Author Topic: Groovin on an OC-2  (Read 2307 times)

headmount

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Groovin on an OC-2
« on: May 24, 2016, 11:38:30 AM »
Covesurfer and I have been learning how to drive a Mack truck of a canoe.  While maneuverability suffers from its size, momentum is spectacular.  We have a few others we've seen as examples, notably Dave Kalama and Junya McGurn.  One thing I think we're discovering is that the ride is better the faster you get it rolling.  At the finish of the run, we did a sprint inside the harbor where Cove's GPS registered 9. 

Cove has been at the wheel so far and is showing his experience from the OC-1 while learning the steering limits of the OC-2.  I've been learning how best to help in the back seat by maintaining our side to side balance on glides.  Glides can be a minefield when you get crossing swell angles and the boat can really whip.  The back seat guy is most vulnerable to that whip.  If you're laying back to handle a big drop, you're lightening your weighting on your seat.  This is where getting washed off your seat can easily happen if you get hit by one that caps even a little bit. 

To handle this, I attached a stick-on leash plug south of the leash attachment already on the boat.  Between the two I put two thicknesses of rope duct taped together.  It makes a fine handle.  As soon as it becomes apparent that we're in a glide, I'm grabbing that handle like a bronco rider.  It keeps me glued solidly into the seat and allows me to center my weight without being as vulnerable to any sudden whips.  Like being a good rider on the back of a motorcycle, centering is key. 

Of course we're still learning.  Yesterday had one flip at speed and another wash out for both of us, oddly enough on the ama side.  Cove went in first and grabbed the ama on the way, the ama sank, the boat tipped and I followed him in.  Both times featured me swimming up wind a ways to fetch my hat.  Not too bad a swim with Cove keeping my paddle but still slow with camelback.  Don't like being slow out in the deep blue.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2016, 11:45:18 AM by headmount »

PonoBill

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2016, 12:27:36 PM »
I'd suggest putting the handle between your legs--better bronc-riding leverage, but any photos of you guys in a big swell would look like you might be having a little too much fun. You might consider a leash for that hat--a string with an alligator clip going to your sunglasses strap or shirtback. You can't be losing that thing now, it's just getting broken in.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

covesurfer

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2016, 12:35:46 PM »
Thanks to HM and our buddy from the Great White North for letting us have a go at the OC2!

It's been super fun learning. Paddling OC1 and learning the balance, which is not a short process, kind of opens the mind to understanding why the boat is responding the way it does. It is much harder to feel what is happening and how balance is affecting things in the more truck-like 2 man. There's also the matter of having a lot more variables with two paddlers and two bodies shifting weight around in the boat. I've been learning how important weight distribution is in OC1 and slowly learning to feel the affects it has on the canoe. Getting on the OC2 is like starting all over again.

The rudder, which I've been struggling with in the two macanu, is only part of the way you control the boat. I'm not positive, but I think we are weighting the ama too much and overwhelming the rudder. We don't necessarily need to get the ama up in the air, but we need to get it light and be comfortable if we need to drag our blades to balance on the right. Learning to feel what the hull is doing, how much roll you have at any given time, and when to correct balance is a subtle thing that I am sure takes time to figure out in the OC2, just like it does in the OC1.

We had two pretty good falls yesterday, one was a huli and the other an ama down, double wash out.
At least we know we can get our act back together, collect all our lost gear and get back up and running, even with some decent sized windswell coming at us. HM saw a big shadow go under the boat, and that was before our second fall. I put all that completely out of mind. I was focusing on the nice warm, blue ocean and how lucky we were to not be in cold black water, which is what it would be in the Pacific Northwest.

Stoked to go again. We had some really good, well balanced connections out there yesterday, especially at the top of the run where the swells and wind were a little more lined up. As it got more and more northerly, and the swells began to stack on the Kanaha reefs, it got very challenging. I have to get in the mindset that learning the OC2 is an almost entirely new thing and that we're not going to get skilled without paying some dues. South shore might let us work on our skills a little more while taking a little less out of our hides.

Pono just gave me another idea, I'll bring my Go Pro today and we can put it on one of the i'akos. Then we can see what we are doing when we're going the right way and the wrong way.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2016, 12:39:09 PM by covesurfer »

headmount

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2016, 09:40:22 PM »
It's obviously all about the hat. Yesterday my hat was of a grocery store, a great health food store, Mana, in Paia. But it's no hat to wear on a paddle.

Today was a perfect run. No flips, no wash outs and the hat on my head was a paddlers hat, from Paddle with Jeremy Riggs.Covesurfer had no hat as his was lost yesterday. Accessories matter.

PonoBill

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2016, 09:55:57 PM »
I got a hat for him, that goofy one I bought that says Pono Up. Then again, that has some kind of potential connotation that I'm not really clear on but I don't think I like. So never mind.

The big benefit of cold water is how rapidly you get back onto the board or boat. Much quicker. I was gonna do a DW today, but my knee got a little hosed marching up and down the hills in San Francisco. Fun little trip, but I'm back to two-stepping my way down the staircase. Shit.

Greg, I think I saw Abbey today headed into Roseauers. I yelled "Hey, Tats" but she ignored me. Hard to understand why. I was limping like Walter Brennan and dressed like a homeless grease monkey, but still just cute as hell. And yeah, she was staring at her phone so I'm pretty sure it was Abbey. Either that or there's yet another young girl in HR who thinks I'm some kind of perv.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2016, 09:58:38 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

covesurfer

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2016, 10:40:31 PM »
We had an amazing run on the south shore in the 2 macanu. Going over to that side, you feel like you almost know what you're doing. We smoked the run and didn't make many errors. My far from flawless steering buried the nose when I'd get overcharged and not angle enough across the waves to avoid hitting the troughs but other than that, we were not bad for a couple of newby OC2 guys.

I even called HM 'Junya' one time after a really fast couple of connections. There was a lot of bridging over swells. With the added horsepower of two charged paddlers, it is really surprising what you can catch. I can't wait to go again although it sounds like our wind is about to crap out for an extended period. There may be some swells hitting, there is a NW on the horizon that may be just a few days out and a couple of storms near New Zealand that could give us some south. That would be a welcome treat, especially if it dies out for tradewind.

That may have been Tats, PB. I'll ask her if she was at Rosauers when I talk to her. She's coming in two weeks for 12 days. I got a used F14, hollow, for her to do some downwinders on. Hoping everything aligns by then.

PonoBill

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2016, 11:07:13 PM »
Oh, yeah, Headmount and Junya have a lot in common. Both homo sapiens, for example. At least I think so. Does he call you "Dave" in return. It's like a little two-man club.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

covesurfer

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2016, 12:30:36 AM »
Hahaha, oh yeah we got ourselves a two macanu club alright

headmount

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2016, 01:42:04 AM »
Yet another no wash out, no flip over day.  Pretty fast too.  Lightish wind that would have been a slug on a Bullet but on the OC-2 it was spectacular.  We're learning to work within the limits of driving a truck like canoe but we almost ran over our shuttling partner Kathy on her 16.5 inch wide surfski.  Actually would have been a T-bone.  Starting to feel more at ease weighting right side by using blades as amas. 

Mostly I'm beginning to see what Cove sees and get tuned into his stroke changes.  When we're in sync we can move out pretty good.

Feeling totally new areas on my body and going to sleep earlier.

covesurfer

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Re: Groovin on an OC-2
« Reply #9 on: May 28, 2016, 11:38:58 AM »
Three hours of standup surfing followed by a hauling ass canoe run with Headmount, aka, da commander.
There was NO slacking off yesterday. When I'd lighten up, HM would make sure I got it in gear again toute de suite. Made for a super fast run on Maliko in light conditions.

We were just a couple minutes over an hour which is not a bad time at all. Do you think we got a warm down inside the harbor? Da commander said 'dig' so I did. And so did he. We hammered the 1/2 mile across the harbor, after 9.5 miles of sprints to catch glides. I am feeling places that haven't been worked in a while. Some of it is from surfing yesterday and the day before but most of it is from driving the boat with a serious effort.

It actually feels great and I am sure this training is going to pay off on the standup board and OC1 both. I fell asleep at 5 pm for about 2 hours, woke up, made dinner and felt fine until I got horizontal about 10pm when I just passed out. I had been planning to get up early and head west for more surf but I'm still dragging. It's time I get it in gear. Big mahalos to HM for his coaching in the boat and for getting us on the water 4 times in past week or so. We are improving as a two man team and we can feel it by the way the boat performs and what the watch says. Very addictive. Hope we go again soon.

 


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