Flatwater C-1s

[racer x]

Anyone on here ever race flatwater c-1/c-2? I just saw the Olympic coverage on TV. Pretty cool. Those things are fast! The look quite tippy too. Those dudes sure have some nice looking strokes.
Alden

[Drew W.]

yeah, I just saw the highlights a minute ago, those things can't be more than 18" wide, what's with the kneeling with one knee down thing though?

also, I saw the k2 500m sprint race, I don't think I've ever seen a kayak move that fast, ever

[sbroam]

I hear the men's k-4 (k-5?) can pull a water skier...

[unicorn]

High kneel in a C-1 is an artform.

It used to be rumored that Steve Draper had a standing bet of a case of beer with anyone who had never been in a flattie c-1 that they could not get in one & paddle 5 strokes without tipping over.

I never heard that he paid off.

(Actually, my daughter did it, but the boat was actually a C-2, not a C-1 (& therefore more stable) so it didn't count, plus she was a pretty small person, --and even then it was pretty drawn-out & wracking to watch!! Also she was too young to drink a case of beer.)

I did hear that there were some Canadian women pushing for a flattie C-1W class a while back... I noticed that the Canadian flatties seem to do a bit better than the US.

[sbroam]

http://www.justcanoeit.com/PamBoteler/index.html

[Mike W.]

High kneel is the fastest way to move a canoe. A couple of years after we started racing, we began to not loose by so much to Bill & Kirk Havens. I think Bill was in his upper 70's at the time. In the beginning we all did the sit & switch like marathon paddlers do. As my uncle & I started getting better Bill & Kirk went to the high kneel position & put a lot of distance between us . None of us were in racing canoes. These were local recreational type races. The Havens's were in an aluminum boat while my uncle & I were in a Penobscot .
I've never tried it, but it looks like they get a lot of torque. They don't look like they're working that hard, but the boat sure does move .

[jreeves]

I see "Unicorn" has unretired and entered and raced at the US Wildwater Nationals

[unicorn-in-captivity]

Shhhh...it was not a "unicorn" run.

All C-boaters present were instructed not to look or tell...

Have to celebrate anno seven-oh somehow, & sometimes a "whole" loaf has to be accepted in place of the preferred "half". Besides, in my view, DR boats are in a class by themselves.

Ueber-master C-2 anyone??

[racer x]

i did once hear a story from a friend who raced slalom and also flatwater c-1 that there was some friendly chiding between the two groups. apparently some flatwater guy pointed out that all slalom racers have laughable stroke technique, and that a well-trained flatwater guy could clean up at a slalom. so he was challenged to race in a slalom.

something about him finishing . . . last???

[digitalbrat]

It's not C-1, but a while back flattie egos were seriously flattened when a certain junior national slalom K-1 champion went to the flattie Olympic trials & made the Olympic team.

The flatties were furious, and even though he stuck with it & eventually won Olympic gold, they never quite got over it.

(Of course, C-boaters would never behave in this way......)

[wildwaterc2]

I paddled a Delta high-kneel C1 for several years while I was in Illinois in grad school and later in Atlanta on the Chattahoochee. They do take practice, but I was able to paddle it ok my first time out with a lot of sculling at times. When learning, you will fall out every once in a while, but with practice I only rarely fell in.

The boats are marvelously fast - the glide is unlike anything you'll experience in another C-boat.

You can find old ones out there relatively cheaply, and the boats lead easy lives.

I went from the high kneeler to wildwater in Atlanta (more interesting) and now mainly paddle a Mad River Monarch (rare boat) with my 7-month old daughter.

[sbroam]

Monarch? Is that the Krueger designed, decked touring canoe?

[Sir Adam]

WildWaterC2-if you know of any C1 sprint boats for sale let me know...I'm very interesting in trying another aspect of the C worlds (especially now that I'm living next to some flat water...). Also I'm looking for a Wildwater C2 (The two that were on the wildwater site have been sold).

[Kaz]

Hey Adam,
You live in a hotbed for marathon canoe racing. Some of the best marathon canoe racers in the U.S. live in New York. Actually one of the best is your neighbor. Terry Kent. He lives in Lake Placid. Check out www.nymcra.org for some used flatwater canoes for sale.
JKaz

[KNeal]

With all these posts about flatwater canoes and seeking other c-boating enjoyment, I gotta share with you that I have a new neighbor that has REAL honest-to-God outrigger c-1's! They've been keeping the boats on top of their pickup, so my wife and I introduced ourselves several weeks ago and we got to see the boats up close and personal. Those things are as light as my slalom boats, but feel MUCH lighter (they're about 20 feet long, each, and are solo boats). They came up from Florida and have been using them on the James on a stretch with LOTS of flatwater (and motorboats ).

I showed John my Viper--a far departure from what he's been using. He has become interested in the wildwater boats, but is considering the lazy way of turning to the "dark side" by getting a (shudder) kyack . I'm trying to steer him back to honest paddling, but he keeps muttering stuff about developing symmetrical muscle strength and getting away from one-sided paddling . Something screwy like that. At some point, I'll get him out in the Viper and hopefully keep him true.

They'll take us out to paddle their outriggers at some point. It'll only be a matter of time til they consider moving away from an obnoxious neighbor who keeps bugging them to borrow their outrigger . Gee, would I really do that to them?

KNeal