Duct tape and pool noodles?

[Craig Smerda]

Craig Smerda has been rumored to have built an entire boat out of pool noodles...

Craig Smerda and the Canoodle!

Zip ties... a whole bunch of 'em

[ohioboater]

I never got to test the duct tape/noodle setup, since I couldn't find any pool noodles in the shed, and this time of year they've already replaced the swimming stuff with sledding gear in my small town's few stores.

Didn't need them anyway - I was the seventh boat across the lake, passed all but two on the portage, and ran fast and dry down the creek. Ended up finishing 3rd - got passed by a good friend in her wildwater K1, and never did catch one guy on (of all things) an SUP. Beat probably 30 kayaks and 10 or 15 tandem canoes - good chance to show people what a solo canoe can do.

The SUP thing really surprised me. Two of the SUPers (one the owner/founder of Badfish, apparently) finished the portage maybe 30 seconds ahead of me, and it was all I could do to catch the slower of the two once we hit the creek. I tried to drop him twice (unsuccessfully) and decided to just draft him until the finish. Got past him at the end, but it took a flat out sprint to do it. I have always thought of SUPs as being slow and awkward, but those two guys were anything but slow. Granted, an Argosy isn't a wildwater or marathon boat, but it's not a pig, either. Gives me a bit more respect for the SUP...

[PAC]

Nice Shawn... oh and you do know your post is worthless without photos!

[ohioboater]

So far the only one I've found that actually shows me in the boat I used for the race is a shot from near the end of the flatwater section (blurry red OC & glass Werner in the upper left):

http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/galle ... w/#2735992

Somebody did take one of me at the finish line, but it was after I'd already switched into my Outrage for a little hole escape practice, er, surfing.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

I saw Dale at the takeout afterwards, so maybe he got a pic or two.

[shaftfloat]

"They would have gotten chundered on the LG, even with Weeble floats on their paddles."

My dad did pretty well on the Lower Gauley using his Hi-N-Dry from shaftfloat.com... Here's a video of him from this year's Gauley Fest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3336iYMKOLg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[arhdc]

Off topic a bit I guess but from what I have seen of Shaftfloat users, most would be better served by IK's or WW sit on tops.

Not intended to be offensive but when I have seen these in use on the LY the yakkers in question were in way over their heads and were only there cuz they had their Shaftfloat thingies and thought themselves invincible. Invincible till Cucumber anyway. They looked TERRIFIED after that, two of them, on their own, on the LY.


Just my $0.02. I know that you are the expert on this but I have not been impressed and would never encourage someone to use one.

Besides, they don't really fit onto single blades very well

[ohioboater]

the yakkers in question were in way over their heads and were only there cuz they had their Shaftfloat thingies and thought themselves invincible. Invincible till Cucumber anyway. They looked TERRIFIED after that, two of them, on their own, on the LY.

Wonder if we saw the same paddlers, because that's a pretty good description of the crew I saw. They had that classic "in over your head" look - short, spastic water slaps instead of strokes and eyes the size of dinner plates.

[Bob Wiggins]

I saw the two of them on the upper ocoee- pretty much describes it. In over their heads and scared s***less.