C-Forum

what are the real danger of running a clean 12 m drop, i have drop a couple of 20 ft, but look like the next step is 40... as long as i dont land flat, can it be really bad on my back? whats the best angle to land, 45 degree?

btw its the rideau falls,,,

thanks for your opinion.

alex

Yes it can be very, very bad for your back...
If your local hospital has wi-fi, let us know how it feels.
Not sure that double the size should be the next step. I've done a lot of falls in the 15-30 ft range in a c-1 (not an OC-1), and I can tell you there's a big difference in the feeling of landing a 30 footer and landing a 15-20 footer. 30 feet can hurt bad if you land it wrong. At 15-20 feet you still have a pretty big margin for error. Open boats are generally going to have more surface area on the hull and potentially harder hits than a c-1 creek boat if you land flat.
It also depends a lot on the nature of the falls. Deep v-shaped spouts into plunge pools with lots of aeration can feel totally soft and easy, even at great heights. Falls with shallow broad lips (typical of the eastern US) tend to have less aeration and seem to hurt worse on impact.
Another factor to consider is your age. If you're 20, then you can bounce off of things a lot easier than when you're 40 or 50. (But you have to live a lot longer with the consequences if you blow your line and end up breaking your spine.)
My advice would be to step it up slow. Only a few runs on some 20 footers doesn't sound like the experience you want to have under your belt before biting off something that can paralyze you. Learn to control your strokes and timing and angle of entry on these smaller falls first, and get totally dialed in before you go for the bigger ones.
10 years ago I would have told you to go for it, but the more you live, the more you learn...

Er......um.....DEATH!

..I think at that height you're really pushing safety...and I do mean safety...OC-1s or shorter flatwater canoes bring substantial weight and with that...momentum, in comparison to all the lighter kayaks.
With shallow water at the entry point...that's really tough, and any substantial boof as said...seems to possess lots of potential for injury...major shock upward thru spinal column isn't that difficult to imagine....but I still think the safest way is the straight forward entry. There's always less of an impact...except that without a skirt to graduate the momentum's stopping at the waist...somethin's going to happen between our knees and hips, which is the scary part. With bunjied straps, a skirted waist, and padding all around...OC-1's could be a lot kinder on the knees, hips, and sinal column(neck too) than a kayak(legs positioned to oppose upper body momentum = shocks the hips).

$.01

that's not exactly what i had in mind...

I've run thirty foot drops in a OC1 and been fine, while on the other hand have landed too hard off seven foot drops...

can you say stinger: http://www.spine.org/Documents/stingers_2006.pdf

... it's all about knowing what your boat will do, and how to position your body for that drop... some days it's a go, and others no way
(even at the same level)... no one can tell you whether to run a drop or not, it's a personal decision that you have to live with... as for
a 40 footer that one looks like it could be a sweet drop, but at what angle, speed, and body position?

only experience will let you know... and how do you get experience

here... http://cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic.php? ... =waterfall

I've scouted Rideau and seen video of guys running it. I remember thinking it was more like 25 feet. Of course, the river level below changes the height.

Make sure you go when there's plenty of water. And don't get arrested!

Alden

Alden wrote:I've scouted Rideau and seen video of guys running it. I remember thinking it was more like 25 feet. Of course, the river level below changes the height.

Make sure you go when there's plenty of water. And don't get arrested!

Alden

Rideau falls is not Hog's back falls of the rideau river...Hog's back is a fun a friendly 25', no talent required here, just balls and fun !!!

Rideau falls, where it drops in the Ottawa river is a serious 40'.
At high water has a crazy keeper and at low water is not even trickiling down. I used to take tourists in Voyageurs canoes under the falls in the hot summer days to refresh them, and only needing a sponge to dewater the boat...
This would equate(no water coming down) to a sloppy take off and major impact on green water.

There has to be an happy medium here somewhere to have enough water for good penetration at landing and controled take off at the lip without being trashed at the bottom due to recirc.

This is NOT for me though...too risky, too high and I love wrestling with my little one too much to take chances like this

Play safe out there

I've added a link to a pic of the falls at low water

http://www.canajun.com/ottawa/tourism/p ... deaufl.htm