C-Forum

I'm thinking about getting short solo canoe. I'm more of a river-runner than a playboater, but I want to be able to do creeky runs like I see in all cool ALF videos. In fact, I'd like to attend ALF next year. I'm sold on composite boats being able to handle rocky runs, and I love the light-weight (p...

American Whitewater has been able to secure a release from Schaghticoke Dam for the Hoosic River (NY). The release will be April 22 from 1pm to 4pm. We need a good turnout to ensure the releases continue; with a big enough turnout we may be able to get multiple releases next year. The Upper Gorge at...

It's OK, you can laugh. I do a lot of downriver racing. I have both a tandem and solo rec and racing canoes. However, some of the bigger races we do have Coleman and Aluminum classes. Now there are aluminum canoes designed for racing, and there is even an aluminum canoe Nationals. However, I'm prett...

I just snagged a Jensen C1W on Craigslist (that's a 16' 6" downriver solo racer). It's a 1991, but it looks new. It's the heavier gel-coat layup, which is still only 45 pounds (that's spec; it feels quite a bit lighter). It does lack a few items that are preferable for downriver racing: bow deck, sp...

I have found something that I think will work for us. Now I'm just hoping it will arrive in time for the ACA Downriver Nationals, and that we don't crash and burn trying to paddle it. For what it's worth, I will say that my search leads me to believe there is a market out there for a downriver racin...

Yet more Downriver Racing boat questions. Has anyone had any experience paddling a Savage River Susquehanna in significant whitewater (Class II+). Rivers like the Nantahala (Gorge), Deerfield (Fife Brook), or Lehigh (Upper). Savage River can increase its depth by an inch. The extra inch of depth wou...

Does anyone know anything about this boat as a potential downriver racer? It was only made for a couple of years (introduced around 1999). It's looks like it should be fairly fast (though it's a bit wider than it needs to be for its length). I'm wondering about it's maneuverability. It doesn't have ...

I'm planning to purchase some fabric to have on hand for potential boat repairs. I just inherited a Millbrook Flashback that I'm sure at some point will require some repairs. I also have a Royalex Penobscot that we race and is, as a result, "More machine than man" in a few places. I'm wondering what...

I know the whitewater side of the sport is currently dominated by short plastic boats, but I am actually in the market for the exact opposite: a good tandem whitewater racing canoe. That means something in the 18' range, composite, and relatively lightweight. Examples include (without limitation) th...

I wonder if anyone has any experience racing a Wenonah canoe using the Kevlar ultra-lite layup, particularly in rocky rivers. I came across an ad on Craigslist for a Sundowner with this layup. The Royalex Sundowner is the boat of choice for tandem downriver racers. It's fast, tough, and light for a ...

OK, I'm revisiting this. Based on the good advice presented here - which I most ignored before discovering it was correct - I'm thinking of ditching the front flotation bag and putting solid foam up front and then using an adjustable marathon style footbrace (or just having her put her feet on the f...

I have added 3469 new race results to my canoe racing database. As always, you can view it at http://paddlestats.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Almost all of these are from the three long-running downriver races of Eastern Ontario: Credit River, Raisin River, and Upper Jock River...

Did the Red Mo race happen on Sunday? I haven't seen anything one way or the other. I hope so; it's one of the longest running downriver races in North America.

What is the fun in using a simple, cheap, effective solution when you can over-engineer the problem? Kidding aside, I was contemplating whether replacing the front airbag with solid foam was a better option. Is the best approach to fill the whole front cavity under the deck or to build a bulkhead. A...

Just to show what a good dad I am, I'm not just worried about my daughter's feet (see my post on a bow foot brace). She needs paddling gloves. As I mentioned, she's 9, and her hands are short but seem to be wider than is typical. We tried XS NRS Women's HydroSkin Gloves. They were really tight on th...