brass-tipped padles?

mccloud

"Tiger Rag" back on the tidal Potomac
In Memoriam
Is there a company or individual still making brass-tipped wood paddles? Tom McCloud
 
I have a Mitchell OBWW (open-boat white water) paddle that I picked up at my local outfitters a few years back. It appears to have a metal tip at the end - not copper, but a whiter metal - maybe steel? The blade has a fiberglass sheath and everything was under the varnish (glass & metal tip). It's taken a beating on a couple river trips, so the varnish has been ground off (time to add a few coats!), revealing the metal underneath. The website currently mentions a polyurethane tip, not metal - maybe they switched from metal to synthetic after I bought this.
 

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The main drawback to metal tips is usually the inability to truly seal the holes where they get tacked or riveted on. This is generally not a problem with epoxy or fiberglass tip protectors. If you cut the cloth on a bias (diagonal to the weave) it's also possible to wrap a couple layers of fiberglass cloth (or even Kevlar) in epoxy seamlessly over a paddle tip. The bias cut strips will conform well to corners and other odd shapes and tight bends. Then you can fill the weave texture with plain resin and sand it smooth if desired, and paint it whatever color you want.

prijon-tip.jpg
 
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