C-Forum

Harry Roberts in the old CanoeSport Journal once had an article about 10 canoes that changed the world...got me to thinking about what would the list be like for WW OC's and C Boats?
There's lots of possibilities...the good old aluminum Grummans probably still have more first decents than any...but not enough differences to be on the list. The Mohawk Challenger/Bluehole Sunburst type boat...first smaller solo WW boats, what was the first true playboat?, Frankie Hubbard's Edge...led to the Vipers and Ocoee and on, Nolan Whitesells big water boats, seems like the Encore was a departure of sorts, the CUFly...first flatwater trick capable playboat, the early plastic C-1s, Kaz's cab-forward slalom boats, what about the Squirt boats? and slalom C-1s? The first Royalex playboat, first poly boat? Twintex? Adam's Mentor looks like it might make a future list
It seems like there should be ten trendsetter/difference makers?
What do you think should make the list?
Mike

Mad River M E, Perception HD1, Dagger Encore and one of the plastic open boats. They wouild be on my list.

My first "whitewater" canoe was a Keewaydin KT-17. 17' long! That was in 1976. It was some sort of plastic, not ABS. I believe that Keewaydin made the first plastic canoes in this country. They had a few other models too.
JKaz

Kaz, in the late 70s and early 80s, some sort of sharpish Keewaydins appeared in droves to be raced in the Southeasterns downriver cruising class. I inspected a bunch of them. Always thought they were ABS, but never asked an owner. By the latter 80s I never saw another one.

Anything designed by Frankie Hubbard... for better or worse depending on your viewpoint.

My votes goes to the Max II, the first Lugbill/Hearn slalom C-1, followed by the Batmax, the first slalom C-1 with wings.

Ditto, Jim!

John

Dagger Atom
Frachella Viper

The Atom was the first nimble C-1 in plastic. It offered the opportunity to make stupid moves and know the boat would survive if not the paddler. It is one of the most comfortable boats I've paddled.

The Viper is the next most comfortable C-1 I've been able to fit in. It offers good cruising speed and interesting edges that can be explored by the paddler. I have paddled this boat for 4 years now and I still learn things from it. I might be a slow learner, but that is good.

Jim

In no particular order:

Bluehole OCA
Piranha
Taureau
Prelude
Viper
Flashback
HD1
CUFly
Ocoee
Atom

But what do I know. Sure Kaz has something in there (just not familiar enough with the boats, sorry Kaz ) and the Quake is a fun boat.

boy, i don't know if i would say the atom changed the world...
but it did change MY world. It's the boat that got me out of open boats.

I agree with Bill M. The ME and HD1 were both way ahead of their time, and the OCA was the 4x4 of ww canoes. And yes, Frankie changed the world!

Hahn-Sweet (or Sweet-Hahn) ... I believe the first of the short 'Whitewater' OC1's... it was way before Dagger-Sunburst's and Mohawk-Challengers. It was a true 4meter (13'1.5"+) boat.

This is the boat, that John Sweet made off of the Hahn C1. He raced it in OC1 slalom, not sure of the years. Paddled one for quite some time, that was from a John Sweet mold. Very good boat, especially for the time. There was a separate mold for the sides, that bolted to the bottom mold of the C1, in order to create a OC1. Had that mold for a quite while, although never owned it.

This was the predecessor to boats like the HD1, and Rattler.

And when did the Keo-wee, the boat by Ann Dwyer come out. We use to joke with Frankie, about him re-inventing, when the Skeeter come out.

As for the first on the list , would there be something before a Grumman...

like maybe the 'Chestnut Prospector'...???... in a world of wood and canvas

just a suggestion

The Sweet-Hahn is a decked boat - a Hahn tweaked by John Sweet. There is also a Morrison-Hahn.

The HD-1 is the boat made from a Hahn hull, as I recall.

As for other boats that changed the world, I tend to think of the either really popular (HD-1, Hahn, ME, Gyramax, and many of the Hearn-Lugbill designs), and the "out there" designs...Oxygen and Groove being two of them. I'd also through out the Acrobat, as I think more of us have tried squirt moves (attempting mysteries and the like) in an Acrobat than any other boat.

So far I think we have a pretty good "historical" perspective, but I'll add in two more boats that I've seen really change things within the last few years- the Wheelboy and the Sith (which is still catching on, I think).

Though I do think the Atom is a good design, I think it filled a need of a "new" plastic C1 rather than moving things forward. The Slasher is pretty zippy...

I'd add the Millbrook Reaktor to the mix. Where would we be (in racing) without it and its younger siblings: the Ignitor and the Spark.