Most OC-1s I've seen being made seem to be more on the high end with lighter, more expensive materials. Are there any boat makers that will do less expensive boats that will be more suitable for a club that uses OC-1s as cross training for other paddling disciplines? Buying enough boats that cost upwards of $3000 for a club of 20 or more just for cross training seems to be a bit infeasible. Also, it seems that offering expensive, delicate boats to club members that are new to outrigger will probably lead to a lot of damaged boats fairly quickly.
Any suggestions on boat makers/manufacturers I can talk to?
Submitted by tsuinami on Mon, 04/22/2013 - 12:14pm
If in SoCal go see Keith @ Valhalla ... http://www.valhallasurfskis.com/
aloha,
pog
#1 Mon, 04/22/2013 - 1:22pm
Michael Owens of Owens Ocean Sports on Maui will make a boat that will stand up to the damage. He has done a ton of work for the Kihei Canoe Club out here and taken several older boats and reinforced them to make them stand up to the kids. He can make the OC-1 you need, they would be little heavier, but durable and efficient for training. He could work out shipping to if you are located mainland. His email is michael@owensoceansport.com.
#2 Mon, 04/22/2013 - 1:47pm
Jude of Huki has a durable layup targeted at training boats. He's always down to talk story, give him a call. Great guy.
http://www.huki.com/
#3 Tue, 04/23/2013 - 6:54am
Just a quick response from the perspective of a builder (can't speak for all builders though):
The biggest expense on a domestically built canoe is labor. It'd be possible to save maybe $500 in materials, but you're going to end up with a canoe that is significantly heavier and not that much more durable. For most individuals, it's not the worth the savings.
I think the best thing to do is look for used canoes. You can find light, competitive, used canoes in the $3000 range. As long as they don't get dragged up on rocks or collide with each other, an OC-1 can last for decades. I demo my personal racing canoe out to my club, and it's handled a year of steady paddling without needing any repairs.
If you're just looking for something that floats, you can find a used canoe that will last for years (with proper care) in the $1000 price range.
#4 Tue, 04/23/2013 - 4:39pm
Thanks for the responses guys.
Luke, I am definitely looking for something that costs less than $3000. There $1000 boats are actually outriggers or other types of boats? We are located on the East Coast so finding any type of used boat is pretty tough.
#5 Thu, 04/25/2013 - 4:59am
If you want to go with the cheapest boat, try googling "chinese OC1". Once you skip past the "Canoes made in China are dangerous" links, you should find at least one or two places that list chinese made OC1s for sale.
Otherwise, I would try contacting Huki or Western Canoe and Kayak to see if they'll offer your club a deal on their all fibreglass layups.
PS: Regardless of which boat you buy, it is extremely important for your club to create a culture where all the paddlers take excellent care of the club equipment. Otherwise the boats will be trashed in less time than you thought possible. Another factor is whether your club members will do a lot of upwind paddling in heavy chop. That can really pound your boat. If you go out in cold weather, certain types of foot gear can also cause problems (e.g. anything with a heavy sole). People with their own private boats might think these aren't major problems but the thing is that a club boat might be used three or four times a day vs two or three times a week. So the shear volume of paddling causes the boats to break down a lot sooner than private boats. These are all issues at my club in Vancouver, Canada, which has about two dozen heavily repaired club OC1s.
#6 Thu, 04/25/2013 - 8:36am
Yep an above ... The Valhallas are a relative bargain and thats why I would put them up +++ Keith often has other stuff already kicking around and can get his hands on used stuff ...
If you have the space at your club I would say to set up some super padded racks that can be side loaded rather than having the boats be slid in and out atop something.
aloha,
pog
#7 Thu, 04/25/2013 - 1:52pm