Today I attended my first kayak rodeo in years. For years now long lines and growing egos have turned me off from kids who can loop but not be able to roll on their offside. However today I attended the Tri Cities Hometown Throwdown rodeo at Jaws on the Nolichucky.
http://www.worldkayak.com/event_wk.cfm?eventid=456
After two days of some serious class V+ I was looking for an easier day of paddling. When my friend told me he could pick me up on his way I was glad to take him up on the offer.
Although I have never really spent much time surfing Jaws I have run the Nolichucky more then a few times now. It has found a special place in my river heart.
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/1766/
To run the full gorge is an eight-mile paddle through one of the prettiest gorges in the SE with consistent class II-IV rapids. It very much reminds me off the Bulls Bridge section of the Housatonic River in CT., just longer.
The weather was sunny and warm today and with the rain that we had throughout the week we had a good level for Jaws just under 2,200 cfs.
Well I really didn’t know what to expect with the event. We showed up to the river around 1:00 geared up and played our way down to Jaws hitting up a few different waves and holes along the way. When we got down to hole there was a small crowd of about two dozen people on the right bank by the hole. Paddlers hanging out and relaxing shredders, canoers, rafters, kayakers, and even a few boogie boarders. There were a few people in the eddie waiting there turn to throwdown or get throwndown. On the left bank there was another two to three dozen boaters. This were most of the competitors had already gathered.
Wesley Bradley was the event organizer and just asked us to go over and have one of the volunteers add our names to the list. There were two classes K1a and K1b. Despite the fact that I hardly playboat now, I could do a cartwheel which put me in the K1a class. There were two or three K1b heats that went before the two small K1a heats. Each competitor got three one-minute rides that started when you entered the hole. We were also given a ten second warning when our time was almost up. The scoring went every 180-degree spin was a point if it was semi vertical I think you got two points and if it was vertical you got four. But then there were the style points. I was hoping they would count big.
I was having a blast and I got the impression that everyone else was too. Most of the K1b were spinning and getting some vertical ends with some good window shades, survival surfs, and one swim. With the top K1a guys throwing ends, loops, are screws, and a slew of other tricks that are still new to me, I was having a blast cart wheeling and twirling my paddle. Leland and I ended up tied for fourth. I felt old school and decided to take out the DR Pintail today for my boat of choice. As the event ended some headed downstream and a few of us stuck around for some more of a surf session. I had so much fun just hanging on the bank with some like-minded folks occasionally throwing down in a great feature.
As Jaws slowly slipped out of the sun and we started to flail in the backwash, we decided it was time to start hiking out. Just a simple mile hike up the railroad tracks, as long as the train doesn’t come. Once we dried off and were able to grab a bite to eat we all gathered downstream at the Riverpark Campground for the awards ceremony.
http://www.riverparkcampground.net/index.html
For three dollars Riverpark Campground offers you bathrooms/changing rooms and a safe place to park and relax by the river at the Big Rock playhole. The awards ceremony consisted of a raffle in which everyone received a prize ranging from a new Shred Ready helmet, Gift certificates, paddling videos, tee shirts, and a few other options.
I had so much fun at this simple event. Everyone was there to enjoy the day, the water, and their fellow boaters company. It was a great atmosphere were everything ran smoothly due to the simplicity of it. I can’t wait until the next event that will be held at Big Rock.
Thanks to everyone that volunteered and helped make this event possible as well as a lot of fun.
adam
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
DR Madboy; Review
As one of the Southeast DR guys I have wanted to get my hands on a MadBoy for a while. A few weeks ago Scott was nice enough to bring mine down to me. I weigh roughly 180 lbs., I’m 5'10", have 30" inseam, and a US size 9.5 shoes. For the last year I have been paddling the Critical Mass as my primary creek boat and playing around in the Gangster on easier lower volume runs.
What I loved about the CM was the speed and stability that it has conveys an amazing feeling of safety. What I didn't like was the cumbersomeness and slow edge-to-edge transfer that was very apparent to me in the class II to III realm. What I liked about the Gangster was the speed it carried for it's size and the playfulness of it, can you say freewheels off of Blackwater falls. On the other hand when the gradient stepped up and the volume increased it always felt a little small for me.
My first impression of the boat was,
"holy shit, Corran actually put in outfitting!”
Ok that wasn't what I really thought. However I was drawn to the change in outfitting.
There was a simple to use ratcheting back band that easily folds down for stern access, adjustable thigh braces, Velcro hip pads, adjustable bulkhead, as well as a nice plastic center pillar up front.
The overall boat design has a forward sitting cockpit with initial bow rocker transitioning into a longer stern, which carries the progressive rocker nicely.
The MadBoy looked and even measured a few inches narrower then the CM, Nomad 8.5, and a Jefe Grande. I liked that DR has kept with the racing stripe theme as well as the molded in graphics. It has a simple planing hull with edges that start about your knees and follow to the stern.
Of all the Corran boats I have paddled over the years this one was by far the easiest to outfit to my liking. The thigh braces are adjustable by loosening an Allen bolt (Allen key included) and sliding for or aft per personal preference. They are already padded out with 1/2" neoprened foam, all I added was some triangular knee blocks to help lock my legs in from underneath.
The bulkhead is set up to easily move forward and backward as well as expand or contract depending on how far forward one needs it to be. I cut out a 5" thick piece of foam for my bulkhead padding.
The seat has padding riveted with plastic rivets to the seat pan. I have found it comfortable as is but it would also be very easy to add a small cushion underneath the factory seat pad. The outfitting also came with hip pads that easily Velcro into place and then have one strap that adds to their security. I wish the hip pads could be opened up to either add thickness of remove some padding.
Other then the factory outfitting I added two small thigh risers on the front of my seat, a thin strip of foam on the back of the seat pan (to help with a more aggressive body position), added small shims that sit between the seat and the sidewall, and added some padding for shouldering my boat.
As far as attachment points inside the kayak, I easily added a throw rope holder in the molded in slot in front of the seat, as well as added a loop of rope to the back of the seat to attach drybags or hand paddles. Both modifications took less then two minutes.
Behind the seat I drilled two holes and ran a loop of 3/8" cordelette though the holes and have an easy place to clip things behind the seat. On a regular basis I have a filled Watershed Ocoee duffel, hand paddles, and a water bottle. There is a spot molded into the back of the seat the will hold a small Nalgene water bottle. I have been thinking of adding a webbing strap to the nice plastic bow pillar as a place to hold a larger water bottle. For the throw rope, there is a molded in tray already in the seat. I drilled four small holes and ran an old piece of bungee through them.
So far I have put the boat through some good use. I started out on the Cheoah which has a great class IV bigger water feel to it (pushy, lots of holes and waves), then put it through about half a dozen Green runs which is your standard class IV-V SE creeking, then she got the real test and got a couple of Raven's Fork and Toxaway runs big manky class V+ with huge slides (you know LVM type stuff).
First impression after day one was a good one. I could feel the speed immediatly one, two stroke ferries were easy and felt stable crossing the current. I felt like I could tuck the bow into curlers and scoot straight through, as well as catching diagonals high and using them to cross current or line up for the next move. Wasn't too sure about how it would boof, as there was not much that I felt big enough to boof as the MadBoy was going through everything. The one thing that I Questioned after that first run was the top edge on the stern, initially I thought it might be a little low. I was feeling it getting grabbed occasionally or hanging up on an eddy line. With more runs in it now, I have positioned my body more forward and have rarely thought about it since.
Being on the Green for the first time with the MadBoy was great. Hey it's my home river now and well it's fun playing with a new toy on your home river where you know all the lines (or at least think you do). First real test for boofing, tight turns, and tight slots. I have not noticed any instability due to the narrowness of the MadBoy; instead I have found it very nimble. Much more so then the CM. Edge to edge transfer is much easier and I really notice this in the class II-III shoaly sections. It gets hung up a lot less and sneaks through more slots. I could really feel the speed on a river I have run hundreds of times before in many kinds of boats. It almost felt like paddling my long boat but with the ease of today’s creekers when it came to turning or boofing. One thing I have noticed; where the CM is prone to turning out on you because of how easy it is to turn the stern edge on the Madboy I find is prone to grabbing eddy lines and carving you quickly into them. Not a problem but it’s quick when it happens. Oh yeah and I can still freewheel the Madboy and throw it around out there. It was a very fun boat for me on the Green.
Ok, now we got some rain down here and well things came up. So far I have run the Raven’s Fork and the Toxaway twice. I’ll admit I was a little nervous. It is definitely smaller and edgier then the super stable CM. All I can say is this boat gets it done. Despite the edges, narrow hull, and smaller size the Madboy felt incredible stable underneath me. On the huge slides on the Toxaway I never felt my edges getting grabbed or tripping up. In the steep tight sluices it was easy to stay straight and handled the gargantuan diagonals with easy and confidence. Yet at the same time maneuvering the much more technical rapids of the Raven’s turning the bow took a simple sweep or C-stroke which would allow me to carry my speed and make moves that need to be made.
As well as paddling the Madboy is a decent hiker as well. It is about the same weight as the CM, added weight probably from the new seat/thigh brace combo as well as the nice plastic center pillar. A little padding on the cockpit rim works well for shorter hikes. For the longer hikes I have used and NRS backpack system with good success. I found it best with the bow down to help control the weight of the bulkhead better. I always got a little bit of calf smacking with it but not enough to prevent light jogging on downhills.
Overall I was more impressed with the Madboy then I had expected. I was expecting a fun boat that would be fast yet still handle the Green with ease. I didn’t expect a boat that would feel so stable and not out of its realm on the V+ yet still being a very fun boat to play around with on the easier stuff.
Kudos.
Adam,
final photo "landbridge" shot by Chris Gragtmans
What I loved about the CM was the speed and stability that it has conveys an amazing feeling of safety. What I didn't like was the cumbersomeness and slow edge-to-edge transfer that was very apparent to me in the class II to III realm. What I liked about the Gangster was the speed it carried for it's size and the playfulness of it, can you say freewheels off of Blackwater falls. On the other hand when the gradient stepped up and the volume increased it always felt a little small for me.
My first impression of the boat was,
"holy shit, Corran actually put in outfitting!”
Ok that wasn't what I really thought. However I was drawn to the change in outfitting.
There was a simple to use ratcheting back band that easily folds down for stern access, adjustable thigh braces, Velcro hip pads, adjustable bulkhead, as well as a nice plastic center pillar up front.
The overall boat design has a forward sitting cockpit with initial bow rocker transitioning into a longer stern, which carries the progressive rocker nicely.
The MadBoy looked and even measured a few inches narrower then the CM, Nomad 8.5, and a Jefe Grande. I liked that DR has kept with the racing stripe theme as well as the molded in graphics. It has a simple planing hull with edges that start about your knees and follow to the stern.
Of all the Corran boats I have paddled over the years this one was by far the easiest to outfit to my liking. The thigh braces are adjustable by loosening an Allen bolt (Allen key included) and sliding for or aft per personal preference. They are already padded out with 1/2" neoprened foam, all I added was some triangular knee blocks to help lock my legs in from underneath.
The bulkhead is set up to easily move forward and backward as well as expand or contract depending on how far forward one needs it to be. I cut out a 5" thick piece of foam for my bulkhead padding.
The seat has padding riveted with plastic rivets to the seat pan. I have found it comfortable as is but it would also be very easy to add a small cushion underneath the factory seat pad. The outfitting also came with hip pads that easily Velcro into place and then have one strap that adds to their security. I wish the hip pads could be opened up to either add thickness of remove some padding.
Other then the factory outfitting I added two small thigh risers on the front of my seat, a thin strip of foam on the back of the seat pan (to help with a more aggressive body position), added small shims that sit between the seat and the sidewall, and added some padding for shouldering my boat.
As far as attachment points inside the kayak, I easily added a throw rope holder in the molded in slot in front of the seat, as well as added a loop of rope to the back of the seat to attach drybags or hand paddles. Both modifications took less then two minutes.
Behind the seat I drilled two holes and ran a loop of 3/8" cordelette though the holes and have an easy place to clip things behind the seat. On a regular basis I have a filled Watershed Ocoee duffel, hand paddles, and a water bottle. There is a spot molded into the back of the seat the will hold a small Nalgene water bottle. I have been thinking of adding a webbing strap to the nice plastic bow pillar as a place to hold a larger water bottle. For the throw rope, there is a molded in tray already in the seat. I drilled four small holes and ran an old piece of bungee through them.So far I have put the boat through some good use. I started out on the Cheoah which has a great class IV bigger water feel to it (pushy, lots of holes and waves), then put it through about half a dozen Green runs which is your standard class IV-V SE creeking, then she got the real test and got a couple of Raven's Fork and Toxaway runs big manky class V+ with huge slides (you know LVM type stuff).
First impression after day one was a good one. I could feel the speed immediatly one, two stroke ferries were easy and felt stable crossing the current. I felt like I could tuck the bow into curlers and scoot straight through, as well as catching diagonals high and using them to cross current or line up for the next move. Wasn't too sure about how it would boof, as there was not much that I felt big enough to boof as the MadBoy was going through everything. The one thing that I Questioned after that first run was the top edge on the stern, initially I thought it might be a little low. I was feeling it getting grabbed occasionally or hanging up on an eddy line. With more runs in it now, I have positioned my body more forward and have rarely thought about it since.
Being on the Green for the first time with the MadBoy was great. Hey it's my home river now and well it's fun playing with a new toy on your home river where you know all the lines (or at least think you do). First real test for boofing, tight turns, and tight slots. I have not noticed any instability due to the narrowness of the MadBoy; instead I have found it very nimble. Much more so then the CM. Edge to edge transfer is much easier and I really notice this in the class II-III shoaly sections. It gets hung up a lot less and sneaks through more slots. I could really feel the speed on a river I have run hundreds of times before in many kinds of boats. It almost felt like paddling my long boat but with the ease of today’s creekers when it came to turning or boofing. One thing I have noticed; where the CM is prone to turning out on you because of how easy it is to turn the stern edge on the Madboy I find is prone to grabbing eddy lines and carving you quickly into them. Not a problem but it’s quick when it happens. Oh yeah and I can still freewheel the Madboy and throw it around out there. It was a very fun boat for me on the Green.
Ok, now we got some rain down here and well things came up. So far I have run the Raven’s Fork and the Toxaway twice. I’ll admit I was a little nervous. It is definitely smaller and edgier then the super stable CM. All I can say is this boat gets it done. Despite the edges, narrow hull, and smaller size the Madboy felt incredible stable underneath me. On the huge slides on the Toxaway I never felt my edges getting grabbed or tripping up. In the steep tight sluices it was easy to stay straight and handled the gargantuan diagonals with easy and confidence. Yet at the same time maneuvering the much more technical rapids of the Raven’s turning the bow took a simple sweep or C-stroke which would allow me to carry my speed and make moves that need to be made.
As well as paddling the Madboy is a decent hiker as well. It is about the same weight as the CM, added weight probably from the new seat/thigh brace combo as well as the nice plastic center pillar. A little padding on the cockpit rim works well for shorter hikes. For the longer hikes I have used and NRS backpack system with good success. I found it best with the bow down to help control the weight of the bulkhead better. I always got a little bit of calf smacking with it but not enough to prevent light jogging on downhills.
Overall I was more impressed with the Madboy then I had expected. I was expecting a fun boat that would be fast yet still handle the Green with ease. I didn’t expect a boat that would feel so stable and not out of its realm on the V+ yet still being a very fun boat to play around with on the easier stuff.
Kudos.
Adam,
final photo "landbridge" shot by Chris Gragtmans
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Bulls Bridge video (just for fun)
and, in case the embedded video does not play for you
here is the direct link on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zxqsbz_I_U
Monday, May 11, 2009
Dragorossi adjustable Bulkhead for 2009
taken out of a Mad Boy for easy viewing
adjust the bulkhead to the length you want while sitting in your boat
loosen the four screws with the supplied hex key
adjust the white plates out as far as the boat will allow
adjust the black plates up as far as you can to fill in the space
tighten the four screws again (hand tight only, no need to crank it)
you are ready to go for general river running at this point
but, if you are using this system in a creek boat you need to add at least 3" of minicel on top of it
it's easy to do because the adjusted bulkhead gives you a perfect template to trace onto minicel.
adjust the bulkhead to the length you want while sitting in your boat
loosen the four screws with the supplied hex key
adjust the white plates out as far as the boat will allow
adjust the black plates up as far as you can to fill in the space
tighten the four screws again (hand tight only, no need to crank it)
you are ready to go for general river running at this point
but, if you are using this system in a creek boat you need to add at least 3" of minicel on top of it
it's easy to do because the adjusted bulkhead gives you a perfect template to trace onto minicel.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
DR ratchets and IR ratchets are the same size
so, if your local DragoRossi dealer
Dragorossi.com
is waiting on ratchets for you, and you are in need (in the U.S.)
You can hit up Immersion Research's Raw Materials Mart
http://materials.immersionresearch.com/
and buy the ratchets or ladders, which are the same everest system used with the Dragorossi Kayaks.
Dragorossi.com
is waiting on ratchets for you, and you are in need (in the U.S.)
You can hit up Immersion Research's Raw Materials Mart
http://materials.immersionresearch.com/
and buy the ratchets or ladders, which are the same everest system used with the Dragorossi Kayaks.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Port Jervis wwpark and revitalization project
could use your help
if you decide to help, and think it's a good idea
then take the 60 seconds to sign the petition below
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/port-jervis-river-front-and-whitewater-park
and help us get the ball rolling towards
a river clean up
a whitewater park
fishing access
walking/jogging/biking trails
a municipal park
for everyone to enjoy
if you decide to help, and think it's a good idea
then take the 60 seconds to sign the petition below
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/port-jervis-river-front-and-whitewater-park
and help us get the ball rolling towards
a river clean up
a whitewater park
fishing access
walking/jogging/biking trails
a municipal park
for everyone to enjoy
Friday, May 01, 2009
N.E.W. Triple Crown great success!!!
The weekend started off with a spectacular break in the weather; the shining sun warmed the Tariffville Gorge into the 80's, giving people a glimpse of summer.
Day one saw full time athletes wondering if they could perform well enough in their "off" discipline. Slalom athletes worried about freestyle. Freestyle athletes worried about slalom. Everyone wondered if they could keep the tippy, super fast wildwater boats under control enough to put up good times.
Weekend warriors showed up and competed in all three events. Some borrowed wildwater boats and were paddling them for the first time. Others, like me, paddled their retro plastic boats as fast as they could, hoping to be close enough to qualify for the next day.
In the good spirit of friendly competiton, fellow athletes were loaning each other slalom kayaks, making sure that everyone who wanted, was able to race in a slalom boat. Those who felt more comfortable in their plastic boats took on the challenge of the gates in their river runners or creek boats. Four people, including Ted DeVoe, raced in the plastic slalom boat.
It seemed like everyone had a freestyle boat. Playboats seem to be the default whitewater craft. There is a good reason for it. They are meant to play (that little kid in all of us still wants us to play).
I was competing and volunteering, so did not take any photos.
But, plenty of spectators had their cameras, and the photos are rolling in to the main website for the event.
TvillTripleCrown.com
Look at the photo links on the site.
Enjoy the photos as they are uploaded onto the gallery.
Share your photos if you were at the event and had a good time.
Day one saw full time athletes wondering if they could perform well enough in their "off" discipline. Slalom athletes worried about freestyle. Freestyle athletes worried about slalom. Everyone wondered if they could keep the tippy, super fast wildwater boats under control enough to put up good times.
Weekend warriors showed up and competed in all three events. Some borrowed wildwater boats and were paddling them for the first time. Others, like me, paddled their retro plastic boats as fast as they could, hoping to be close enough to qualify for the next day.
In the good spirit of friendly competiton, fellow athletes were loaning each other slalom kayaks, making sure that everyone who wanted, was able to race in a slalom boat. Those who felt more comfortable in their plastic boats took on the challenge of the gates in their river runners or creek boats. Four people, including Ted DeVoe, raced in the plastic slalom boat.
It seemed like everyone had a freestyle boat. Playboats seem to be the default whitewater craft. There is a good reason for it. They are meant to play (that little kid in all of us still wants us to play).
I was competing and volunteering, so did not take any photos.
But, plenty of spectators had their cameras, and the photos are rolling in to the main website for the event.
TvillTripleCrown.com
Look at the photo links on the site.
Enjoy the photos as they are uploaded onto the gallery.
Share your photos if you were at the event and had a good time.