Need a Bigger Shaft

[Black_Fly]

I’ve been dealing with Trigger Finger, which makes it hard to grip smaller circumference items. Is there a custom shaft diameter, or a diameter option paddle out there?

Surgery might be in the future but not this year, by golly gosh darn.

Thanks
Tony

 

[Alan Gage]

I think they make pills for that.

Alan

 

[ppine]

Your best bet is to make one

 

[Benson Gray]

Is there a custom shaft diameter, or a diameter option paddle out there?

I suspect that some foam pool noodles and / or duct tape could probably solve this issue. Good luck,

Benson

 

[kahel]

A pool noodle would be too soft.
I think a string wrapped around the paddle shaft would work better.
To make the string more stable, I would coat it with epoxy resin and then sand it smooth.

 

[Odyssey]

Leave your paddle alone. Wear a glove. And go from there.
And relax your grip. Take it easy.

 

[Erica]

Somewhere on myccr HOOP_ shows how to wrap a shaft with rope so it makes a firm grip with larger dimension.

From Hoop_ on myccr:
The classic way of wrapping a lower paddle shaft is using the whipping cord technique. The cord is smooth and bump-free since there are no knots. The whip is wrapped and pulled very tight, so it feels good in the hands and does not impede any sliding, and it won’t slip. It completely protects the shaft in the wear area (about 4-6 inches). I used 2mm climbing accessory cord.

Paddle wrap thread

The above might give you more ideas. I can’t find the instructional post he made.

 

[Black_Fly]

Seems like some self-adhering rubber tape? Maybe peelable?

 

[Black_Fly]

Leave your paddle alone. Wear a glove. And go from there.
And relax your grip. Take it easy.

Got more gloves than Jimmy Carter has pills.

 

[Punkinhead]

I've been thinking of wrapping my paddle shaft because my main solo boat has aluminum gunnels and I want to reduce noise. I haven't done it yet but found a couple videos. They focus on the rub area but I don't see why you couldn't extend it higher up the shaft to where you grip it.

 

[Black_Fly]

That looks like something I could accomplish before my hands got all jacked. I’ll give the cordage one a shot. How far up should it extend?

 

[lowangle al]

I think they make pills for that.

Alan

I have problems with trigger thumbs. I had the left one operated on a few years ago, and was scheduled to have my right one done last week but had to cancel. The right thumb had been swollen, sore and immobile (locked up) since early summer and I was looking forward to the surgery.
Mid December I was in the drivers seat of my car and reached around to the back seat to grab a bag of smoked kielbossi and did something to my shoulder (kielbossi shoulder?) I thought it was really messed up because of the pain and weakness. This shoulder has been a problem since a wrestling injury in high school so this has happened before but never so bad.

I have a script for an anti inflammatory that the doc gave me for neck pain a couple years ago. It's called diclofenac sod ec 75mg. Anyway I took it for my shoulder, only two pills twelve hours apart and it "cured" my shoulder. A few days later I also noticed that the swelling in my thumb and related pain and stiffness had subsided to a level that I can live with. So after suffering with thumb pain for six months and having three shots of steroids in that thumb I can only conclude that the diclofenac really helped. It's probably been about a month and the thumb is still doing well.

I'd recommend this anti inflammatory. It doesn't work like Advil or other more common ones. It supposedly works with hormones. My wife has also had good results with it and so has a friend who got a script from his doc. It's not good for your liver but in my experience it doesn't take many pills to get relief. I still have the original bottle from two years ago. I only have a few pills left and should order more to keep on hand. They would be a good thing to take on a trip.

Theoretically a wider shaft may help because you won't have to bend your finger as much. With my thumbs I just figured out how to grab the paddle without using them. If it can be done without thumbs surely you can hold the paddle with one less finger.