Canoeable? I think so...

FullGnarlzOC · Post by **FullGnarlzOC** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:37 pm

http://vimeo.com/18058696

it's not technical. You dont have to worry about being dry to get to the kicker....and it looks like it all goes... So what's going to be the effect on the boat as you drop that high and fast? more so...the outfitting.

...I mean...that looks big on camera....its gotta be HUGE.

Do you think you can take a bigger hit on ur knees, or on ur butt? I feel like ur knees would give you more leway, and less spinal compression

Post by **PAC** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:43 pm

Not with my back, boat or brain! Just say'n!

FullGnarlzOC · Post by **FullGnarlzOC** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 8:17 pm

Alright. Alright. Take away the wife. take away the kids... take away anything other than 'what matters'....Put urself in that situation...

Theres something to be said about someone that can fire up a drop like that....knowing that a 'mis-run' is going to be deadly at best.

..."Yeah...If I mess this up...Im dead...but in all seriousness....I GOT THIS"

Anyways...back to the Canoe... How well is a canoe going to plug something that high up.... Between me dooley eli james....i think we've all knocked down that 30-40fter range....But has anyone else messed around with higher lately? not since the 'compression falls' incident?

Dooley where ya at? What do you think? 50fter-60ft freefall in a canoe... margin of error too small to get the boat to pencil in? ...we gotta find out

ESP · Post by **ESP** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:02 pm

If you're for real I think it could be done with the right preparation. Oviously you need to be right on line. There doesn't seem to be much margin for error left or right. If you are on line the boat will land nearly vertical. To increase the chances of not getting hurt you need to improve your bulkhead outfitting. Everything has to fit perfectly an tight because the foam will compress on impact. I think you need foam blocks in front of the knees to protect the knees and help to keep you from being jammed forward. The walls of the boat have to be foamed out to offer some protection if you get a little sideways. You might also consider hip pads. The thwarts need to be covered to provide a cushion on impact as well. Outfit similar to the Smurfwarriors L'edge but with padding in front of the knees and on the thwarts. Next say a good prayer and go for it.

bobthepainter · Post by **bobthepainter** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:34 pm

depends on how bad you hit that boof kicker @117 looked like it kicked him off to the side and out

Dooleyoc-1 · Post by **Dooleyoc-1** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:45 pm

I think it's "possible" to do that drop in a canoe but I think the margin for error is too thin and the chance of getting seriously injured would be too high for me to run that drop. However, I do have some slightly less massive drops that I'm hoping to run in 2011...

Bill M · Post by **Bill M** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:46 pm

I saw 3 corrections he made from top to bottom including the one just above landing when he got it vertical. The top 2 could be interesting. Course if you have the line....
Bill

Cheeks · Post by **Cheeks** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:49 pm

OK, bear with me cuz I ain't no physics major, but...

At some point, won't the higher volume canoe serve as a major obstacle? When Tyler Bradt ran Palouse Falls, he estimates that he went 20 feet underwater. In a canoe, the higher volume wouldn't allow you get as deep. Therefore, since the distance in which you decelerating is shorter, the shock will be more. Higher shock equals much more risk of death or serious injury.

I'm sure as the sport advances, these and many more obstacles will be tackled, but that's one that I've thought about.

RodeoClown · Post by **RodeoClown** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:55 pm

Theoretically, yes, a person could run that in a canoe.

Realistically, no. People have looked at that drop for decades. It was the kind of thing people talked about around campfires in the Durango area. But no one ran it until Pat ran it this past spring, and despite the fact that there were lots of big name paddlers running around Colorado at that time, no one else fired it up. There aren't very many people in the paddling world who are on the same level as Pat in terms of the combination of talent, skill, experience, and just enough recklessness to get things like that done. Honestly, I don't think there's anyone in the canoe world on that level right now.

Speaking of other theoreticals and running bigger drops, it's the old cliche, "it's not the fall, its the sudden stop at the bottom." The problem with a canoe is that boats with a lot of volume and rocker in the bow (pretty much all traditional canoes) tend to flatten out when they hit the pool at the bottom. Basically the bow stops, while the rest of the boat keeps falling, so even if you try to plug at a high degree, you might end up landing flat anyway. I think there are ways to overcome this with additional momentum, but I need to test out those theories on some medium-large drops. The upside is that I think that canoes are more forgiving to landing flat (big pad under you butt, the ability to tuck farther forward so you don't take it to the spine, and a big airbag (just like in a car crash!) instead of a hard deck to whiplash into. I think 60ft is probably in the realm of possibility, given the right drop.

Todhunter · Post by **Todhunter** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:08 pm

What is the current record for open boat?

dafriend · Post by **dafriend** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:23 pm

Here's food for thought. I'm not great at math but it would seem that on a 60ft falls you be going somewhere close to 40mph. Outfit accordingly.

Alden · Post by **Alden** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:38 pm

Wow, that is big!

Jeremy, had guys run that second drop right below the big one previously? It looked pretty fun in the video.

Alden

2opnboat1 · Post by **2opnboat1** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:39 pm

When I lived out in CO i looked at this drop all the time It will go but not by me. To much chance for full F-up. If you are off line just a little or take on to much water you are going to crash and prob go spend some time in the Hospital (if you are lucky). Some drops that go are not worth the pain.

RodeoClown · Post by **RodeoClown** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:34 pm

Alden, I've never actually looked at it. G Dalton didn't seem to want much to do with it, and that was good enough for me.

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:58 pm

In an open boat, I'm afraid that falls would be sure injury. And I wouldn't really want anyone to try to prove me wrong.