Long, Fast Solo Canoes

[gumpus]

Regarding the Blackwater vs Magic, I did a fair number of hour-long, gps-tracked paddles at all-day cruising speed and found the Blackwater to be two or three tenths faster than the Magic. Of course, the Magic has some rocker so handles differently. Again, I am a tripper, not a racer.

I think this is a great example of how many people (including myself) define "fast"; it's the speed you get at your long term cruise pace (whichbwill vary by paddler). My experience is similar to Alan's where I can sprint all my solos to a bit over 6 mph but there's a big difference (perhaps as much as 0.5 mph) in their all day cruise pace. For me a fast boat also lets you increase your cruise pace for a short time without sucking out a lot of energy (for me, fast boats don't feel like they hit a wall), for example my Keewaydin 15 will punish you if you want to go over 4 mph but my Advantage won't.

I think it's also a great example of just how big a 0.2-0.3 mph difference is. According to The Science of Padfling speed goes with cube root of power (takes 8 times the power to double the speed) so although 4.2 mph is only 5% faster than 4 mph it takes 1.05×1.05×1.05 = 15.7% more power...or 15.7% more efficiency if the power (paddler) is same. So my take is that a 0.2-0.3 mph difference in cruising speed is HUGE and it's easy to feel the differences in efficiency between the boats.

 

[yknpdlr]

Now take your race on a truly long marathon. During the Yukon1000 miler, our overall average speed with current, was nearly 9mph for around 110 hours of actual paddling on water race time for our 6 day period to the finish (were required by the rules to take a minimum 6 hour rest each "night"). A paddle speed effort average 0.2mph slower puts the second place competition more than two hours behind. 0.3 mph slower gives almost a 5 hour difference. Huge for just a little more oomph to your stroke. This can be made up either by extra muscle effort, or by being smarter with navigation in map pre-study route planning and real-time readiing of current with careful selection of your line and current path through cut-offs and faster channels.

 

[yknpdlr]

I couldn't stand it any longer. It finally reached the high 30's in bright sun this afternoon and I just had to take my new Blackwater for a spin. Even though overnight teens made surface ice reform, and wind from the north on this long narrow lake blew ice around the corner into my previously ice free inlet arm of the lake. No GPS on this trip, but it comfortably single blade single side fast paddled straight and true, and turned nicely 180 degrees on my command. Higher wind than I would like to test perform a safe and fast buoy turn, and main mid lake ice prevented me from giving the boat a full racing paddle type trial run.

 

[PortageW/Cerberus]

I couldn't stand it any longer. It finally reached the high 30's in bright sun this afternoon and I just had to take my new Blackwater for a spin. Even though overnight teens made surface ice reform, and wind from the north on this long narrow lake blew ice around the corner into my previously ice free inlet arm of the lake. No GPS on this trip, but it comfortably single blade single side fast paddled straight and true, and turned nicely 180 degrees on my command. Higher wind than I would like to test perform a safe and fast buoy turn, and main mid lake ice prevented me from giving the boat a full racing paddle type trial run.

Let's see a few pics of your new ride! And would love to hear more about turning it when you've had more time in the boat - although I have been paddling mine for 3 years, I suspect I still have much to learn.

 

[yknpdlr]

Adirondack racer Kevin Olson has a whole series on paddling and especially racing techniques in Youtube. he has one on turning your C1. I watched it this morning and believe that I use substantially the same methods, although at times much more aggressively than he shows in the demo video (I am sure he does too). He has made a lot of use of Canton NY GRB canoe makers Gene and John Newman and their equipment. Pretty sure he makes an indirect side reference to Savage River as a carbon/kevlar boat builder.

I'll harvest photos when my wife comes to camp, after the weather cooperates a bit more.

 

[PortageW/Cerberus]

Nice - found that video & will watch. I do own a GRB paddle, though use the ZRE more.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Adirondack racer Kevin Olson has a whole series on paddling

Here's his video on the 18' D4 canoe from Savage River.

All these long, fast CanAm canoe hulls would have their speed clocks cleaned by a Pacific Rim solo canoe hull, which is also far longer, narrower, more stable, more turnable (because highly rockered), more surfable, more single-sided paddleable & more wind-resistant (because ruddered), and more self-rescuable than any CanAm open canoe hull. Meet the unsung but indisputable Usain Bolt of long, fast solo canoes.



Dimensions:

22' 2" LOA, 13.75" BOA
20' 6" LAW, 11.8" BAW @ 170 lbs. paddler,
22.5 lbs. assembled main hull (Carbon/Vac).
19.9 lbs. assembled main hull (Carbon+Kevlar/Vac).

Mine (above and for sale) is about 30 lbs. with iakos and ama, plus an extra layer of S glass on the bottom for non-racing recreational strength.

 

[lowangle al]

Currently I have no interest in a racing hull, but I would like to have your outrigger Glenn. Unfortunately it's not in the budget right now.

 

[zekabl]

Any thoughts on GRB Will's whitewater boat? I looks like it has more volume than a blackwater. It would be used with a bucket seat/foot brace. Not looking for a whitewater boat but nice sleek solo for lakes/large rivers.

 

[Alan Gage]

Regarding the Blackwater vs Magic, I did a fair number of hour-long, gps-tracked paddles at all-day cruising speed and found the Blackwater to be two or three tenths faster than the Magic.

That's definitely a nice speed increase over the Magic when paddling over distance rather than max sprint. What speeds were you paddling? Did you happen to monitor heart rate as well?

Distance always seems to even out speed differences in many boats. Back when I used to train and race regularly it was disappointing to find my 3 mile time/average speed in a quick recreational hull to be fairly close to my 3 mile time/average speed in a J boat even though the J boat could outsprint it by a couple MPH.

But the nice thing about a more dedicated race boat is that there is still speed in reserve if you develop the strength, technique, and stamina to achieve it. As I recall paddling a Magic or a J boat up to around 6mph didn't feel all that different but above those speeds the J boat continued to give more speed as the power increased where the Magic felt like you ran into a wall and tons of extra effort didn't give you much extra speed. That's where I felt the Blackwater was not the hull for me and decided to try designing something different. As a quick tripper I think it would be great but I wanted something purely for racing/training that would continue to reward my paddling/fitness progress.

Alan

 

[PortageW/Cerberus]

Alan, no on the heart rate. My Blackwater is consistently 3.65mph over the long haul. Magic about 3.4. And for further reference, my NS Trillium is 3 flat.

Glenn, neat looking rocketship you have there but I think it would suffer on the 1000m bushwhack portages in NW Ontario’s Jack Pine forests.