Blackfly and L'Edge stuff.. New SL'Edge video :)

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:04 am

The first one (the long one) was the very first ride at that place in the Blackfly. It was just so much fun, much more fun and control than my C1 playboat, although they roll about the same. Normally, catching a backsurf there is super difficult at low water as its not that retentive and its narrow, had the most luck today with that for SOME reason.

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:15 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptbRpjZOAn8

This is the lame version without music, thanks YouTube. :>/

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 2:08 am

People keep telling me they like my silly little vids, so here's another.
Me rolling in the Blackfly. I'm sure my technique is not perfect, so please don't think I'm trying to show you how to do it.

http://www.vimeo.com/15826039

MrTgrips · Post by **MrTgrips** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 2:48 pm

Nice roll!
Looks like the makings of a good squirt spot in the background? Where was that shot?

ian123 · Post by **ian123** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 2:56 pm

Technique looks good to me. Considerably better than most imo.

kanur · Post by **kanur** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 3:03 pm

Man that Black Fly looks like fun.
And here I thought I was done buying boats after getting the L'Edge.

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:18 pm

Thanks! That was taken at the Green River Play Park in Green River Wyoming. The Blackfly is a super fun boat, surfs like a dream.

Here's a little vid of me doing a first Canoe descent of 6th Water Creek in UT. We have a yearly Halloween Huckfest, so that should explain the mask on my helmet. Its a manky little park and huck about a 1/2 mile with drop after drop... to include a tiered 35'er called 'Unborn Soul', and a bunch in the 10-15' range. The first in the vid is a 5' into a slide into a 15'er. Firing this up was my goal this year after getting back into the OC1 in Dec. The Ledge was awesome, skipped on the landings and was surprisingly dry. In a kayak, I submerge completely on quite a few of these drops. The bow submerged only once (ok, maybe twice)

in the Ledge. What a great boat!

http://www.vimeo.com/15926975

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:37 pm

Here is a video I took of the Huckfest while hanging from a rope on the side of the cliff... gives a good perspective to the top 1/2 of the run. Just silly fun.

http://www.vimeo.com/15928096

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:39 am

and a pic of Unborn Soul

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:41 pm

Posted in another thread, but to keep all my Blackfly ramblings together...

One of the cool 'things' about the Blackfly is how Jeremy mounted the footpegs using leftover plastic from the hull. It made it easy to mount the Tsunami by drilling holes in the end of the plastic and zip tieing the pump and battery together and then to the boat. Here's a pic.

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Mon Nov 01, 2010 4:18 am

Did another first canoe D today, ran Lower Sixth Water Creek, a steep tight technical and continuous Class 4/4+ and was easily the hardest thing I've done to date in an OC. No rolls, two hail Mary low braces and only about 2" of water in the boat. I can't say enough about how this boat is allowing me to step it up.. so confidence inspiring its just silly, feels like cheating at times.

The mile hike in did give me a very interesting thought.... To hire some workers standing around at Home Depot to carry that boat for me.

My own personal Sherpas.

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:03 pm

BlackFly CreekCaps!! I paddle year round and it gets cold.

I made these to help keep the influx of water to a minimum while playboating and so that I could use it in some steep low flow creeks around here while staying a bit drier. I paddled with some prototypes for awhile and they really worked. This is my final edition.

Post by **PAC** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:22 pm

Nice work... what material did you use and how was it to work up?

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:29 pm

I used .08 kydex. I used to make pistol holsters and knife sheaths, so I had some experience with that material. It takes three 12x24" sheets of kydex and ten rivets to make them. Total cost around $60. Although you can't see it, I edged the kydex with a thin strip of Gorilla Tape around the main sections to create a bit of a seal. (man that stuff is great). Not totally waterproof but with the pressure from the airbags it sealed up nicely.

It heats up quickly with a heat gun set at around 750 deg and cools quick enough to allow hand setting of the bends.

Smurfwarrior · Post by **Smurfwarrior** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:36 pm

The reason for the five rivets is that my kydex supplier doesn't have anything wider than 12" so I had to piece it together a bit. Just in case you wondered.

I'll probably put some elastic cord between a couple of the rivets on the rear to tuck a throw rope under.