Shorten a Paddle

How to Shorten a Canoe Paddle

Follow this procedure to shorten your canoe paddle.

Measure your Canoe paddle and decide how much to shorten it. Write down the length you want to remove.
Measure down the shaft from the point where the grip and shaft meet the distance you wrote down above. This is the point where you will cut the shaft.
Wrap tape (e.g., duct/ cellophane/ masking) around the shaft to cover the area where you will make your cut. Be sure to position the tape so you can make your cut in the middle of the tape to prevent splintering.
Measure again. Put a pencil mark on the tape at the point where you need to cut.
Cut straight across the shaft using by using a fine-toothed saw blade.
Remove the shaft from the grip neck. Be careful not to remove any carbon material from the grip neck.
Remove old glue by sanding or filing.
Lightly sand the inside of the shaft, reaching down about 1-2 inches. Taper the inside top of the shaft in a funnel-like fashion, so the shaft is thinnest closest to your cut edge.
Clean the sanded material out of the shaft.
Cover the portion of the grip that will be inserted in the shaft with an epoxy glue. Devcon 5-Minute Epoxy works well. Insert the grip into the shaft and push it in firmly.
Wipe off excess glue. Line the grip up with the blade.
Allow the glue to dry before using it. If you need new grips, you can purchase them from ZRE or any ZRE Service Center.