Fluid Dynamics

“Its the lowest river levels in 37years” the man on the radio said – it is not the kind of news you want to hear as you drive to the register your kayak the day before the race. For weeks we had all been watching and discussing the long term weather forecasts, praying for the high pressure systems to float away and for a big strong cold front to sweep across the wheat belt. As the race weekend drew closer more and more people pulled the pin. Many having endured the conditions of 2006 (River Level 0.3m) decided they couldn’t put themselves through the pain and suffering and likely possibility of being pulled out due to missing the cut off times. It seemed it was all down to grid starting times and pacing your race to ensure the cut off at the ti trees (4pm) was achieved

To push up the nerves and anxiety the Short Plastics (ie slowest boats in shallow water) were for some bizarre reason allocated the last 5 Grids of the Start…it was panning out to be a cluster of adversity sent to deter us stoic short plastic paddlers….”bring it on” some where saying in an attempt energize their spirits and bodies too.

I spent the afternoon checking out the portage routes and taking some pictures of what was surely a historical low for the Avon Descent. I had lunch in Northam and got stung $8.50 for a bowl of chips. It was sad to see the river so low and I could only imagine the chaos that would be the start of Day 1.

Day 1 – I woke up full of enthusiasm and was pretty relaxed about it all …at the end all I could do was give it my best shot, have a laugh along the way (if possible) and just keep focusing on getting through to the ti tree’s by 4pm. I had my planned times written onto the distance stickers so I could judge if I was in with a chance or not. My plan was

Gird 68 – Start at 8:50am, Katrine Bridge 17km from Start by 11am, 11km further to Extracts Weir by 12pm, 5km further to Toodyay by 1pm, 6km to West Toodyay by 2pm, Ti Tree’s by 3pm, Finish by 4:30pm – giving a total of about 7h:30m for the 52km Day 1 run at a average speed of 7km/hr. My assumptions were based on the Northam Toodyay Race which I had actually won for my class (32km in 3hrs 37m) plus some added time for low water (I mean no water) and stoppages for congestions etc…plus I would be going slower to make sure I lasted the distance.

At the start I was pretty relaxed, I had decided to portage the Northam Weir, so my skirt was not on and I paddled at pretty relaxed pace, all the while knowing that tension and nerves can drain your energy very quickly. So as I ran aground I hoped out the boat grabbed the short leash I had tied onto my front handhold and took off down the slippery chute, jumping and trying to avoid rocks, boats, people and generally make it to the first channel…it is pretty funny to see my start to a paddle race….

Anyway eventually I got in the hopper and started to weave my way through the very tight and shallow channels with all the other short plastics. It was often impossible to get a paddle in the water with boats on either side of you and everyone just pushing and pulling each other through the channels and sandbanks blocking the river.

The Short Plastics were soon right on the backs of the plastic doubles (515’s) who due to their extra weight ran aground more often, they did create some good waves which sometime we could use to ride over the shallows on. It was chaos, having to get out the boat every 10min, drag it for 5-20m metres, hop back in, struggle to get going again, and then sometimes within 20m get out again…patience was wearing thin and soon lots of laughing was replaced with curses, smiles were replaced with grimaces. Bleeding legs, sprains and everyone falling around like drunks – it would have been a comedy if it wasn’t so sad.

Most of us have put in hours and hours of paddle training to be sure we could paddle for 8hours straight, not many would have trained for getting in and out the boat 30times, falling over at least 10 times, 50 sit ups, and 20 squat lifts with a 30kg boat full of water and getting wacked on the head and legs by the struggling masses trying like hell to just get going.

Finally after about an hour, the field started to spread out, but at each sandbank or rock bar the field would bunch up again as we all tried to manoeuvre our way through the shallows, some preferred to paddle like crazy people, splashing the water and spearing those who decided to walk in the legs.

As soon as the water started to deepen (really only about ½ to 1m deep) in some long pools, I started to feel more comfortable and I was really stocked to see Katerine Bridge and passed through the bridge after 2hrs 44min (already 44min behind my planned time). I gave the paddle a twirl above my head and was stoked to see Mel, the boys and Jess with big smiles. They told me I was going really well and only about 4-5hoppers had gone through. Jess filled up the hydration pack with a new 2l cold Gatorade mix…Unfortunately I bent over to quickly to try empty my boat and gave myself a icy yellow shower of Gatorade (ha ha)..with a mouth full of banana and wave I was off.

I jumped on the back of another 2 red hoppers, and another red hopper jumped on my wash, the 2 guys at the front gave me a bit of a scowl…funny how some people hate it when others wash ride on their wake. I can understand if it’s a flat water marathon and they are 1^st and 2^nd positions, but really guys…we were in position 200’sh and about 15^th in our class – so whats the harm. Anyway it was a good run to Glen Avon rapid, normally the great little drop, this year it was a messy portage and I lost contact with the 2 wash suppliers, as I took off without them and they didn’t catch up till Extracts. The long pool leading to Extracts my back and shoulders started to cramp up – it was very sore. At one stage in a lovely deep water, my stomach muscle cramped up so much it took my breath away, my right forearm cramped and as I tried to stretch it, my blade caught and plop (in I went)…bugger…I managed to jump in using a old tree stump (thank god it was there, as this was the deepest part of the river with steep banks). The cold swim must have done me some good – I slowed my pace and just cruised to Extracts.

The portage at Extracts was a good advert for plastic kayaks and the abuse they can handle. I dragged my hopper like a stubborn goat, over the rocky bank and down to see Mel, the boys and Jess – all the muttered was “Man I’m tired”. Mel was happy with my pace and told me I had made up 20min…I wolfed down 3 little peanut butter and syrup sandwhiches, half a banana, 4 power lollies and a Power Shot. Another 2 litres of plain cold water and I was off with a smile and wave…hooray for support crews. I was feeling good – I could make this!

The pictures don’t make me look like I was having fun…I was… but I was hurting too.

Only about 3km to Toodyay – with some good little channels which were all able to be paddled without portage. The Toodyay Checkpoint came up and the crowds gave a good cheer and made me feel pretty good. My time to Toodyay was 4hr:45min (2hrs from Katerine) – Was pretty much still on track, but would that 1^st stretch of 17km be my (and others) downfall. The 4pm cut off was looming.

The section from Toodyay to West Toodyay (about 6km) was generally pretty good going. Toodyay rapid was a bit of a struggle and we had difficult portage. Not long after that (about 1 hr) I paddled into West Toodyay to see the black & white jester hats bobbing along the bank. I was still feeling pretty good – breathing was relaxed but the arms and stomach had started to cramp up again. More food, powershots and a re-fill of the hydration. A big smile and a good luck and I was off on the last leg…make the 4pm cut off and cruise to the finish.

About 15min of steady paddling, and again my arm cramped, and in I went – my brace completely failed probably due to fatigue and general tiredness. I emptied the boat as best I could and hopped back in the hopper. Another Short Plastic pasted me and said “geez it’s the silly mistakes that kill hey !!”. Soon the river widened and the river started running through the sand as opposed to over it. I was a case of weaving from left to right and back to try and find as much water under the boat as possible. Lots and lots and lots of side strokes were needed because the water was not deep enough to cover the blade in the vertical…lots of getting out and sloshing through the ankle deep water…it was exhausting but also mentally very tiring.

After about an 1hr (3:30pm ish) I was dragging the hopper (AGAIN) with 2 guys in a 515. I casually said “well atleast we pasted the TiTree Cut Off!!” – they replied “not yet mate – we still got 30min but we haven’t go there yet”. I had started to slow paddling and walking – I wanted to conserve energy for the tree’s as I knew I didn’t want to be to knacked to not be able to steer in those trees and I knew some channels would be completely blocked by logs (and probably boats/ski’s etc)

At 3:57pm I walked through the Ti Tree Check point and entered the last bit of Day 1 (3min to spare….crazy)

The trees went fairly well and it was nice to have some flow under the boat and being able to make distance with less effort than those hellish shallow pools we had just ooched through. The only problem was paddlers started to bunch up again and it wasn’t long before, I was getting bumped, knocked and finally bundled into the trees, roots and rocks. I don’t really blame anyone as everyone was so tired boat control was not high on the priority and survival and finishing was the most important thing. I got completely nailed by my long companions for the day (the red 515) and pushed under a nice big fallen tree, capsized and stuck in the tree’s. By now it was getting cold, the sun was shining directly into my eyes, couldn’t see a thing and the cramps where now completely all over my body, stomach, back, shoulders, forearms (and probably brain too)

I bumped down Leatherhead rapid and with 50m to go, put in 1 valiant sprint to the finish..pretty much dead on 5pm….8hrs 21min after starting.

Day 2 – the full saga in next edition of AD 2010

Saturday 26th – coldest day in Perth ever  – it was -0.6 degrees this morning.

Winters in Perth are quite mild compared to many other cities around the world. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Perth City was the overnight minimum of 0.0 C on the 27th July, 1998 and on the 15th July, 1997, this beat the old record of 1.2 C on the 7th July, 1916

What a brilliant day to go swiming in the cold Avon River as part of the Safety Assesment. Due to insurance requirements it has become necessary for all entrants to either have completed an assesment or to have done the race with last 3 years.

Since I last did the Avon Descent in 1999. It was a swim for me …The basic assesment covers wet exit, swiming in rapids, identifying river hazards and ferry glide swiming..plus some wading practice (I dont think I will be wading white water ever – but thats part of the assesment so I did it anyway)

The river is still very very low and barely paddleable. It is just less than 0.25 on the Walyunga Guage ( The race is normally held in river levels of 0.5 and above)

It was a cold and rocky swim and I was glad to be back in boat after the assesment. I did a quick(ish) run from above Bells to Bollands Elbow but had to use hands as much as paddle to get through the rapids.

Heres a few pictures of the Avon Valley on the coldest morning Perth ever had….Rain Dances will be order of the day at the pub tonight.

Bells Winter Morning

bells drop - low water

Downriver Race #3 in WA Wildwater Series.

The race was held on the Upper Swan between Amiens Corner and Barret Street Footbridge. The race route had to be modified 2 days before the event due to no rain. The river is still too low to do the normal Ti Tree race which runs from Bollands Elbow (below Bells) to Amiens Corner.

The race was a 6km DR format race with 33 paddlers starting at 1minute intervals.

The 1st 500m was very tight with some tricky bends to negotiate before a long slog to the finish – heaps of shallow sandbanks to get the heart rate up – normally just when you were getting a nice rythm going.

Race time varied from about 35minutes to 45minutes.

All in all a good race and a good wake up for the big one on the 7th Aug…bring it on

So its begun – the training leading up to the Avon Descent is now in full swing…its pretty tough after a brilliant summer with long warm evenings, great surf and some very cool Collie runs on those warm, sparkly clear summer days.

The rains havent come yet, but the evenings are colder, darker and its just so much easier to stay in bed than on the river. If you can drag yourself out of bed and brave the pre-dawn river, its well worth the effort. The winds are non-existant, the boaties are all at home and the river resembles a huge mirror, reflecting the magnificient colours of dawn. Pelicans and darters streching out in the early morning mist as you glide by.

Its not all cruising though and the interval training has started and some long training runs to get used to spending long hours in the boat. The paddling is getting better, stronger and more smooth….now we just need the rain to start and the white water to start flowing.

The 1st races have started too

Bevan Dashwood Dash a 12km race in the upper reaches of the Canning, see my other post. It was a hot day – about 35 C deg – and I probably didnt need those extra beers the night before…1:40:00 not a great time – but I pushed through the pain and it was good to finish.

Next up the the John Sim Race up at the Ascot Canoe Club, another 12km race. This time on my birthday, paddled a little stronger and although I pushed a bit hard to start with – finished quiet well and got a 4th place with 1:18:00.

Last weekend competed in the Finn Paddle Challenge, 18km race. It was a great day with very little wind and a good field of 260plus boats in the race. A good race and another 4th, with an overall race time of 1:58:40.

Next up is the Double Barkers (24km) and then Northam to Toodyay (33km)…plus hopefully lots of white water and some Valley runs and some more play time in the flip stick.

Having never paddle on the Canning River before and since this Sunday the Bevan Dashwood Race was to be held this Sunday- I decided to do a bit of reconnaisence and paddle the race section.

I loaded up the Wavehopper and set off….time to start training for the Avon anyway !!

The Bevan Dashwood “Dash” is a annual race held to raise funds for the WA junior slalom team.

This race is an old favourite – the upper reaches of the Canning make for a twisty-turny course with tree lined banks and much birdlife. There’s a portage at Kent Street Weir. It’s easy to get lost if you haven’t done this course before so photocopy the street directory of the relevant pages and do a practice run. The floating (rather pretty) “weed” you see may slow you down, but it’s harmless. The following paragraph comes from a February, 1999, edition of Canoe WA, the canoeing association’s former magazine: 

“According to a scientist at the Water and Rivers Commission it (the “weed”) is a harmless floating fern called azola which helps to keep the blue-green algae at bay (competes for the nutrients). Currents and the wind cause it to collect in certain places. You can paddle through it; it’s not toxic and will wash off your boat.”

Who is Bevan Dashwood? He’s one of that group of pioneering canoeists who started it all in Western Australia in the mid sixties. And he’s still paddling! He started up Darling Range Canoe Club whose home waters are this section of the Canning River.  He has made an important contribution to canoeing, in particular, slalom, and is a life-time member of the state canoeing association.

The Canning River regional park is really an oasis in the urban suburb of Perth, WA. With 13km of tidal waterway and wetlands surrounded by swamp, wetlands and parks. Definitely the best way to appreciate and see this area is by canoe or kayak.

I started at Riverton Bridge which has a purpose built canoe entry point and car park. It is so good to be away from the power boats which I have to paddle with in East Fremantle and to have smooth quiet water, with no wind and waves.

I paddled up stream to Kent Street Weir which is a compulsory portage on race day, then further on to Hester Park. After this section the river is pretty weedy and difficult to paddle in.

Its a 13km round trip which took me about 2 hours, I did make 2 fairly big detours by choosing the wrong channel.

One of the amazing parts of this section of river is the birdlife which is just amazing and being in a kakay lets you get really nice and close to them.

I also saw a nice large turtle (Teripin) and some huge goldfish (apparently released in the river and are quiet a big problem to native fish species)

Some of the birds I saw included

Spoonbillsm White faced Heron, Balck Swan, Moorhen, Swamphen, Black Duck and lots of Cormarants and Darts, plus a few Pelicans.

Here’s a few pictures.

Amazing place right in the middle of a big city.

Smooth and Calm

Christmas Eve 2009 some of the Murray paddler crew decided to do an early run of the Upper Collie before heading home for mince pies, cold beers and presents from our favourite kayak shops.

The team consisted of myself, Yvonne, Jen, Amy & Kelvin, and “Collie” Rob. Here’s a shot of us at the Put In just below the Wellington Dam wall.

put in upper collie

The water release was about 400 megalitres so we hoped for quiet a good run.

The Sun was out and the crew keen to get on it. Despite that we had two swimmers within the 1^st 5min as both Yvonne and Jen got slammed by the jet of the release flume. I had a couple of deep braces but managed to stay up in the first peel out into the flow.

After that it was pretty smooth sailing (err paddling) , except Rob snapped his nice paddle about a km down the river at the water gauge wave, where a roll went wrong, he must have caught his blade in a rock. It gave us some time to have a play on the wave and just take it easy, while he had to walk back to the put in cars to get a spare paddle (next time I will bring my breakdown in the boat)

Here’s a few shots of me and Kelvin playing at the water guage wave – while Rob ran back to the car.

As an interesting aside – Rob took his broken paddle into MainPeak as it was still under warranty, it was an AT2 paddle. MainPeak had no response from the supplier in the USA but still replaced the paddle – so big UP’s to them – they are a good bunch of people and good paddlers.

The next few hours was a combination of tight channels through trees and rocks (classic west coast creeking) – very tight, technical and bumpy. Its pretty low volume so you can bet away with mistakes with just a scratch or 10 and a few slaps from branches.

There are a few nice drops on the upper section, and some really cool rock slides which are great fun. Next time out I will get some video and more pics.

One of the bigger drops is called the “Rapids” – obviously not named by a paddler. I had a rubbish line and bounce-boofed off the bottom rock. Not pretty. Jen had a similar line but managed to tip off the side of the bottom rock. She didnt nail her roll and ended up pinned close to a strainer and log. Luckily me and Rob had got out our boats and had a rope ready. Rob dived in managed to extract her from the boat and pulled her to safety. Not a good place to be pinned or stuck and a good reminder to have safety set up on the more challenging sections.

A woman drowned in a very similar rapid on the upper section, she had apparently gone down the rock slide on an inflatable mat, hit the bottom, shot off the front and got stuck in syphon/strainer.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful and heaps of fun.

Most rapids cannot be scouted, as the are either in or just after narrow channels through the trees. Kelvin has paddled this section a lot so gave some lines (mostly just follow the flow buddy) when it mattered. Cheers Kelvin.

There are a couple of long pools to just lay back, stretch out and enjoy the sun and paddling buddies.

A brilliant way to spend Christmas Eve….I think I will make it an annual event.

OUT

The Collie River is a summer oasis for white water paddlers in the hot dry west Oz where the only cold thing flowing is generally beer (not that thats a bad thing)

The Wellington Dam is with exception of Lake Argyle in the Kimberely, the largest fresh water lake in WA. Kayaking is allowed on the lake and its something I paln to do in a sea kayak or canoe. The real attraction is the fresh water releases for irrigation which flow down natural riverbed (the Collie) creating cool clear pools and steep rocky rapids.

Water flow is measured in million litres per day. Check out Canoeing WA website (see my links) which explains how the release translate into paddleable water.

The River

From the dam wall there is about 6km of rapids to a place called Honeymoon Pool. This section is largely pool drop section, the river is relatively narrow and rocky. Its G3 but people have died on it so it needs to be treated with care, its got its fair share of wood too.

This section includes 3 big drops called the “3 drops” yeah its original I know, Ihavent paddled it yet but I heard its fun so thats on for next trip down.

From Honeymoon Pool (which has an awesome bush campsite with basic facilities) the 1st rapid is called Gelcoat Rapid, its a small rapid (G2) but is not as easy as it looks and has a nice log in it which should be avoided without too much hassel (start right finish left).

After that comes the Waterfall, which is the start of about 10km of evenly spaced white water (G3). The Waterfall is 2 drops, the 1st is the more tricky with a faily retentive stopper at the base, there is also a very ugly looking log on the right side of the drop which is perfect to slam you in the chest or head, and the stopper generally pushes you towards it.

A broad view of the 2 drops of the Falls 

I walked it last time, without the log I might have been braver. Here is a shot of me seal launching instead of running it. I did manage to seal straight into the stopper but with angle came out ok.

After the 1st drop is another more straight forwad great drop over the main falls (2-3m high). The pool below the second drop is great and you can swim up behind the falls and stand on a ledge (apparently).

after thats its just a series of really fun and cool drops and rapids to negotiate. take it slow as wood can be an issue.  There is a few waves and stoppers on the way down to play on ….

Rob on the 1st drop of the Falls

Martin Styling in the old Phat

Yvonne coming to grips with a rock slide

After 10km of great rapids, the river ends at a weir (dam wall) and you have to float out of the valley in an irrigation canal. There are 2 little waves on the canal and there are 3 bridges which you probably have to roll under to get through. Last trip we had to portage as it was too high to roll under.

Getting out the canal is a mission in itself, the walls are smooth and the flow is pretty quick. Set up a rope at the take out and use a carb to attach you boat to it while another rope can be used to help yourself out. After a hard days paddle it can be pretty hectic.

Dont swim or loose gear – there is apparently a tunnel around the next corner which would swallow you or your gear.

The best thing is having a chance to get wet with some mates, cold clean water and blue skies…who could ask for more…not me.

Cheers

The confusion and the cold

The Avon Descent the longest down river race in Western Australia.

Its got everything a sweet water paddler could wish for…long pools winding through native bush, dense ti tree slalom course, excting grade 2-3 raids, with enough technical tiwsts to keep you honest and marathon distance flatwater home …sometimes into a stiff sea breeze to make sure you know you’ve got a challenege on your hands.

Day One: Northam to Cobbler Pool, 57 km

• Mainly moving flatwater. In low water years it can be shallow with sandbanks.
• Man-made obstacles: Northam Weir, Extract’s Weir. Portage is optional. Katrine Bridge is dangerous in high water and there may be compulsory portage.
• 11 km of ti-tree thicket with channels alternating with pools
• Small Grade 1-2 rapids: Glen Avon, Toodyay & Leatherhead

Day 2 – Cobbler Pool to Bayswater (77km)

• 1 km of open ti-tree channel followed by short section of dense ti-tree thicket where the channel is not obvious – portage optional
• 38 km of Grade 2-3 rapids & pools. River falls approx 90 m in this section, “the valley“: main rapids have been named – Super Chute, Emu Falls, Championships, Syd’s & Bell’s. Several others, however, demand as much attention!
• 2 km of open ti-tree with moving water below Upper Swan Bridge
• 27 km of flatwater where river widens and becomes tidal

Here’s a link to the main rapids of Day 2 http://members.iinet.net.au/~rokhor@iinet.net.au/canoe/avonrapids.html.

HISTORY

The Avon Descent was first held in 1973 with just 49 competitors, no rules, no officials, no checkpoints and very few spectators. In the years since, over 25,000 people have competed in the Avon Descent, from novices and families, to World and Olympic Champions.

The Avon River drains the Great Southern and Upper Great Southern regions, actually starting as a river near Wickepin. The Avon River is 240 kilometres in length and the basin covers an area of 120,000 square kilometres, extending from Northam in the west to Southern Cross in the east, north to Dalwallinu and south to Pingrup. From its confluence with Wooroloo Brook in Walyunga National Park the Avon becomes the Swan River. Approximately 60% of the Swan River’s flow is from the Avon River.

The main Northam Pool on the Avon River (start point for the Avon Descent) is the only permanent stretch of natural inland water along the entire Great Eastern Highway between Perth and Adelaide.

The Avon Descent passes through some of Western Australia’s most picturesque country. You will travel through the farming regions of historic Northam and Toodyay, forested national parks, steep gorges, the Swan Valley vineyard region and, eventually, into the tidal waters of the upper Swan River.

The Avon Descent offers competitors conditions ranging from long stretches of flat water that can test the endurance of the fittest athlete through to rapids, sure to test the skills of all who attempt to navigate their unknown contours.

 Check out the Official Web Page : http://www.avondescent.com.au/

I thought I would get the Flipstick wet – so decided to take it out on a small but nice little shore break close to home (Port Beach).

MY FIRST WHITE WATER BOAT – THE MIGHTY415

The 415 is a Medium volume touring and  general purpose short plastic. 

13′ 7″ x 23.6″ (415cm x 60cm)
41 lbs (18kg)

Complete with notch type multi-position footrests, short etha foam buoyancy blocks at bow and stern, separately moulded chamber seat with back strap, aluminum strengthening rib in hull, and end toggles. 

Its a super easy boat to paddle in Grade 1-3 and goes Ok on the flat. I paddle this boat on my maiden Avon Descent and it also took my mate Graza down his first  Avon…so its kind of a virginity breaker.

THE WAVE HOPPER

My newest DownRiver Racing boat the Wavehopper is designed and built by Perception. A French design, built to combine the speed of downriver race boats and the durability of Perception’s MT-2000 super-linear polyethylene whitewater kayaks. Provides the “on-the edge” performance of wildwater racing and it can take the hard knocks of regular whitewater paddling. Basic Dimensions

13′ 2″ Long (4.01m), 24″ at the widest (the hips/wings), about 18kg and total volume of about 360l (90 Gallons). Means its really stable in and punches most holes and stoppers with ease. It’s great to lean into turns and goes pretty good on the flats.

Its Red too which makes it heaps faster ….

THE RPM by DAGGER.

..all round the best boat ever designed.

The Hype from Eddy Flower Website:

If you took every RPM ever sold and lined them up, you’d have a whole lotta irate paddlers standing around. Seriously though folks, the RPM remains the best selling kayak ever. That’s ever. Wanna know why? It starts with a stable and forgiving design that makes the RPM ideal for beginners who seek a versatile river runner with a displacement hull. Add carving performance and solid front and back surfs with dynamic stern squirts and you can’t go wrong. Just for good measure, you’ll also get a thermoformed seat and adjustable backband. The classic paddler loves us for this one.

THE BLISS STICK FLIPSTICK

Simply a wicked playboat. Short and radical, the Flip-Stick will not limit even the top paddlers. Loops become within reach of intermediate paddlers, and yet a great river boat. Short, light and maneuverable. Heaps of rocker keeps the bow from burying and provides additional foot room and comfort. The design brief was a freestyle boat that didn’t limit the boater from executing the latest moves, specifically those than involve air, and a freeze frame video replay to comprehend. All freestyle moves are achievable. The short length makes rotations very fast which takes a little getting used to, but puts loops within grasp of the recreational paddler. Down river, very responsive with enough volume and rocker to stay on top of it all.

What can I say its a Legend.

Others

The Weenie Wave….great for my 6 and 8 year olds to have fun on

The Shearwater Hybrid – Stitch and Strip build, which I am about 50% through. The Hulls all done just the strip planking to sort out…Work In Progres