C-Forum

What edge do I lean on to turn a certain way, and does it matter if I'm not in a hard-chined boat? (I'm paddling an Outrage)

Here's the visual: I'm looking upstream front-surfing a wave, and it grabs my bow and starts surfing me off the wave to my right. (I don't care which side I'm paddling on - whether I pressure my blade to be a stationary stern draw on the right, or a pry on the left shouldn't matter - other than making the desired lean either more natural or more awkward.) So, in addition to maybe unweighting the bow and letting the boat fall back a touch, which way should I lean the boat in order help swing my bow back (left) onto the wave?

P.

I'll take a stab at it - I typically lean the direction I want to carve. My primitive thinking on this is that is how I lean when I want to turn other times (eddies, peel outs). However, I've also played with leaning the other way at different times and in different boats with varying results - sometimes leaning the other way makes for dynamic direction changes... I think it matters how far off of "12 o'clock" you are.

To be honest, I never was good at recovering a surf when I got turned very far when in an open boat (hard chined or soft). Comparitively, surfing a C-1 is easy... For me it is a combination of length (less boat to move) and a stern that can be sliced into the wave.

In an Outrage,
Lean left to carve left, Lean right to carve right.
But if you let it go to far you're gone.
(usualy to my onside doh!)

Tommy

I think the lean for eddy turns has more to do with the opposing currents, and the inside lean being more stable. But I agree that you could lean either way, depending on how dynamic/abrupt you want the turn (i.e., how much stability you're comfortable sacrificing).

I don't know that it's as simple as "lean left, carve left" though. In my example (surfing right and wanting to go back left), if I'm tilted left, my upstream chine is engaged in the current, so I'd have to push hard enough to overcome that to turn it back left. Whereas if I lift that chine (by leaning downstream and to the outside of my intended turn) it lets the current pass to my hull and makes it easier to swing the bow around. Doesn't that make sense?

Maybe it is the degree to which you remain parallel to the current that's a deciding factor: if you're parallel (12 o'clock), use the natural, inside lean; if you're getting blown off, lean outside to release the upstream chine. The difference between 'controlled surfing/carving' and 'recovery from getting blown off'?

I also agree that getting blown off to the onside seems to be the problem, because that turn requires a draw stroke which seems harder to crank than a pry.

P.

I assume you paddle on the right, so you pry \ when you're veering to the left and you try to switch sides and pry on the left when you veer right.
Try reaching back behind you but instead of prying hold the blade about a foot or so away from the boat (as far back as you can) and open the blade somewhere between 30-45 deg / to pull the stern towards the blade (there will be a lot of resistance) as the stern moves toward the blade it will pull the bow left- Otherwise paddle hard right side possibly needing to sweep to the stern if you've completely came off the wave.

I don't think you need to lean except for balancing once you're surfing.

I guess an Outrage is relativly soft chined. It certainly isn't grabby like my Slasher.
But it will lock onto a carve easily. So if the wave is straight forward without cross currents or other wierdness and if you don't let it go too far from 12 o'clock, it will carve back and forth with a little lean and just a nudge from a pry or draw.
The trick for me is not letting the onside get past that point of no return.
Lean left, carve left. Lean right, carve right.

Tommy

Agreed Tommy. Those seem to be the tricks: subtle moves, close to parallel, and guarding your onside movement.

In control, mid-surf: plane, rely on the blade pressure, and gentle lean left to go left.

Pearling off the wave: you may have to try an outside lean in order to release your upstream chine from the current, especially if you're going off to your onside and need the less-powerful draw.

P.