C-Forum

I like my t-grip hand to be about the level of my forehead when the paddle blade is fully submerged during the stroke. I find this is a length that gives me good leverage, but is not too long.

I will be paddling OC1 tomorrow in the Potomac Whitewater Racing Center's slalom race on the Feeder Canal outside Washington, D.C. We generally only have one or two open boats in the Potomac Whitewater Racing Center events, but more would be welcome. It is true, however, that the courses are set wit...

I have an old 4-meter Fanatic II that gets very little use these days. I would like to sell it, but I think it might be too small for someone weighing about 200 pounds. I only weigh 175.

Matt:

The "kayaker" in the pictures is Jessica Fox, who paddles both K1 and C1. The author of the article probably does not know the difference between the two, so the article refers to her as a kayaker and to her boat as a kayak, even though she is in a C1 in the pictures.

Jeff

Here is another question I forgot to ask. My boats tend to live outside, so I am wondering about cold-cracking due to the Spark's wooden gunwhales. Has anyone in the mid-Atlantic ever had a problem with cold-cracking with wooden gunwhales?

I am thinking about giving myself a new boat for my birthday this year, and I think that an Esquif Spark fits the bill. I live just outside of Washington, DC, and most of my paddling consists of slalom gates in the Feeder Canal and attainment in the Mather Gorge. My OC1 currently is a Mohawk Viper 1...

I like my Mitchell with wood shaft and carbon blade.

I don't recognize your boat, but I didn't get into slalom until 2008, and, as you know, the Fanatic II was outdated by then.

I have a Fanatic II that I would be willing to sell. I rarely paddle it since I got a newer, shorter slalom C1. It has a lot of patches, and it leaks a bit, so I would not describe it as good condition, but it still floats.

Actually, the US has secured a spot in all of the slalom classes for the Olympics. Based on good results obtained by US paddlers at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Pan American Championships, the US is permitted to enter one boat per class in men's K1, women's K1, men's C1 and men's C2 at ...

Is there anyone that has an Outrage in the Washington, D.C. area that would be willing to permit me to try it? I have been paddling a Mohawk Viper 12 for a few years. It is an older boat, and I am starting to think about perhaps replacing it. The Viper is the only open boat that I have paddled, and ...

I need to replace some worn out bad cage lacing on a Mohawk Viper 12. How much cord should I order to replace the lacing on both the front and back of the boat? I don't have the boat with me, so I cannot measure myself. Thanks.

Thanks for the responses.

I will try hitting the waves at the bottom of the drop with more boat angle next time. Last time, I was trying to hit different parts of the wave, but I think my boat was pretty straight in line with the current each time.

As philcanoe said, the C1W class has only existed for a few years. In my opinion, the quality of the C1W class has been increasing each year, as one would expect as more women take up C1 and gain more experience with it. I am no expert, but I predict that, in a few more years, the differential betwe...

I took my Mokawk Viper 12 to ASCI last weekend. It was my second time paddling OC1 on the ASCI course. I feel like I handled the top of the course well, but I was unable to run the first and second drops after the top of the course with a dry line. I tried the center, the right, and the left sides, ...