Yakgrips for Take Apart Paddles

20 years ago when I started paddling, I was much younger. 15 years ago I had some surgery on my foot which changed my life forever. I was a very active hiker and cross country skier, as well as kayaker. After trying for many years to go back to hiking and cross country skiing, I realized I was not going to be able to participate in those sports. Seven years ago I noticed some changes in my hands that were making it difficult to grasp the kayak paddle. I thought to myself that this might be the end of paddling as well. I would not let this end my paddling! I tried paddling gloves, but I ended up with blisters at the end of my fingers. Then I found yak grips! I saw a huge improvement in comfort and the ability to hold my paddle easier. I have been using yakgrips for five years, and have introduced many other people to them. In the 20 years that I’ve been paddling, there has been a huge boom in the amount of people who paddle, partly due to more recreational kayaks on the market. Yakgrips are a great solution for arthritis and other hand ailments. Thank you for keeping me (and probably others) in my boat!

The next and far greater issue was that once a little water got around the grips on the paddle shaft they began sliding around. I found myself spending more time readjusting the grips than I did paddling. About 15 minutes into this bothersome nonsense I removed the grips and went back to a bare paddle shaft. I discarded the grips at the end of the paddle and have absolutely no plans to try them again. If your paddle shaft never gets wet these might be for you, but they most certainly aren't for me.

I bought four: two of each style (split shaft and solid shaft) they seem to work as advertised. Everyone who has used them has liked them. I'd recommend the solid shaft model because the Velcro closure allows one to put it on directly rather than taking things apart rand trying to slip the pad down the shaft. Also, if you have a paddle that splits and allows you to set the feathering to a wide range of settings, you won't be able to slip the split paddle model on one of the shafts.

They slip onto the paddle shaft after you wet it (hard to get all the way on the right, wider shaft end) and stay in place until the rubber wears out. I saw a review on Amazon that said they slip; when new, mine barely move at all on the shaft.

I find these help with paddling comfort, which reduces fatigue. If you have large hands they are especially helpful. My fingers no longer wrap way around the paddle shaft, making finger release on the forward stroke easier. I tried paddling gloves for a few excursions, but prefer YG's.
I highly recommend this for kayaking.