it does come down to the actual use and the satisfaction of when a product performs well.
Sure, we all like to let our peers know that we have found something that is good.

But it is not always that, it is not always the products that work for us.
It's often for products that did not work out the way we expected.
What? are you nuts?
Let me explain.
After decades of using products it is just a matter of time to come across products that don't work or just fail.
Sometimes is a single unit that had a manufacturing glitch, sometimes is a design flaw for a product that was not tested well enough and released onto the market prematurely.
The fundamental thing is: what was the experience of the after sale customer service?
Yes, that's it.

I am usually a loyal endorser of a brand when the company producing the faulty item has come good when things went wrong.
Things go wrong, stuff brakes and things jam and fail.
Often is user error, sometimes is accident but occasionally there really is a fault in the product.

Brian Towell
User error: smashed by huge wave. Werner replaced paddle at cost.
And while some would just say: "this is rubbish, I will never buy it again..." , I believe in warranties.
I usually buy high end products and with it's high price tag I expect a solid warranty.
So when my bike gear, backpack or kayak related item fails (not by accident) I contact the retailer that I purchased it from.
The results are mixed: some retailers are very reasonable and when presented with a genuine warranty claim they will honor it.
Some other retailers are not so good and try to shoe you off to the manufacturer or importer directly.
They just don't want the hassle; after all there is nothing in for them.
But that's where they are wrong.

I personally resent doing business with retailers that will not help you in case of a faulty product that they have sold you.
Admittedly dealing directly with the manufacturer could be faster and better, but that's for me to decide.
So, when I had a positive experience with customer service (and it has not always been about stuff that broke, often is just advice/clarifications) I will undoubtedly praise their products.
Somehow if feels like that a personal relationship has been established with the manufacturer and knowing that they were there for you when I needed them has earned them my trust.

There are currently several retailers and manufacturers that I deal with that understand this subtle psychological factor.
Build a trust with your customer.
And while some operators are fly-by-night affairs others are in for the long run.
A word of advice to the outdoor industry: look after your customer when he has a problem and you will build a long lasting commercial relationship that most certainly will go beyond that initial sale you have generated.
After all most of us have mates and we tend to tell each other our bad or good experiences.
More so in the outdoors: it's a small world...

SHOP: sea kayak paddle park

After reading about some arguments that spare paddles on a sea kayak should be accessible to the paddler while seated in the cockpit I reconsidered my current location of having my paddles strapped to the deck towards the stern of my kayaks.
The paddles were rather secure and have never come off even in the surf but they are not as easily accessible as being in front of me.
The standard configuration of the bungee cords on my kayaks would allow the paddles to be secured on the foredeck however assistance would be needed to reposition them in the event they would be removed while under way, paddling.
The bungee cords don't allow a shaft of a split paddle to be reinserted from the cockpit position.

I have come across some images of custom "paddle parks" of kayaks in the UK but I have never seen such accessories for sale.
Having a closer look at the images I realized that really does not take a rocket scientist to fabricate one of those "exhaust pipes".

A few simple supplies from the local hardware store and an hour later I had my paddle parks ready to install on the deck of my kayak.
I used: 40 mm Ø PVC plumbing tube with 90° elbows glued and cut to lenght. A can of spray flat black paint to make them look good.
Some holes drilled at the base of the tubes are needed for attaching the tubes to the deck bungees. The exact location will depend on the kayak's bungee configuration.

spare split paddle on the foredeck of a SeaBird Designs NorthSea

While looking at images of spare paddle locations I also came across a design where the paddles were kept secure via "tubes" made of fabric.
That idea appealed to me even more than the hard PVC tubes and after a brief design session I came up with this.



The fabric was sourced from a sail making shop (but any heavy duty nylon would probably be OK). The entrance to the tubes is oversized so it's easy to insert the shaft of the paddle while seated in the cockpit. The tubes taper so eventually pinch the paddle shaft and keep the paddle secure.
The soft paddle park has webbing tabs on the edges for securing it to the perimeter lines of the kayak.
I even used some retroreflective fabric for enhanced visibility at night.
Only a long term test on the water will show the pros and cons of the two systems.
Since every kayak deck has different bungees configuration and a different width an exact drawing with dimension is not useful.

Version 3.0 (APR09) allows adjustment for different deck types.
A similar commercially available product appears to be much larger and possibly not as streamlined. Obviously a commercial product has to accommodate for so many different kayak deck styles and some compromise had to be reached.

PS 21JUN: On Douglas Wilcox's blog, Seakayakphoto, I came across a simpler solution than the "exhaust pipes". Doug has used tubes that are attached directly to the perimeter lines

photo: Douglas Wilcox_used with permission
(full rez image here)
He assured me that the paddle shafts don't catch in the waves and that they stay put on deck.


alternative tubes: fishing rod holders (from NSWSKC member)