GregofDelaware

Thanks for sharing this!  I gave it a go and it worked great!  

Thanks, good to know, especially the total cost.

A Cetus would be an excellent choice for a first kayak!  And you might just find that it is all you need for you entire kayaking career...

We have Werner Kalliste paddles and a Wind Swift.  Gradually all get tighter fitting, both assembling and disassembling.  We paddle in brackish water.  I could not see or feel anything. 

Last summer I starting making a practice of putting the ferrules in a 5 gallon bucket with tap water after our trips.  I leave them in there for an hour or so, sometimes I forget and they stay in all night.  Then I take them out and put them away, doing nothing else to them.  This seems to have solved the tightness problem.  They now assemble and disassemble like new again.  This suggests to me that it was a build up of salt.

I use this bag when I want my camera easily at hand, but protected from water:

Aleutian Deck Bag™ - Watershed Drybags

This might help, I have not tried it, but plan to at least try the first step in the dryer only:

How to Restore the Durable Water Repellency of Your Raingear | GORE-TEX Brand

Thanks for the follow up on this!  I will give it a try.