Whether it’s the board slipping out of your numb hands, sliding over sodden ground or an icy car park, winter ups the odds for a dumb ding. Don’t let it ruin your day by making sure you have some quick setting epoxy resin or two part putty – most DIY/hardware shops, motor factors or big supermarkets sell them. For a temporary repair, one with a quick cure time is fine but be mindful of the cure temperature that could mean you’ll need to pre warm the resin in your car before use. If you need to go MacGyver, the wooden stirring spoons at coffee stops are great for mixing resin, duct tape for masking off the area, cling film or foil for moulding the resin flush and the disposable gloves at petrol pumps let you have resin free hands.
The weak points for paddles are where the handle and blade meet the shaft. As a save all, belt and braces in the event of resin failure, wrap some duct tape round the seams at these points so you have something that can at least get you home or save you losing either part.
Winter sessions can make it harder to spot your paddle when you lose it in the surf; I like to put some bright coloured tape on my paddles to help it stand out. In case you didn’t know, yellow is the most visible of all the colours, and the first the human eye notices; that’s why hazardous material symbols are yellow and black – so if you’re trying to pick a colour, go for the bumble bee, yellow and black look!
