Hey, guys, I have covered a WRC Greenland paddle with some of Soller Composites' CF/FG biaxial braid sleeve. This was to fix a break, and give some more substance to a very flexy paddle.

I'm not so happy with my results. I used heat shrink tubing, probably my West Systems epoxy was not slow cure enough to handle the blast of heat, and now I've got cosmetic issues. It's also a little heavier than I thought it would be, mainly from medium weight sleeve and not enough control over epoxy wet out.

The paddle is ok, paddles fine, doesn't feel icky, just looks icky.

I have 2 choices 1) Sand, finish coat, and just go paddle and 2) Strip off what I've done and start again with lighter weight sleeve, and use more exacting methods of wet-out and squeegee to better control appearance.

If you all think I could spend an hour or so with a heat gun, sharp scissors and pliers, and pull that old sleeve off, I will do so. (Note I have not done any fill or finish coats of epoxy yet.) Or, should I just suck it up and paddle the thing?

Further, I think Soller's 3:1 heat shrink tubing is a good product, and would work well for a uniform shape shaft. I'm not sure that it's the best for Greenland paddle shapes, and I kinda expected it wouldn't do as well on the flatter portions of the blades.

Thanks for your opinions,
Brian