Swam twice yesterday...thoughts on Zoom (longish)

[OC1er]

Traded out of a paradigm a couple of weeks ago for a zoom. Got my outfitting acceptable, so far I've run the Noli at about 1500 and the upper Russell around 800 a few times. The very first impression was "dam! This thing is tiny! (i'm a 6'2" 190 pounder) With me and the bags in there you can't even bail it unless you got water over your thighs. So a pump seemed necessary, just so I wouldn't have to get out so often. Second impression was "dam! This thing is twitchy!" I'm starting to get used to the lack of primary though, and I'm really starting to enjoy the boat. The rails and flat bottom on Zoom carry through almost stem to stem, and once you learn to use them they are really fun. Zoom absolutely flys into the eddies, and the more rail you dig in the quicker you whip around. Zoom is suprisingly fast for such a small boat, and dry to boot. I'm not a very good surfer, but it will definitly spin on small features, and it will definitly carve across the larger wave faces. It's also the first open boat I've paddled that I can truly boof (when I happen to do it right, that is...).
My main problem right now is rolling it. I've rolled it on flat water several times, and it is more difficult than the paradigm was. When I roll the Zoom the roll stroke lasts longer - the paradigm would firm up much earlier in the process, where in the zoom it may look like you've done it, but that low brace ain't out of the water yet. I flipped a couple of times yesterday surfing the bottom hole at 20 Stitches, missed the roll both times. Actually, I never got to where I could initiate it...it seemed like the boat wouldn't go all the way over and I couldn't reach the surface. The second time I tried to wait it out but it never would go completely belly up. Guess I'll just have to keep flippin and swimmin till I figure it out...

[Walsh]

Actually, I never got to where I could initiate it...it seemed like the boat wouldn't go all the way over and I couldn't reach the surface.

That's a common complaint with the Zoom. To my knowledge people learn to deal with it with underwater sculling and body contortions to pull it the rest of the way over.

[Jim P]

tuck fast and carry your momentum with you - 190 you should pull that little boat right over. I never got stuck at 207. Lighter folks seem to get stuck but you should not if you tuck tight when you go over and kiss that bag, then swing on out to set up and give her a good hard hip snap - that little boat will roll up faster than any other open boat.

[knu2xs]

My Ocoee with very full bags used to do the same. An underwater pull with the paddle is all it takes. Sometimes it more resembles a kind of half-roll. Once you know how to get to your good position and have a little awareness under there, it is just part of the game.

[philcanoe]

does the boat have a flow channel under the saddle (for water to flow from side to side)... have noticed with some canoe setups it can be very beneficial

[OC1er]

Thanks all for the advice. Phil - there is not really a flow channel through the seat, the outfitting in this boat is pretty interesting. The seat is set up to be adjustable front to back as well as up and down. Its got a vinyl post section glued to the hull with 1" posts attached that tie vertically between the vinyl post and the thwarts both fore and aft. There is kind of a track mounted to these posts that allow front and back movement, the track can be raised along these posts for up and down adjustment. I can't get my drill down low enough to cut holes for side to side water flow. I ought to be able to find something to cut some flow ports though...I'll give it a try.

[sbroam]

Pictures? Of the outfitting, not the swims

[Taniwha]

I've got the same problem as OC1er with the boat not going over completely when falling in offside and my momentum carrying me to offside again if the last brace fails. Haven't had time to work on it due to a lot of flat water paddling and missing out on the whitewater fun, but pool sessions are coming up.

More thoughts on how to fix that problem are welcome, will try anything, nearly anything... Shouldn't be a problem with the flow channels because hanging upside down lets the water drain out of the boat. Of course they help when finally rolling up.

My feeling was, that the boat being so short and so rockered, with fully inflated bags it would ride high and dry on both ends and myself with PFD floating on the offside... This needs confirmation though with pics or video. Will ask my buddies...

My new Zoom has the bulkhead outfitting with two flow channels through the seat... and a pump!

[wetnobby]

Hi Guys,
Heres a clip of my first ever paddle of my Zoom...
As you can see the roll technique I normally use setting up from the side has the effect of pulling the boat through and over center during the sweep out so it is not normally an issue.
Ocasionally I have had to use a small scull to help pull the boat when the current is against me.
Back deck rolls have worked well, the boats momentum may stall out but if you keep your torso moving it usually pops straight round and up.

http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb53 ... CF3457.flv

I hope that helps a little...Chris

[Tiggy]

"kiss that bag"

Couldn't agree more.

[Taniwha]

Report from last nights pool session.

Thanx for the video, wetnobby. It sort of confirms my thoughts, that the boat tends to stay on one side after flipping. As we see in the video, it stays offside quite a while. The same was true last night at the pool. Only after I moved my body, head and paddle to my onside, it started to "flip" to the onside. Trying to move my body from side to side always leaned the boat to that side too. The Zoom does not stay "neutral", when upside down.
Upside down, with my boat and my weight, the gunnel of the center section is right at the surface of the water. The ends are a tad lower in the water and it rolls from side to side on the decks and airbags.

But I found it now much easier to set up, since the bulkhead outfitting provided me with much more control than the straps I used in the demo Zoom. Once I started the roll with the paddle on waters surface I tended to take that slow. Only after the boat is rolled up almost to the vertical position I used a snappy hip movement and rolled up all the way.

Best advice ever (as been said before): kiss that bag, keep your head really low and when upright move your head to the offside to get that last kick to stay upright. This is seen in wetnobbys video as well.

[Jan_dettmer]

kiss the bag and start putting pressure on your blade when you sweep out into your roll. It's all about really clean roll and being aware about where you are under water and when to use what pressure on your blade. Sometimes a little extra stroke is helpful to flip the boat onto your onside.

Once you have a really solid roll, you will be very aware of where you are relative to the boat and what the boat is doing and you will adjust to almost any situation (like pushing away from a headwall that you are hung up against with your hands / elbow guards).

Keep rolling
Jan