Water in Werner Cyprus shaft

While putting my paddle away Friday night, I heard water sloshing around in one the of shafts (the one with the button). Closely examined the paddle inside and out and couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary other than two tiny scratches on one blade.

I always store my paddle in two pieces, blade up (after it’s been rinsed inside and out), and thought that maybe overnight the water would drain out. It didn’t; the shaft interior was dry. So this morning I sent an email to Werner then organized my gear to go paddling.

When assembling the paddle, I noticed a bit of water spurted out of the button when I pushed the ferrule not quite all the way in. Disassembled it and tried again with the same result. Same thing the third time. Rather than possibly damaging the ferrule with that technique, I decided to try holding the button down and blowing into the shaft. That worked to the extent I couldn’t hear any water moving around.

Went paddling then checked afterwards for water sounds in the shaft. Silence.

What I don’t understand is how the water got inside. Any ideas?

werner ?


I almost forgot that
I had the same thing happen with my first Shuna, after several years of hard use. The water got in there only after doing many rolls.

Werner replaced the ferrule and I used that paddle several more years. Never had any more water get stuck inside. Call them and ask what to do,

Hoping for an email reply.
I know their customer service is outstanding, but I’ve also read that it can take three weeks for repair/replacement - if that’s necessary.

No way am I giving up my Cyprus for three weeks. Nope. It will have to wait until the lakes ice up here.

This actually happens to me every single time. I figured it was par for the course. I rinse with freshwater after use, store as you describe, but then when I reassemble I get splashed in the face by a few drops. I don’t notice a sloshing sound but everything else is the same. Didn’t (and don’t particularly) think it’s an issue.

Not quite the same
I think what you’re describing is the unevaporated moisture inside the lower shaft housing the ferrule that remains after you’ve rinsed the paddle. If so, the pressure from assembling the paddle would push out that moisture and it’s not an issue.

On the other hand (as in the case with my Cyprus), if you can hear trapped water moving up and down inside the shaft as you rotate the paddle, that IS an issue.

I’m sure it will be resolved; in the interim I’ll just do a sound check after each use.

this is why
most paddlers have a spare paddle.

You assume you may have to send the paddle in. Not necessarily. But if you do, this is why a spare is a good idea. If you like the Werner Cyprus, the Shuna or the Tybee has the same blade in different materials and at lower price points (Cyprus > Shuna > Tybee).

If you are without a spare, call Werner. They may point you to a dealer who can make a demo available.

Or just take it back to where you bought it. A dealer will likely have a demo paddle they can loan you if yours does need to be sent in and the dealer can also facilitate an RA number.

I happen to have both a Werner Cyprus and Tybee. Both have held up extremely well, no issues. I’ve called Werner 2x only to request new ferrule labels for Cyprus, and got them speedily.

I have spares
Three kayaks and four paddles.

The spare I carry is fiberglass, but it weighs 10 ounces more and is 10cm longer, so I’ll stick with the Cyprus.

If it needs to be sent to WA, I’ll wait until November if possible. Unless that shaft continues to get water logged. Hoping to get a better handle on the issue once I hear from Werner.

Werner is nice to work with.
Made contact and Werner wants to inspect the paddle for leakage. I’m in the system and have been assigned an RA#, to be used at my convenience. They know that will be November and are cool with that.

Contacted the outfitter where the paddle was purchased to see if they have a paddle box I can use for shipping. They do, and will hold it for me.

Onward and upward.