Author Topic: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report  (Read 403308 times)

1paddle2paddle

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #285 on: November 26, 2011, 12:37:33 PM »
Did a ski run this morning - no camera. Winds were more northerly (NNE trades) which for HK run means even less fetch and smaller bumps, and even less push once you pass Black Point. Fortunately the ski excels in the flatwater - its still work, but less work than most other alternatives.

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1paddle2paddle

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #286 on: November 26, 2011, 11:02:43 PM »
Wow this afternoon was a whole different ball of wax from this morning.  About as big as the HK run ever gets.  Some incredible rides.  Unfortunately no footage...

Only drawback was that northerly wind made the section after Black Point not much fun as the wind wanted to push us away from the island and we had to claw along Diamond Head until we could come in at Kaimana.

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #287 on: November 27, 2011, 08:09:02 AM »
It was howling here too.  The south shore is usually very good in NE conditions, but it was a touch too N.  If it goes 20 or 30 degrees at the airport, the wind direction gets shifty.  It was offshore and scary on my oc-1.  I hugged the coast and played it safe. 

It was great early on, but started to get ugly later in the afternoon.  Ugly as in 50 mph gusts blowing off shore.  I felt bad for anyone on standup.  Very windy, very dangerous.   
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808sup

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #288 on: November 27, 2011, 08:57:42 PM »
DANGEROUS indeed! The view from the Pali looking towards N.Kihei was enough for me to think.....How far is Tahiti from here?  :o btw it is neither spring nor summer anymore. However it is still smokin!
« Last Edit: November 27, 2011, 09:02:22 PM by 808sup »

1paddle2paddle

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #289 on: November 28, 2011, 10:08:14 AM »
808, this thread was previously hijacked into a surfski or "what was the run like today thread..."

Yesterday afternoon started out as one of the best 20 minutes of downwinding I've ever had on HK run, then after it quickly deteriorated into a confused, light wind mess.  Another reason I hate that run...all the conditions can seem to be ideal and it can still be more work than fun.  It probably didn't help I was tired from 2 runs on Saturday.

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #290 on: November 30, 2011, 03:12:34 AM »
Easy south shore run in light wind conditions.  Very fun on a ski, nice workout.  Gradually trying to work on my form.  A forward stroke is tricky to figure out when downwinding.  Reading the waves and balancing takes a lot of my attention.  Relaxing my shoulders helps.  Also focusing on getting the blade out of the water as early as possible.  Any pull past the hip is a big no-no.  Keeping my chin up and chest forward is important, no slouching.  Also trying to get the top hand forward to set up the stroke.  Good fun.  Camera is a huge help.  I'm hoping to get some side shots soon.  Still a long way to go before tackling the north shore on a windy day.  When I can initiate the pull with my legs and hips comfortably, I'll be ready.  Still a long, long way to go.  

South Shore 11-29-11
« Last Edit: November 30, 2011, 03:48:03 AM by LaPerouseBay »
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1paddle2paddle

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #291 on: November 30, 2011, 10:48:00 AM »
Keeping my chin up and chest forward is important, no slouching.
Amen brother

headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #292 on: November 30, 2011, 10:57:14 AM »
Really cool.  I can't wait to see you on a ripping Maliko with that thing.  I think you'll need a drag chute to slow down enough.

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #293 on: November 30, 2011, 02:28:58 PM »
Trust me, at the rate I'm going it may not be for another year.  My view on downwinding in a ski may appear overly cautious to some, so be it.  It's a wonder I'm out there at all. 

It's hard to describe how difficult ski's are (for me) in windy conditions.  When a foamy crest zooms up behind, it can fill the bucket with about 30 pounds of water.  This must be avoided by anticipating the swells.  If I can't keep the hull speed up and/or steer across the waves properly, the ocean starts to eat me.

When hull speed goes down on standup or oc-1, it's not as unforgiving.  I can float along and rest a bit.  Easy correction strokes will keep a safe heading. 

IMO, on a ski, when I fall behind - and get a full bucket - the best option is to sprint into something before getting twisted, mown, rolled and spat out of the boat. 

Another option is to stick my legs out of the boat and rest.  Trouble is, ski's are designed to move.  The big ass on the ski wants to spin with the waves.  Sitting with legs out, correcting direction in the wind and waves isn't easy - but it's an option.     

Once spat, remounting is a can of worms.  The leash, the paddle and the angle of the boat to the waves need to be dealt with.  Again, I'm dealing with zero hull speed and following seas (and wind) that want to twist and roll me as I try to get in.  It's tough even in medium wind. 

Ski people are very concerned with safety gear.  Do the remount a few times and you get tired.  Get tired and the balance suffers. 

Then it can get ugly. 

My goal is to bite off what I can chew. That video of me from the front clearly shows me at my aerobic limit, punctuated with anerobic sprints.  Barely making the glides, using my arms - poor rotation - not good.  No real reserve if I fall behind.  It's a windy south shore run which can be challenging to keep up with, but no where near the mayhem of the north shore. 

A windy maliko would devour me - early on.  Probably before Baldwin.

I'll wait until my core initiates the power.  At this point it's all a bunch of pieces, not yet glued together.  Good fun, but not ready for the big show.  I'm gonna need a hemi to survive the north shore.  Or an epic V-8.

Maybe I'll include some swampings, falls and remounts to help illustrate the rough patches.
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LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #294 on: December 03, 2011, 08:00:39 AM »
Friday afternoon's run had light to medium wind, good direction.  The camera mount is moved back three feet, but too low. 

The spin outs show how easy it is to lose control even in light conditions. 

The segment at the end - heading left - is relatively smooth.  In light winds, I steer left at the steepest angle I can manage.  It's good practice for offshore conditions.  Spin out's and stalls are tough to avoid in higher winds. 

south shore 12-2-11     
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LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #295 on: December 04, 2011, 07:28:30 PM »
Fun times in the harbor this morning.  Sundays are a social-demo day for epic skis.  Wind was very light so I paddled out a few hundred yards past the entrance.  The north shore always has some swells if the wind is east.  The rides in are thrilling in a ski. 

harbor 12-4-11
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1paddle2paddle

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #296 on: December 05, 2011, 12:58:41 PM »
Hey LPB, I noted on your 12/2 video both of your spin outs were to the right.  I was thinking about it and realized that many of my spin outs are also to the right.  I'm wondering if that is some kind of holdover from coming from OC-1 paddling where you can only lean right; the 'ama does not allow you to lean over to the left. 

The Fenn XT was much more prone to being spun than the V10, similar to what happened to you in the video.  IMO this was because the lack of tail rudder made it more likely that the following wave would grab and bury the tail, preventing me from using the rudder to release the tail and turn back into the wave.  Even though I put a mondo 11" rudder on the boat, once the wave grabbed the tail and started to rotate me out of the wave, I could not turn the boat back to the wave with the rudder.

On the XT, if I faced the situation of being spun out to the right like in the video, I would lean the boat hard over LEFT which had the effect of giving more effective rocker (the extra width of the boat then acting as rocker), and then the rudder (which was being engaged hard left) would help to lift the tail out of the water, releasing it from the wave.  It seems counter intuitive to lean towards the downside of the wave, but it usually would help me avoid a spin and I was more likely to be able to bring the boat back into the wave.

Sometimes it felt like crash test paddling, bouncing around in the bumps, but it worked.

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #297 on: December 05, 2011, 10:06:07 PM »
Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try.  So many tricks to learn in a ski.  It's getting better for me, time on the water is helping. 

Tonight's run was quite windy.  I was too lazy to risk fast angles across the waves - so I was mainly using the paddle as an ama - often dragging the boat to a safe heading.  Undoubtedly slowed me down, but it's almost foolproof to prevent a broach.  Some days I just want to stay in the boat.  Fun run. 

It's interesting that the v-10S and your xt are more prone to spin out than the v-10.  It should be fun moving up once I get this one figured out.   
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1paddle2paddle

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #298 on: December 06, 2011, 11:38:02 AM »
I drag the paddle like an 'ama a lot too when its rough.  Plus, although dragging/bracing slows you down a bit, it doesn't slow you down as much as going in the drink.

I don't have enough time on the V10S to know why it does what it does.  I've tried it on a couple of downwind runs and found it was a bit of improvement over the Fenn XT with a touch more tail rocker and improved rudder position (the XT's rudder was too far back I thought), but that the boats were quite similar in terms of stability.  The regular V10 has a bit of tail rocker right behind the rudder, I assume that this has been sufficient for the most part to prevent the tail from getting hung up in the following wave and me getting spun out.  But I roll the V10 onto its sides a lot too - I think this is where skis really have an advantage over the OC-1 - the ability to roll the boat to help control it in addition to using the rudder and paddle bracing.

I just noticed my typo in earlier post - the lack of tail ROCKER, not rudder

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #299 on: December 06, 2011, 10:11:52 PM »
Now that you mention it, the rolling is a lot more common for me as I gain experience.  As I gain confidence in my ability to right the boat, I don't panic anymore if it goes over, just kick it up with a heel drive or whack it up with the paddle. 

The comments about rocker are interesting.  I'd never looked at the differences between my boat and others, but certainly will next Sunday at the weekly get together.  Rolling the boat to get the tail out of a spin is definitely on my practice list.

Tonight's run was less windy, but a low tide over a reef had me zooming right to stay in safe water.  It was a blast.  Only one spin out to the right.  Super happy with the ski.  Perfect weapon to get killer glides on the south shore in light wind.
         
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