C-Forum

Having moved a year ago from the BC Interior to Vancouver Island, I recently tagged along with a bunch of young kayakers to sample the ocean surf at Tofino. I took along my recently-converted Delirious, and managed to have -- not a lot of success, but lotsa fun in the waves, (which, fortunately, weren't that huge, but big enough to ensure I practised my combat roll!)

So, some questions:

Do any of y'all regularly hit the ocean for surfing? What boats do you use? Has anyone converted a real surf-kayak (wit da fins and funky chines) to C-1? Anyone ocean-surfing OC-1s?

Would love to hear from any salty-dogs!

Thanks
Rick

I took my Score out once at Tofino Rick. My heart was pounding the whole time; being a prairie boy, the ocean freaks me out a bit - I spent the whole time wondering if I was too far out, or too shallow, or getting taken too far left , or too far right, and when I'd flip, I'd wonder whether I'd hit bottom, and when the next wave was coming, and which way was what, and when to pull my skirt...

Actually, after one swim I settled down and had some nice little surfs, but surfing a C-1, or any kind of ocean surfing, isn't at the top of my adventure list. Rivers are nicer.

Pat.

The Viper (C1) is a phenomenal ocean surfer. Which makes sense considering it's designer, John Frachella, has long been an avid surfer (avid doesn't really cover it... trips to Mexico and surfing off the coast of Maine...brrrr). I've had some great rides of the coast of Maine in mine. And some epic carnage too...(flipped end over end...when it is an intentional cartwheel it is fun... when you drive your bow in to the sand, not so much...).

Massive Groove is another great surfer as it is very loose. I had a more difficult time getting out over the breakers in it though (vs the Viper).

Lots of fun either way... just be safe!

The Dagger Atom is okay for surfing but does not carry a lot of speed so you end up surfing the foam pile instead of glass. I remember using a Dagger Medieval (or was is the Centrifuge) c-1 and had a lot of fun playing on the waves. The Riot Glide (Slice for the much slimmer c-1'er) should do very well--and reinforce your rolling skills also . I've also used slalom boats which are great for front surfing like the Viper c-1. Flatter hulls with the sharper edges/chines will surf better.

I second the Viper! I've had a blast in mine on the NC coast. The Cascade will work ok too. My Big EZ C-1 is a bear to get out & you can't catch the waves as far out due to the extreme lack of hull speed. Maybe next summer I'll get my Sith in the ocean.

Four things to be aware of:
1 - Don't play on a shore-break. The beatings can be severe. If you do play on a shore-break, wear your helmet.
2 - Watch out for kids on the beach. They know what you're doing is cool. When you're coming in they want to get up close to check it out & don't understand that the waves can push you into/over them.
3 - Ear-plugs are a good idea. Sand gets everywhere.
4 -NEVER let your boat get between you & the ocean! When you are ready to get in the boat, pick your spot, get in & skirted in quickly. When taking out, get out & quickly get your boat above the high-tide line. I have a buddy who got out & was waving to his wife when a big wave slammed his boat into his legs. After a year & a few surgeries, he can walk, but has trouble on uneven terain and/or carrying his boat.

yarnellboat wrote: . . . My heart was pounding the whole time . . . wondering if I was too far out, or too shallow, or getting taken too far left , or too far right, and when I'd flip . . . whether I'd hit bottom, and when the next wave was coming, and which way was what, and when to pull my skirt . . . Pat.

Pat, you must have seen the instant replay of my performance of last week.

THANKS for the input, folks. Seems the key is LOOOOOOONG hulls, to get enough speed to (a.) get out through the waves, and (b.) catch the waves while they're still green and glassy. Now that I think about it, I believe most of my kayak companions (in their little spud playboats) were picking up waves just as they broke, and NOT catching the waves while they were still green.

Time for my usual rant: Our problem out west is the lack of available 'specialty' hulls like you are suggesting. If there's a Viper C-1 around these parts, I ain't seen it!

I confess to wondering about the Sith, and would love to hear from anyone who's used one in the salt-chuck. (Gonzo?)

And -- has anyone converted a real surf kayak?

Thanks, and keep the comments coming!

Rick

I took my Atom to the beach for the first time last Summer. I didn't really know what I was doing, but it was fun. In many respects, it's like surfing on the river. But the feeling of flying through the air on a wave, rather than being stationary, was new and astounding.

I discovered that if you ride a wave too long, greedily milking the ride, you are likely to flip as the breakers become more turbulent. This happened to me a lot. It's like navigating a hole on the river. Except that you go under with a ton of speed. I have pretty good "hit the deck" roll reflex, but, even still, many times I found myself flailing underwater, face exposed, struggling to get back into the setup position. On the other hand, if I tucked just right, I had some of my fastest rolls ever.

Foolishly, I had almost decided to leave my helmet behind. Surfers don't wear them, why should I? This flawed logic was quickly exposed after my first pummeling in the breakers. Surfers can keep their heads up when they flip. In a C1, you stand a good chance of dredging the ocean floor with your head, exposed the wiles of sand, rock, and malicious crustaceans.

I would like to try ocean surfing in an open boat. It seems like you'd get swamped while trying to paddle out past the breakers. Sounds like fun though.

i saw a televised surf kayak comp once, and there was some quick footage of a slicy C1 that was tearin it up! myself I'd be gettin an outrigger canoe to hit up the ocean or bigger lakes.

Ron “Canoe” Drummond

That guy was awesome!

Mike W. wrote:That guy was awesome!

Wahoo! Woop Woop!

Thanks for posting this, BB!

There, Pat -- there's hope for us ol' OC-1ers!

Rick

Rick, have you seen this one?

http://cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7958009

Marc

Marc Evans wrote:Rick, have you seen this one?

http://cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7958009

Marc

Yes, that's me last year, when I was. . .

(Just kidding! THANKS, Marc -- Great video!)

slalom C1? great for surfing, just not so great when piling into the sand