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The best edge protection I've had is ash
Posted by: g2d
on Oct-31-12 10:05 PM (EST)
glued to the edges of my Mitchell slalom paddle. The paddle is now roughly 16 years old. The ash is hard, and tough, and best of all, easily repaired with small amounts of epoxy. (G-flex would be the preferred kind today.) I haven't had to do any repairs.
Ash edging is special order, but it is lighter than Mitchell's glass rope edging, and less likely to crack.
Some use slippery Dynel edging, but the problem for paddle edges isn't frictional wear, it's compression blows, and Dynel really doesn't excel at that.
I've tipped home-made paddles with mixed strands of Kevlar and glass, and epoxy resin. Usually I bring this edging up the paddle sides a few inches. As edging, it's OK, but not as good as ash.
Mahogany marine plywood, used as a paddle blade, absorbs a lot of West epoxy and becomes quite tough. But plywood is not a good material for ww paddles.
Ash. Think about it.