How to secure spare paddles to the deck of a Sea Kayak is a significant issue. Secure enough not to be lost in the conditions that might require the spare paddle, yet accessible enough to be readily retrieved, and perhaps restowed.

A number of solutions have been produced over the years, this design has its roots with Tony Hammock, a level 5 Sea Kayak coach based by the falls of Lora, on the west coast of Scotland. Tony had developed a layout which kept paddles secure through challenges such as the Falls, however readily accessible and, vitally for him, restowable (as a coach Tony could frequently be changing paddles to allow groups to try different paddling styles, and also felt it was an important capability for his own paddling).

Tony's split stash design    Image courtesty Tony Hammock

The question was how to make such a paddle holder economically? Tony's design used plastic plumbing pipe, manually cut, shaped and bonded together. The Outside Engineering solution was to use 3D printing to form 'bridge' pieces to join two lengths of pipe side by side, at the desired spacing and angle. A small selection of bridging pieces allow for assembly at different angles and pipe spacings to suit different deck layouts, and the printed parts incorporate features for securing the paddle holder to the deck lines. A good example of the application of appropriate technology to a simple problem to provide an economically viable solution.

Revised, 3D Printed design   Image courtesy Tony Hammock

The bridge pieces to make your own split stash are available to purchase for £12 plus postage and variations to suit individual requirements can be produced. Contact us for further details.  Tony has also written an excellent article for Ocean Paddler Magazine with more background to the design, and the manufacturing process if you want to make your own.