RIVERSIGNALS RE: WHICH WOULD IT BE—CREEKING OR PLAY?
“I WOULD PICK MEDIOCRE CREEKING OVER STELLAR PLAYBOATING EVERY TIME.”
From a comment posted on Rapid’s Facebook page by GEOFF BOYD Extreme Commute STANDINGWAVES
Lighter-than-air performance and custom graphics make
carbon the new cool kid. PHOTO: PATRICK CAMBLIN
CARBON BOATS: WHO NEEDS THEM?
The recent rash of carbon fiber playboats from mainstream kayak com- panies—think Wave Sport, Jackson and Fluid with Pyranha poised to fol- low—and specialized manufacturers like freestyle sector upstarts Black Sheep, Titan, ZET and Vajda has some kayakers wondering: who needs carbon, anyway? Can it really make the average playboater that much better or is this just a new toy to keep the pro paddlers happy? Black Sheep Kayaks designer and builder Dave Nieuwenhuis says,
“The upper echelon of freestyle paddlers are the ones buying or ex- pressing interest in carbon boats. The majority of kayakers couldn’t jus- tify owning a carbon boat simply because of where they paddle.” Why does it matter where you paddle? Rocks. Nieuwenhuis compares
a carbon boat to a high-end sports car, “Your Ferrari might soak up a few bumps and your carbon boat should handle a few rocks, but do you really want to test that out?” This means you need to avoid shallow features, sliding down the banks
into the water and throwing it in the back of your truck to rattle around. And you really ought to tuck it into a soft, cozy boat bag to prevent scratches and sun damage. The other disadvantage for the average boater is the hefty price tag—
about two grand more than a plastic counterpart. For some serious riders, however, the siren song of carbon is simply irresistible. Canadian Freestyle Team member Keegan Grady worked all winter to save up enough money to buy a carbon boat, “It’s the best investment I’ve made in my riding to date.”
10 RAPID SUMMER/FALL 2011
COMPOSITE BOATS ARE ALL THE RAGE, BUT WILL THEY MAKE YOU A BETTER BOATER?
So what makes carbon such a good investment? More stiffness and
less weight. Nieuwenhuis explains, “Although a plastic boat may appear to be stiff on the water, the upward deflection of the plastic hull is un- avoidable. It’s simply the nature of the material. Carbon boats with foam cores have zero hull deformation and the result is an incredibly stiff surf that gives the truest sensation of floating. They surf like nothing else.” The feathery weight of carbon is equally important. “Carbon boats are
extremely responsive and seemingly effortless in comparison to similar plastic boats,” Nieuwenhuis continues. Which is why more and more pro freestyle paddlers are converting to composite. Level 6 Cup 2011 champion and carbon advocate Adam Chappell
says, “It took awhile to dial in tricks because the boat was so reactive on a wave. Now I don’t think I could ever go back to paddling plastic.” At the 2009 Freestyle World Championships in Thun, Switzerland,
plastic boats dominated a smattering of then just-emerging composite rides. Still, when this magazine went to press, carbon ruled the quivers of top paddlers competing at this summer’s Worlds. So, despite their disadvantages for the average paddler, carbon boats
clearly have their place on the water. But do they make you a better boater? Not according to Grady, “Carbon boats are an undeniable ad- vantage, but I think the best rider will win regardless. The 2009 Worlds were a testament to that.” —Dan Caldwell
Okay, we’re spoiled—the Rapid staff’s back- yard run is, well, in our backyard. This makes for a total travel time of zero minutes to get to the river. After traveling to enjoy the back- country runs of this year’s Whitewater Grand Prix (
www.rapidmag.com/0025) we wanted to know how far you’d go for a day’s paddle. Tony Kristy posted on our Facebook wall that he travels “six and a half hours round trip to the Upper Yough,” while Jason Christopher Brake boasted his “longest was 20 hours one way!” On average, respondents said they’d travel up to seven hours and most agreed with Mark Cain’s post that it “doesn’t matter, as long as there’s water at the end of the road.”
Lordy,
ON THE iPAD AND DIGITAL EDITIONS THIS ISSUE
Check out the iTunes store or
www.rapidmag.com/0024 and catch this bonus content:
» Rapid Media TV footage of today’s hottest carbon boats and the pros paddling them (Standing Waves, page 10).
» A photo retrospective of the Gull River Open Canoe Race (page 11).
» An instructional video on the tandem canoe roll (Open Canoe Technique, page 19).
» Video review of the Big Dog Kayaks Flux (Boat Insider, page 20).
Watch for this icon throughout this and upcoming issues of Rapid to see additional content.
RIVERSIGNALS
Lordy… It appears as though being old and feeling old are two distinct condi- tions. After reading Scott MacGregor’s editorial in the last issue of Rapid (“A Paddler
Looks RS
Still having fun, almost 40. PHOTO: TANYA MACGREGOR
For The Win
In “Stacking the Deck” (Early Summer 2011,
www.rapidmag.com/0027), Virginia Marshall wrote about Eric Jackons’ winning strategy. Erik commented on
Rapidmag.com,
“I re-
member watching EJ compete, and though he won the event, I didn’t like how measured his ride was…I want to see freestyle competition take more chances.” EJ’s recent performance at the 2011 Freestyle World Championships stirred the pot further. In reference to EJ’s son’s winning performance at this year’s inau- gural Whitewater Grand Prix, Jim sarcastically predicted, “Eric has a great chance as long as he doesn’t have to compete against Dane.”
Events A PADDLER LOOKS AT FORTY OFF THE TONGUE
I have a lot of Jimmy Buffet on my iPod. I can sing along to more than Margaritaville and I’ve read all his books. In 1998, when Jimmy turned 50 and I was toying with the idea of starting a whitewater mag- azine, he wrote his autobiography, A Pirate Looks at Fifty. On the jacket of my hardcover copy Buffet summed up his life in 400
words and I thought I’d try to do the same someday. Looking down the losing end of 39, here are my 400 words, in case I don’t make it to 50. I survived my small-town youth of motocross, snowmobiles and
four wheelers. I drove an 18-wheeler hauling gasoline for awhile, grad- uated high school not being able to spell, and went off to university to become an engineer. I did my first canoe trip, wrecked my grandfather’s cedarstrip, sold
at
all my things with motors, dropped out of school and protested the first Gulf War. I got a job at an outdoor center, learned to paddle white- water, grew my hair and got back into school in an outdoor program. I became an open boat instructor, got a job as a raft guide, swam a lot and drank too much warm beer. I re-met the right girl (she was in my kindergarten class and I kissed
Forty”, www.rapid-
mag.com/0026), whitewater boaters on the grayer side of 39 shared their wisdom. James Andaloro of Mississauga, Ontario, wrote, “This past January, to celebrate my 50th birth- day, I did a week of rivers in Mexico. I broke my new birthday paddle, broke two boats, swam twice and had the time of my life! Age is just a number.” On
Rapidmag.com, John Mattson commented, “Forty is nothing. Rob Lesser is approaching his mid ‘60s and still going strong.” And of MacGregor’s life sum- mary, Aaron Wood waxed, “I’m not quite there yet but will be soon enough. Taking time for the kids is really
important...It’s a chance that, once passed, doesn’t return.” Taking on a more pragmatic stance, Joey Rosen advised, “Quitting the coffee was a bad decision. Bet- ter tell Scott to start drinking it again unless he wants prostate cancer. Google it.”
her in grade two), went on to teachers’ college, graduated and sea kayaked 1,600 miles through the Great Lakes. We learned to snow- board, blew off to the mountains, slept in my truck, ran out of money, missed warm rivers and drove home. I helped start the Paddler Co-op, a non-profit paddling school, and got the idea to start a magazine. I left the paddling school, broke up
10 RAPID EARLY SUMMER 2011
my running shoes, ordered another boat and booked my first northern river trip. Now I’m trying to figure out what comes next. —Scott MacGregor
with the right girl and moved to a rented shack by the river in Palmer Rapids. I got lonely, proposed to the right girl, bought my first computer,
racked up every credit card that arrived in the mail, and launched a 16-page trial issue of Rapid. I paddled every day, learned to use spell check, ate too many frozen pizzas, married the right girl and started a sea kayak magazine and, a year later, Canoeroots. I hired an editor, started a paddling film festival, built a house in the
Valley, moved out of the shack, drove a Corvette, had a little boy, cut my hair, took over a paddling festival and bought another magazine, for a dollar—Family Camping. I bought a good camera, took a photo of a friend running a dam, ran
the photo in Rapid, almost got arrested and nearly lost my business to the hydro power company—the owner of the dam. I launched a kayak fishing magazine, had a baby girl, lost the fight
to save national river navigation rights, bought property on the river and started a web-based paddling television show. We became the magazines of the American Canoe Association, I cancelled a family paddling trip, realized it was time to slow down a little and gave up the paddling festival. I took my kids paddling. When I realized I’d be 40 this year, I stopped drinking coffee, found
Look for the Rapid crew at the Upper Gatin- eau Whitewater Festival in Maniwaki, Que- bec, August 26 to 28. We’ll also be on the water at the Gull River Open Canoe Race in Min- den, Ontario, September 10 and 11 and at the infamous Gauley Fest taking place over the weekend of September 16–18 in Summersville, West Virginia. This year’s MooseFest is hap- pening October 15 and 16 in Old Forge, New York. Round out your season by watching the sport’s best compete at the Green River Nar- rows Race, November 5 in Asheville, North Carolina. For a complete event listing and cov- erage visit
www.rapidmag.com.
SNAPSHOT
Jo Arnold’s photo proves competitive spirit at the 2011 Rouge Challenge in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Quebec, didn’t get in the way of river camaraderie.
FIND US:
editor@rapidmag.com,
www.rapidmag.com,
www.facebook.com/rapidmagazine,
www.twitter.com/rapidmag,
www.youtube.com/rapidmediatv www.rapidmag.com 7
PHOTO: MAXI KNIEWASSER
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