Old school C1

[Sir Adam]

Old school C1
by Nate Nate

I've borrowed a mid-seventies homemade C1 from a friend, (I believe that it was a euro mold from around that time period). My boating experience to date has all been in the WW canoe scene so I thought that this might make for a nice transition. However, I'm having some major problems with the handling of this boat. It seems to pull pretty substantially to one side making it extremely difficult to paddle on the side that exentuates the 'pull'. At first I thought that it was the wind, then I thought that it was just conditions that I was in, but I've been out several times now and seem to experience the same thing each time. Is it possible that the boat is crooked? Could I just be leaning more to one side having gotten used to WW canoes that aren't so sensitive to "the lean"? How do I tell the difference and/or figure this out? The boat is in quite nice shape and I'd like to start paddling it on a regular basis. Any suggestions that don't cost money?

Nate

Posted on Sep 9, 2002, 12:05 PM


Re: Old school C1
by Bop P

I've paddled a few of the older boats but never noticed any special sensitivity to lean. The worst(or best) boats are the newer flat-bottom-with-rails hulls. I suspect that your hull is basically asymmetric. To check, consciously lean to each side and notice the reaction during glide.

Posted on Sep 9, 2002, 3:46 PM

Will you be true, even if I have no more money?
by Wobbly Boat Trader

A couple of things come to mind; none of them are particularly astute, but certainly cheap.

You bet...some molds made crooked boats in those days. Some still do. Almost all the available molds for homebuilders were hand made, and the more experienced amateur builders did most of the mold making. If the plug were out of kilter, then the mold, and the boats made from that mold, would be too.

Even if the plug were flawless, the molds would often warp during use or while in storage. Subsequent boats from such molds would contain the warp.

Since your borrowed boat is homemade, the original builder may not have been highly talented. That can easily lead to alignment/shape problems during assembly.

You could ask a very experienced C-boater to paddle it around and see if it gives him the same difficulty. You could set it in some flat, quiet water (while the boat is empty) and see if it lists to one side. Turn it upside down and eyeball the hull from end to end. Is it the same shape on both sides of the keel line? Give the empty boat a gentle shove through the quiet water and see how it glides. Get in it and ask someone else to look and see if you are riding trim (bow to stern) or are listing to one side.

After doing all this, you will have a pretty good idea whether the boat hull is true or not. If not, there is nothing you can do to correct the problem. A misaligned boat does not paddle well, in any direction, or at any speed.

Even if it appears to be a true hull, the bottom line is: if the boat is a hassle for you to paddle, why be bothered? Find another boat you can enjoy.

Posted on Sep 11, 2002, 10:34 PM