Pure Paddles defect?
Not sure what I'm looking at in the picture, circle what your refering to.
Have you called Odie? I'm sure he'd be curious if there was a defect with his paddles.
#1 Tue, 08/07/2012 - 11:37am
Looks to me like the fiberglass is de-laminating from the paddle. I would hit up Odie because I'll bet he will make it right with ya.
#2 Tue, 08/07/2012 - 12:30pm
Mine is getting the same effect, but a it was made with a lighter shade of wood so not as noticeable. About 15 months old
#3 Tue, 08/07/2012 - 12:42pm
O.K. My hands are not on the paddle but I'm gonna say its surface wear ( abrasion ) from use. Nothing more.
JF808,
Putting connotations like this up on a website apparently BEFORE you ever talk to the person who made it is not helping anyone AND causing unwarranted damage to a Small Business's reputation and bottom line..
Most sincerely,
pog
#4 Tue, 08/07/2012 - 2:14pm
Ive had things do this on projects, and seen it happen from the best builders. I could be wrong but that looks like red cedar wood . it has a natural repellent for water and is great for fencing , but Ive seen it kick off epoxy before and polyester easy. also depending on the epoxy used or an after coat like marine varnish could even have reacted to moisture in the air when it was put on the paddle. also Ive see old epoxy crystallize before or too much heat or hardener when applied. I could be totally wrong.
#5 Tue, 08/07/2012 - 8:20pm
my pure blade started doing this as well but just around the edges. i figured it was just from the heat of being in my car all day... i dunno im still a fan of my paddle other than it is fading around the edges
#6 Tue, 08/07/2012 - 10:11pm
have to agree with Onno on this one, ALWAYS contact the builder before you post on an international forum. We work hard to build our businesses and provide for the communities we serve. These kind of posts don't help, with the load most of us have to handle.
#7 Wed, 08/08/2012 - 10:20am
Stoked to say I just ordered my first Pure paddle yesterday from Odie. I paddled my friends a few times and had to have one for myself. Quality paddles and Odie was very knowledgeable and helpful. I agree in contacting the builder. As with anything hand crafted, and there are always chances of enviromental or chemical reactions (if thats the case).
#8 Wed, 08/08/2012 - 11:27am
I have plenty of his blades and they are great. Go to the factory to see them being made and you will understand the quality of Odie's work. His canoes and his paddles are all over SoCal and we all enjoy the quality and workmanship. Pure Canoe & Pure Paddle, git some.
#9 Wed, 08/08/2012 - 12:01pm
"bashing " and "shady"
Pretty strong words ... Neither apropo ..
NOT saying you are bashing anyone ... Titling a post " Pure Paddles Defect " is just not a good thing to do in this scenario.
Believe me, I did read it over and over. Nothing personal either, just a guy standing in his slippas who knows the damage that can be done.
As for my being shady, shoots, anyone who wrote or called to come over to look at it I told them BEFORE they ever got here this was a one off, ultralight board I made for my son, NOT as production or ever intended to be sold. I would ask for weight of intended use and advise if the board was appropriate for weight range or not. Further, I would say the board has a couple spots on it and that I would not sell it until I fixed them myself so I know they were done right. When the person came over I would point to these spots and explain how they got there + include what i would do next time. I have never used the word excellent in describing anything I make. If you are the person I think you are, I know I wrote you and left messages on your phone that I would like to speak with you first so you have a full understanding of this board before making the trip over. Never got a reply. If you are one of the guys in town here, I apologize if you felt you were mislead but I don't think thats the case here as everyone that came over had a soild knowledge of boards, paddles and processes.
That said, you are welcome to call me, or stop by and let me take a look at this thing for you. Please bring a beer and I will fix it for you.
aloha,
pat
#12 Thu, 08/09/2012 - 12:02am
i had a paddle from Odie that i most likely unknowingly screwed up. even though it was potentially my fault, Odie gave me a new paddle no questions asked. his paddles work fine for me and i think Odie puts out a good product. he has always replied to me instantly when i ask him a question about anything. email him. he'll get back to you.
#15 Thu, 08/09/2012 - 9:02am
I've read this post a few times, and some of the replies have been quite - umm - 'passionate' (?).
Why can't we all just get along? :P
For the record - I'm pretty sure I don't know any of the posters personally. I don't own a Pure (I have a Viper NTR - another great paddle), but I have used them, and they are pretty sweet.
If I see 'Pure Paddle Defect?' and 'Pure Paddle Defect.' , I'm seeing 2 totally different statements. The '?' is the key.
If I were jf808, and I forked over $250 or so on a paddle 2 months ago, and noticed what his pic showed, I'd be a little miffed too. Wear and tear after 2 months does not sound right.
It really doesn't sound like he was slagging Pure or Odie, but as a consumer, I would not mind knowing if this was common or not - in addtion to contacting the manufacturer. It's called 'due diligence'. :) Could you imagine if there were numerous replies saying they had the same issue after a few months? I'd be concerned - and who would want to spend that kind of $$$ on a paddle - being a local business or otherwise.
Based on the comments about Odie - it sounds like he's the type of guy that will 'make it right'. I don't think that the comments will hurt the business.
Having said that, I know of probably 15 to 20 teammates that use Pure paddles here in Vancouver - and most seem to love them. If you happen to be at the World Va'a Sprints in Calgary over the next few days, you'll probably see a bunch there too. The product is solid, but when your dealing with wood, glues, and other chemical processes, etc, things happen from time to time.
That's my 2 cents.
#16 Thu, 08/09/2012 - 10:46am
Oh WOW! Hows all the LOVE! Thanks guys!
jf808 and anyone else who might have had or ever might have a problem with any paddle, please feel free to contact us ANY TIME!!! If its something we made I will have it fixed or replaced ASAP! We stand behind our products and our work 100%! If we didn't make it then we will happily help you fix it, or fix it for you! Any make, any model, we are here because of paddlers so we are here for paddlers!
Mahalo for all the support! Love you guys!
-odie
Odie K Sumi
Pure Paddles / Pure Canoes
808.987.3078
[email protected]
#17 Thu, 08/09/2012 - 12:37pm
In the past, inquisitive posts like this has started all kinds of "haka'ka". Wether people meant for it to happen, or not, it happened. That's what we get on a public forum like this so I would take every single comment on OCPaddler with grain of salt. Odie is on it with backing up his products. Heck, if you live in the Kailua - Kona area you could've visited his shop, got info from him, and share it with us as a first hand witness. I'm curious to know what caused it.
#19 Thu, 08/09/2012 - 4:34pm
Sand it, and Re-Coat. Not sure how much you paddle, but for 2 months, must be a lot and don't leave it in the sun.
#20 Sun, 08/12/2012 - 9:32pm
jf808, thanks for your post and pic. I had the same thing happen to a paddle I built and thought I had done something wrong (epoxy mix, insufficient wetout, high humidity...), but this makes me think it might be something to do with westernred cedar. I've never had this problem with any other type of timber. It doesn't appear to be delamination - the paddle is still strong and usable - it just doesn't look too good.
#21 Wed, 08/15/2012 - 3:27pm
Nobody makes perfect products - nobody. It all comes down to how the company handles things when little - or big - issues arise. I have personally purchased 1/2 dozen paddles from odie in the last year - I have a thing for paddles - every paddle has been flawless and he has always gotten back to me quickly. I doubt I will use any other brand any time soon as he is always learning and adapting and changing his product and it seems that he has a real concern for each individual paddler who uses his blades. Mahalo Odie and all the other local guys who are producing top notch paddles here in Hawaii.
#23 Thu, 08/16/2012 - 9:55am
correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm pretty sure Odie is by far the most handsome of all the paddle builders.
#24 Thu, 08/16/2012 - 10:49am
What!!!!!!!!!!! I gotta see a pic of this dude. Word on the canal is Danny Ching is a builder....no way dis brudda better den that guy.
#25 Thu, 08/16/2012 - 12:05pm

Using a Pure canoe paddle, about two months old still brand new. After the first few paddles I started seeing what appears to be sole kind of growth in the resin coating the blade. Does your paddles look like this? Is this normal. There are no Knicks or cracks in the resin coating, but its getting bigger and showing up in more areas. I'm new, and don't know if this is a normal occurance?
Submitted by jf808 on