well bob, i think I'm ready for our "race". the oars are ready, the outriggers made and the seat and footrests installed. I've been practicing and have eclipsed the 4 knot mark. now all we have to figure out is the race course. hey, i have blisters----damn.
Oh as Sherlock Holmes might say: "The game's afoot, Watson!"
4 knots, you say? That's moving. Can you maintain that or is it a sprint. Outriggers and foot rests, you say? That sounds serious. Blisters are a way of life in the world of rowing and the further I row into the season, I get some nice callouses on my palms. I use no gloves.
This could be fun, mates! Any other takers or will the rest of you bet on one of us to win??
this is an aluminum square stern canoe and pretty light. it is a bit difficult to keep straight and I'm thinking i should add a short skeg to help it track------thoughts?
Yes, I think that would help. My guideboat has no skeg to speak of but due to the hull design, she tracks very straight.
Another thing you might consider is the addition of 10 to 12 cement blocks placed strategically in the hull. Keep most of them to one side and distribute 60% aft, 40% fore. Also just before the race, add at least 4 more blocks, placed wherever you please. The extra weight will give you momentum and you'll be surprised at the distance covered with each oar stroke!
I shouldn't be giving my race secrets away but I really want you to have a competitive edge!
Another idea is if the boat tends to track to one side, eliminate the oar on the opposite side to counteract the apparent defect in hull design.
Why am I telling you all my hard earned secrets?? Hey, what are friends for!!
Well said, and SAGE advice, Bob!
SAGE = Suckered Another Gullible Easy mark.
....I might add a final piece of advice, truly final if taken! Many times there is wave action and that along with the splashing of oars in frenzied competition, the boat can begin to take on a little water. Such water sloshing about will interfere with not only the concentration of the rower but the stability of the craft itself. My brilliant solution, learned from the Three Stooges as a child, is to drill a couple holes in the boat so as to give the water a way out again.
That along with Bob's advice otta readily sink the competition! :)
Thanks Rick...I didn't want to overload Kick with too much information at one time. Geez...I don't stand a chance in this race now! Thanks!!!
how far do you want to race?
Dunno. 10 miles, more, less. Silo and back? I don't know how far that is. What are your thoughts?
gotta be pretty short so people can yell at us and maybe throw pbr cans
If everyone follows the advice tenured, especially mine, the race will be over before ya know it! Set up what ever length ya want. :)
Why not more than one race? Can someone video it so Kick doesn't cheat?? Oh- now you're tempting me with PBR cans, hopefully full!!
lets see, I'm 65 and 6'5" and bob is ? and not 6'5". what does that tell us? who has the edge? and should paramedics be on standby
Kicknbug, you know Bob is gonna slay you on that race. I mean, he's like, a professional and stuff. Blackburn Challenge contender? You gotta be kidding me! Fugetaboutit!
I suggest a VERY short course with one beer consumed at each short leg. He'll out row you but you'll catch right up on the drinking challenge and take the win. Imagine rubbing that in his face foreeverhereto. It'll be legendary!
I'm 65 and 5'7". 3 Blackburn Challenges. Slightly overweight. Torn left rotator cuff. Snapped tendon in right shoulder, both 2017. I don't stand a chance in this race....bet accordingly!!
i would ask how long your oars are but that is pretty personal
Well...that is a personal question!!
Although they defy the typical calculation for oar length on a rowing craft, I use 8 foot oars which seem ridiculously long for a boat with a 38 inch beam but they work just fine. Either fixed pin maple flat blade oars which were the factory issue at the time I bought her or the Sitka spruce spoon bladed oars by Barkley Sound in Canada set in leather collars in round bronze oarlocks which are much prettier. Logic would say the spoon bladed oars are faster but in fact the flat bladed oars seem a bit more efficient.
I prefer to use the Spruce oars because I like to row feathering the oars and there is much more control in rough water. For this years Blackburn, my choice will depend on local conditions. Last year I used the flat because I was too lazy to replace the leathers on the Spruce but in the terrible conditions of the 2015 Blackburn, the spoon bladed oars were a God-send and if I'd used the flat, I most likely would've not been able to finish or worse, capsized the boat.
For the CLR race, I'll equip the boat with my turbo diesel ultra quiet auxiliary to gain every advantage!!
Cheers!!
Bob23
well this will impress you. i had a couple of old plastic bladed paddles. removed the handles and replaced them with pieces of electrical conduit from home depot. the oarlock outriggers are made from steel bedframe and the oarlocks and oarlock pockets are from e bay. whole thing cost maybe 25 bucks and i can do over 4 knots. i bet you are green with envy right now and maybe a little scared. oh yeah and my Catalina is ready to sail too. she will do nearly 6 knots hahahaha
4 knots is moving, man. Is this a max or do you average 4? I can sprint faster but my average speed is slower than that.
To row, oar not to row. That could be the propulsion. Whether tis better to scull or sweep, alas, it'll make Kick weep. Four concrete blocks and holes (count three) when his craft scuttled, will make Kick Bob, me thinks. So a tie it is, I decree, as one Bob or two, a Bob will win, says me.
i feel like saying "for-soooth" for some reason.
Yea...thou art just a couple beer crossed rowers. This is taking place in Verona Marina is it not?
Oh....it's all so Shakespearian!!
So tell me more about these racing oars of yours, Kick. Length? Fix or rotating in leathers? In outriggers you say? I'm thinking I may have met my match, even without the cement blocks and holes bored in the hull.