I've never been a huge playboater by any means... I just enjoy downriver moves much more, and don't enjoy being cold. In PA there are but 4 months to enjoy warm/hot weather boating. So I just don't spend much time doing it.
As far as playboating skills; I can obviously do spins, comfortably onside surf any 'reasonable' hole in a high or low brace. can offside surf in a high brace fairly comfortably. Although, i'd like to be a little more comfortable. Generally when i focus on matching the intensity of the hole and hold that cross draw real strong; then I pretty much manhandle the hole, pun intended.
Well... the sweet sweet weather is coming, and I'm making it a mission to get sicknasty w/ the surfing this summer. And any tips would help very much my friends! - you can see where my skills were at last summer w/ this edit - http://www.vimeo.com/13996267 - I'm a little beyond that playboatnigwise now, but not a whole lot...
....I'll tell you one thing... I won't be doing any playboating tomorrow, as Wayner and I hit the steeps of the Poconos!
are you playboating open or c1? I myself have gotten way into playboating recently, and i noticed you posted on my post about moving up north this summer from GA, so if you wanna get together and work on some stuff id love to. i got spins and loops and flatwater cartwheels (just need to work em in a hole), all three need continuous work tho. i paddle a LL pop about 6'6 long, if you wanna start looping its about as long as id wanna go. i have trouble getting it all the way around, a friend of mine is gonna hook me up with a project 56 to outfit, so if i got those boats when i come up there you can try them. if your gonna stay in a open boat i paddled a blackfly once, it was cool but i think theres a major learning curve, tho i really wanna get in it again. hope to see you over the summer
FullGnarlzOC wrote:I just enjoy downriver moves much more.
Tommy! let me introduce you to the bull move... Now will you be coming to have a go, and show those buttboaters what canoes can do!
Joshua Kelly - "More George Smiley than James Bond"
CBoats Moderator - Not necessarily representing the CBoats staff though...(I'll use words like "moderator", "We" and "CBoats" to make it clear when I am)
While I find that THIS video best describes my playboating skills, I am also working on improving them.... Like you said though, this weekend is for creekin!
-Anthony
"I'm gonna run this one river left I think.... So far river left, that I'm gonna be on the bank. With my boat on my shoulder."
If you are going to be doing it in an OC1 get an actual "play" canoe like a Blackfly or a CUFly. Learning how to actually use those lower ends will teach you a lot... and frankly for real playboating a traditional OC1 sort've limits what you'll be able to do. You might look for a Spanishfly, Superfly or even an Aftershock but they won't deliver as good of rides as the more play oriented style boats out there.
The CUFly is a fun boat... especially on waves. The Blackfly is a better overall boat as it's the next generation after the CU and Salsa but if you want something affordable... there you go.
Playboating really helps to teach you what to do when you are stepping up your game while running rivers or creeking... or at the least it'll teach you how to become comfortable in a hole and more importantly... how to get out of a hole.
Honestly I've been doing most of my play in a C1 for the past 6 years... for me it's just more ideal. You can find and convert a lot of kayaks on the cheap if you choose that path.
I picked up a CUFly a few months ago (for more than I should have paid ) that I would be willing to part with for $300. I am planning on coming to the Ocoee for the Memorial Day weekend. I could send it back with somebody from PA if they were coming down.
Its gonna be tough to really work on your OC1 playboating in the Maxim, which is a creekboat through and through. You can get in my Ion but you'd still need a pretty powerful feature like Scudders on the Delaware to start throwing vertical ends or anything serious.
Just come grab my C1 LL space cadet and get used to the double pump and other classic playboating moves. You'll find the C1 a great way to learn how to cartwheel (and therefore free wheel). And its just generally and fun day on the water doing downriver freestyle moves and catches surf waves all day.
I found that learning to blunt, rather than cartwheel was what made throwing wavewheels and hammers (A.K.A. Free Wheels) make sense.
Joshua Kelly - "More George Smiley than James Bond"
CBoats Moderator - Not necessarily representing the CBoats staff though...(I'll use words like "moderator", "We" and "CBoats" to make it clear when I am)
just buy a copy of "thrill of the paddle" the ideas for rodeo boating you will get from this book will keep you busy for the rest of your life.
Ya there are less moves you can do in an open canoe than a kayak or c1 but you can still refine these moves to a level of mastery. Go for no paddle flat spins that large steaming pile of dog doo is gangsta.
Last year on the UG i saw a guy doing 720 pirouettes (or bigger) in a Liquid Logic Remix Stinger. I don't see why a skilled canoeist couldn't pull that off one day.
Ben T wrote:Last year on the UG i saw a guy doing 720 pirouettes (or bigger) in a Liquid Logic Remix Stinger. I don't see why a skilled canoeist couldn't pull that off one day.
that "guy" was Shane Benedict
in that particular spot (bottom of Tumblehome)... long low-volume boats go deep enough to launch into the stratoshpere... and Shane knows exactly how to do it there.
funny thing was... he drew applause from almost 20 open canoeists sitting just downstream in the eddy for doing them. my hands were clapping too... it was retro-uber-cool.
heck... Louie was applauding... for a "kayaker"... it was that cool.
edit... Louie said "I can assure you I did not appluade any Kayaker, I don't give a dam what dumb Kayak trick they were doin, I wouldn't appluade a kayaker even if Pablo came back from the dead and walked on water. I would like to think you would go to that forum and delete or at least correct that post. Now for the stander disclaimer, I only get this information second hand from people who e-mial me, I can not view that particular site, but it should be hard to find I am told it takes about three week for a post to move off the front page and most of what is there is rehash."
Last edited by Craig Smerda on Thu May 19, 2011 3:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Joshua Kelly - "More George Smiley than James Bond"
CBoats Moderator - Not necessarily representing the CBoats staff though...(I'll use words like "moderator", "We" and "CBoats" to make it clear when I am)
) that I would be willing to part with for $300. I am planning on coming to the Ocoee for the Memorial Day weekend. I could send it back with somebody from PA if they were coming down.
a video in the making...
