Paddle Warranties, Wear and the Recall Record

Two questions are worth asking before a blade cracks mid-stroke: how much life your paddle has left, and whether the maker will stand behind it.

In 2026 Werner, Aqua-Bound, Bending Branches and Old Town each publish a one- or two-year term against defects in material and workmanship. Bending Branches’ current FAQ states a two-year manufacturing warranty, and the three federal recall examples below include the October 2025 Werner notice.

This page summarizes published safety guidance. It is not a substitute for instruction, and conditions on your water may differ. Check the current rules for the state and water you paddle.

Key Takeaways

Werner Paddles covers defects in material and workmanship for one year from purchase in 2026, repairing or replacing at its option, with proof of purchase required and no transfer to a new owner.
Aqua-Bound covers manufacturing defects for two years in 2026, and states outright that improper care may void the warranty.
Bending Branches’ current FAQ guarantees its paddles against manufacturing defects for two years from purchase.
Old Town covers paddles and accessories for one year from purchase in 2026.
Three CPSC recall examples cover two paddles and one inflatable paddleboard: two notices identify drowning hazards and one identifies a puncture or laceration hazard.

How Paddle Warranties Compare Across Makers

When you buy a paddle, the protection you get depends on who made it. The four makers below cover defects in material and workmanship for one to two years, which is the maker’s way of saying “we’ll fix it if we built it wrong.”

Werner covers defects in material and workmanship for one year from purchase. The company will repair or replace the paddle at its option, you must show proof of purchase, and the warranty does not transfer to a new owner, according to Werner, 2026.

Aqua-Bound protects against manufacturing defects for two years, per Aqua-Bound, 2026. Old Town offers one year of coverage on paddles and accessories from the date of purchase, per Old Town, 2026.

Maker	Term	What It Covers
Werner	One year from purchase	Defects in material and workmanship; repair or replace at Werner’s option; proof of purchase required; not transferable
Aqua-Bound	Two years	Manufacturing defects
Bending Branches	Two years from purchase	Manufacturing defects
Old Town	One year from purchase	Paddles and accessories

Source: Werner, Aqua-Bound, Bending Branches and Old Town, 2026

Bending Branches’ current FAQ states a two-year guarantee against manufacturing defects from the date of purchase (Bending Branches, checked 2026).

A few things to have in hand before you start a warranty claim:

Your proof of purchase, since Werner requires it.
Confirmation that you’re the original buyer, because Werner’s coverage does not transfer.
Your purchase date if it is a Bending Branches paddle, because its two-year term runs from that date.
Clear photos of the manufacturing defect, so the maker can decide on repair or replacement.

Your warranty claim starts with the paddle maker, not a government agency. Federal recalls work through a separate system, covered below.

Care Steps That Keep Your Warranty Valid

Werner and Aqua-Bound both publish care steps, and Aqua-Bound states that skipping them can cost you the coverage.

Werner’s FAQ states in 2026 that you should take your paddle apart after every use, then rinse both sides inside and out with fresh water. Store your paddle hanging apart with blades up, and never use a lubricant on your ferrule.

Aqua-Bound’s 2026 instruction is similar. Separate the halves, rinse each piece with clean, fresh water including the ferrule to remove any grit, check that the shaft interior is clear of water and debris, and store the halves apart with blades up to drain.

Aqua-Bound states outright in 2026 that improper care may void your paddle’s warranty.

So the routine after every session looks like this:

Take the paddle apart.
Rinse both halves inside and out with fresh water, ferrule included.
Check that the shaft interior is clear of water and debris.
Hang the halves separately with blades up so they drain.
Skip the lubricant on the ferrule.

Aqua-Bound’s stated 2026 reason for the rinse is to remove grit, and for storing the halves apart, to let them drain.

How to Spot a Broken Kayak Paddle or Worn Canoe Paddle

Your paddle wears out in predictable ways, and learning the signs means you retire it on your schedule instead of the river’s. REI’s 2025 gear-retirement guidance names “broken shafts and blades” as the paddle retirement trigger.

Bending Branches’ 2026 statement tells you to inspect for “major cracks or other blemishes” and ferrules that no longer function. The wear shows up in four forms:

Blade-edge wear and chips along the working surfaces.
Delamination , which is flaking or lifting where the layers of a composite blade start to separate.
Ferrule slop that will not clean out, meaning the connection has loosened beyond what a rinse can fix.
Any shaft crack , which signals structural failure.

REI’s 2025 and Bending Branches’ 2026 triggers are both structural: a break, a crack, a ferrule that no longer works. If it cannot hold together under normal paddling stress, it is done.

Three CPSC Recall Examples

The three examples below show how CPSC notices describe paddle and inflatable-board hazards. They are examples, not a complete count of federal paddlesports recalls.

The first was an Agit Global paddle recall on August 25, 2022, under CPSC designation 22-210. ¹ The second was the Surf 9 inflatable paddleboard recall on December 29, 2022, under CPSC designation 23-082. ² The third was a Werner paddle recall on October 30, 2025, under CPSC designation 26-058. The Surf 9 and Werner notices carried a drowning-hazard classification; the Agit Global notice identified a puncture or laceration hazard.

The Agit Global notice covered about 124,000 paddles sold with stand-up paddleboards. The CPSC reported 19 mid-shaft break reports, including six reports of leg puncture or laceration injuries (CPSC 22-210, August 25, 2022).

Which Werner Paddles Were Recalled

If you own Werner paddles, this is the detail that matters. The recall covers the Stealth and Covert kayak paddle models, both whitewater downriver racing paddles, per the CPSC’s official recall notice (CPSC 26-058, October 30, 2025) and Werner Paddles’ own dealer notice.

About 700 units were sold in the US, and the recall followed 80 consumer reports of the blade breaking at the collar where it meets the shaft. No injuries were reported. The paddles sold for between $470 and $560, according to the recall notice, October 2025.

Knowing the exact models lets you check your own gear in seconds instead of wondering whether “a Werner paddle” means yours.

The Two Sale Windows

The two agencies that oversee these products list different sale windows for the recalled Werner paddles. That small gap can matter if your purchase date sits near the edges.

Agency	Stated Sale Window
Consumer Product Safety Commission	October 2023 to August 2025
Health Canada	February 2024 to September 2025

Say your invoice is dated March 2024. That falls inside both windows. An invoice dated October 2023 would match the CPSC window but sit outside Health Canada’s range. That’s why checking both agency records is worth the extra minute.

What These Three Examples Cover

The examples cover two product categories:

Inflatable boards: 1
Paddles: 2

You can read the full details of all three cases on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall pages. Health Canada also publishes its record for the Werner notice, so you can compare the two agencies’ details yourself.

Why Your Paddle and Your Boat Fall Under Different Agencies

Your paddle and your kayak live in different regulatory worlds, so they show up in different recall files.

Under the Consumer Product Safety Act, boats and recreational vessels sit outside the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s consumer-product jurisdiction. The U.S. Coast Guard holds that authority instead, as the position stands in 2026. The Commission still handles paddlesports accessories such as paddles, floats, hangers, and carts. ³

So your paddle gets tracked one way, and your hull and deck get tracked another.

Boat makers have their own notice rules. Under 46 U.S.C. Chapter 43 and 33 CFR Part 179, they must tell owners about safety defects. Specifically, 33 CFR 179.05 requires a manufacturer to furnish that notice within thirty days after it discovers or acquires information of the defect, as the eCFR text stands in 2026.

In practice, this means two places to look:

Coast Guard boating-safety defect pages for your kayak or canoe.
Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls pages for your paddle, floats, and other accessories.

You don’t have to rely on word of mouth to hear about a recall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission posts all recalls on its own recalls pages and lets you sign up for email and RSS alerts through its newsroom subscription page, 2026.

The Coast Guard keeps boating-safety defect pages with the vessel-side record, and Health Canada publishes its own database, both 2026. These sources let you check records across the United States and Canada.

No verdict here applies to any individual paddle you own. You can check these sources yourself and make your own calls about the gear in your hands.

Putting It Together

In 2026 Werner, Aqua-Bound, Bending Branches and Old Town each publish a one- or two-year term on their paddles, and Werner requires proof of purchase to make a claim.

Under Werner’s 2026 term, the company repairs or replaces a defective paddle at its option during the warranty period. Your part is simple: rinse it, store the halves apart, and skip the lubricant, since Aqua-Bound states in 2026 that improper care may void your coverage.

Wear tells you when to retire a paddle. Watch for blade-edge chips, delamination on composite blades, ferrule slop that won’t clean out, and any shaft crack.

The three CPSC examples include the Agit Global and Werner paddle notices and the Surf 9 inflatable-board notice.

These three notices are public at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Health Canada also publishes its Werner record. Checking the current notices is the one step nobody can do for you. The accessories guides cover paddle materials, shafts and ferrules and care and storage.