Hello fellow paddlers,
I got an Option a few months ago and Arizona finally has some water flowing so I got my first decent on some good water. Any constructive critiques on my lack of paddling technique would be appreciated. I have a question on running wave trains because I was taking on more water than I probably should. When running wave trains, where should I point my bow? At first I was hitting them straight and getting a lot of water in my boat. I started changing the angle to 1-2o'clock which seemed to help but not sure if that is the best way. Thanks in advance,
Dave
https://vimeo.com/61596390" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Option boating in AZ
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SkeeterGuy86
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Re: Option boating in AZ
hitting the waves at a slight angle like you stated is what i do when i paddle just about every open boat ive been in
SG86
here in the south east god paddles on the left and that's how he made our rivers ~ oc1paddlr
http://select-kayaks.com/en/paddles/canoe-raft/c1/
here in the south east god paddles on the left and that's how he made our rivers ~ oc1paddlr
http://select-kayaks.com/en/paddles/canoe-raft/c1/
Re: Option boating in AZ
I don’t know your paddling experience, but the video makes it look like you aren’t being aggressive. The most important step to staying dry in a canoe is picking a line and working hard to achieve it.
I hope to be OC2ing the Salt in a couple of weeks if the flow cooperates. I’ve paddled the run three times before.
I hope to be OC2ing the Salt in a couple of weeks if the flow cooperates. I’ve paddled the run three times before.
Re: Option boating in AZ
It is a great technique. I think called wave blocking?SkeeterGuy86 wrote:hitting the waves at a slight angle like you stated is what i do when i paddle just about every open boat ive been in
Hitting the waves at an angle (between 1 and 2 o'clock) helps a lot. It also helps a TON if you lean away from the highest part of the wave as you hit it and brace a little bit on the side you are paddling on if necessary. The side of your boat tilted away from the wave will want to bounce over the wave rather than scoop under it like the bow of most boats.
You will eventually get a feel for how much angle and how much tilt is necessary for different situations.
A nice strong boof stroke while going over a wave is another option. This will help keep your bow up so it will land on the next wave rather than scoop under it.
I hope this helps!
- Dave
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John Coraor
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Re: Option boating in AZ
Choosing where you want to be on the wave makes a difference as well.
There were a couple of shots in the video where you descended chutes that ended in a "V" with a wave at the downstream point and curlers rolling/breaking upstream all along the sides of the "V." In a situation like that, hitting the "V" precisely in the center means that the curlers from both sides break into your boat, filling you with water. Sometimes in that situation you're better off punching the curler along one side of the "V" or the other rather than riding the chute all the way down to where the curlers converge. That can be particularly true if the curlers get bigger as you descend the chute. In those cases, punching through the curler on one side at the top of the chute where it is still relatively weak will often result in a drier run.
John
There were a couple of shots in the video where you descended chutes that ended in a "V" with a wave at the downstream point and curlers rolling/breaking upstream all along the sides of the "V." In a situation like that, hitting the "V" precisely in the center means that the curlers from both sides break into your boat, filling you with water. Sometimes in that situation you're better off punching the curler along one side of the "V" or the other rather than riding the chute all the way down to where the curlers converge. That can be particularly true if the curlers get bigger as you descend the chute. In those cases, punching through the curler on one side at the top of the chute where it is still relatively weak will often result in a drier run.
John