The Blackfly

[hammerhead]

LOOKS LIKE GREAT BUZZ(get it?) ALREADY, GREAT DESIGN!, HOW DO I GET ONE. HH

[Craig Smerda]

Is it time to start seeing full on air moves in an OC1 on bussy? I think it's going to be an interesting one that's for sure and result in more than a couple of injuries!! I was almost tempted back out of retirement....

Jamie Burbeck

RETIREMENT???... how old are you again Jamie?... I was 35 in OZ and Mark Scriver is like 68 years old or something ridiculous like that... what are you talkin' about? I was thinking about going up there just to shoot video and to watch the potential beatings that might take place... hope we get together to soak a few beers again soon before we both hit the old-folks-home.
Craig

[RodeoClown]

That boat looks really nice. Kinda reminds me a bit of a scaled down version of my cut n shut Spanishfly I used at the Worlds in Oz back in 2005. That thing used to pop on loops and I nearly landed a few but it's hard work that's for sure. Good for cleans though

Is it time to start seeing full on air moves in an OC1 on bussy? I think it's going to be an interesting one that's for sure and result in more than a couple of injuries!! I was almost tempted back out of retirement....

Jamie Burbeck

The design was based off a chopped spanishfly 17" taken out of the middle and 4 inches off the ends- with a better hull, and a few other changes- added an inch to the seam line and a few more inches added to the top to make it legal.

There'll definitely be air moves on Bussy. I've got two words that can pretty much guarantee it: Paul Danks. But really, it's hard NOT to get aerial there. Injuries- maybe, but really most of the good crashes result from the wave breaking over your head- they're surprisingly not that violent (usually...at least in a decked boat...) There are definitely some forceful ejections in the cards. It'll be the show to watch...

In terms of getting one, my plug work is really crude- nothing is symmetric, the lines aren't very clean, etc. If it were even going to go into "production" I'd have a good bit more work to do. I'm thinking i'm going to paddle if this year, figure out what I want to change on it, get some feedback, and if there's interest, and my boat keeps falling apart (seriously, i think ALL the gelcoat is going to come off), I'll go back and clean up the plug. Then I'd have to find someone to build it... It would be cool in plastic, but even with as cold as it's been lately, it's say that has a snowballs chance...

Jeremy

[Jamie@Openplayboater]

Well these days I'm a 24 year old home owner with a job unfortunately. I gave up OC1 last year after coming in 3rd in the Europeans. I was just getting more and more problems with my back all relating to openboating. After winning the Eurocup in 2005 I had to have 3 vertibrae, 2 ribs and the joint where the spine meets the pelvis (both sides) put back in place. I'm now purely just decked boating. I won the C1 selections for the GB team but sadly can't go because of work comitments and a lack of money.

My Spanish Fly had 8" taken out of the middle and 4" on each end. Without major re-shaping that was the best way to keep some hull speed and lose the length. James Weir's boat had 12" taken out the middle and the mighty 'Maggot' done at the Pyranha factory had 24" taken out of the middle. Awesomely slicy but with the hull speed of a run over hedgehog!!!

Glad to see a few new things coming out of the woodwork before the Worlds, it's just like last time

Jamie

[Craig Smerda]

Well these days I'm a 24 year old home owner with a job unfortunately. I gave up OC1 last year after coming in 3rd in the Europeans. I was just getting more and more problems with my back all relating to openboating. After winning the Eurocup in 2005 I had to have 3 vertibrae, 2 ribs and the joint where the spine meets the pelvis (both sides) put back in place. I'm now purely just decked boating. I won the C1 selections for the GB team but sadly can't go because of work comitments and a lack of money.

Jamie

I hear you on the injuries bro!... I had some real rib/stomach injury issues before OZ and created a few more since. Playing in holes in an open canoe can be a "gut-wrenching experience" some times. It sucks gettin' old but we're not dead yet. As for owning a home and having a job... that's life... suck it up and have fun... good for you though. I bought my first home at 22 and it was one of the best financial decisions I made up until that point in my life. Since I saw you last we moved into our new home and Kim gave birth to our first child in August... talk about cutting into paddling time... but hey it's all good... wouldn't change a thing.

[RodeoClown]

OK, you guys are starting to scare me
but really, I thing that trying to boss a big boat around in a hole is a lot more work than on a big wave. I hope. Maybe.

Yeah, the hull speed thing with the chopped spanishflies is an issue- mine would fall off waves while front surfing. Which is why I built this thing. Then again, I basically chopped the spanish fly down as a prototype for this.

Also, I realized that my chopped boat wasn't legal under the new rules- the open depth was too shallow.