C-Forum

I have always wanted to paddle a ww canoe and got the chance this weekend at R/P. I cant freakn move today but i had a "BLAST" I got all kinds of help from everyone there that had the knowledge to tell what i was doing wrong. I just have a few questions.
1. I rolled the boat in a poll just fine, no problems at all. Put the thing on moving water and couldnt do anything, seems like i was falling out when i wouldnt brace(ofcourse knowing how to brace would help too) For what ever reason i had trouble staying in the boat upside down. So my question is, what the heck do i need to do better to stay in the boat in moving water upside down?
2. Alright, if im facing upstream and im in the eddy on river left(coming down stream) I paddle on my right side, once i could figure out that i didnt have to hall a** to get in the wave(thanks Scott and James) i could surf out about 15 feet or so and could turn the boat back towards the big eddy but when i wanted to cut back i couldnt. I also look like i have been fighting all knight long. My thumb and forarm on my right hand is all black and blue. I know i was doing something wrong big time! So what strokes do i need to use to get the boat to cut back and fourth?
3. I can not paddle that thing on my offside, at all!! So i get in the wave and i cut the boat back to the big eddy and my down stream side is now my right side. I could brace, well some what.(in my mind maybe, but everyone else was geting a good laugh) My question is, when you are side surfing and your off side is down stream how in the heck do you brace down stream?
I really did have a good time and i cant wait to paddle it again. You Ar. boaters really are a great group of folks. Thanks again for all the help.
Adam

I dont know what kind of outfitting the boat has, but; if you have thigh straps/ toe blocks, see to it that you can push with your toes just enough to keep some tension on the thigh straps, while keeping your butt on the saddle. This should allow you to brace better, as well as set up to roll without slipping out. As far as the bruising; sounds like your banging your hand and forearm on the gunnel. Enough pain will cure you of that. You could try to tuck your right elbow in at your hip; keeping it firm, and use that as your pry point, not the gunnel. An offside brace can be a cross high brace, it's very similar to a cross draw stroke, but it's static, the current does the work for you. just stay loose in the hips.
Good Luck

On your #2, cutting it back -

Turning the boat back to your offside is hard, and that's where most people loose their surfs, because the pry/rudder you can use to turn back to your onside is much stronger than the stern draw stroke that's need to kill the jet ferry to your onside.

You can try cheating - carve harder to your offside when you can rely on the pry, and manage the surfing angle to your onside more conservatively. To improve your draw, make sure you trun shoulders to that side and really punch out your top hand.

Paddling on your right and trying to carve back to your left, you can also try putting more weight on your right knee and using that front edge of the boat to help you carve back.

See a similar discussion here:
http://cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic.php?t=7958726

You also might this moved to the main discussion board.

Keep havin' fun!

PY.

Sounds like it might have been a while since you have gotten this much exercise, at least boating.

To me it seems that a lot of the cross bow stroke effectiveness depends on your flexibility. Try getting out on some flat water during the week or when you can and practice just paddling forward and/or draws...using your cross bow stroke only.

You could also warm up and sit down and stretch some in your living room watching TV. But I think paddling cross bow more and more will help the most.

I do laps on my local pond using cross bow only. It is frustrating at first, but if you go easy, keep the strokes short, and just stay committed to paddling say 100 strokes in a row cross bow you will get better at it.

edgar