I was looking for an OC1. (hopefully a used as i do not have a lot of money) I'm 6 foot and weigh about 175 lbs. What would be an ideal canoe for me?

Generally steering paddles are cheaper than paddling paddles, yet them must be used for more than one purpose. You have to steer and the crew insists you paddle occasionally.

At either end there are steering paddles 10 1/2" x 22" with 5 degrees angle and there are paddles 9 1/2" x 13" with 12 degrees angle.

Some are high shoulder, some are low shoulder. Some have the shoulders reinforced and some have all edges reinforced.

Thoughts? Comments?

This is actually related to ocpaddler's post on "Faster Hull sprays/creams" but different enough to warrant starting this separate post.

Some of the innovations and development in design concepts and specialized composites for racing boats/kayaks, rowing shells etc., actually came from racing yachts- i.e. America's cup

One of the things they use for improving hull speed is a special type of epoxy urethane (varnish) called Durepox. Anyone know what finish the current surfskis (Epic, Fenn, Huki) and OC-1 manufacturers are using?

Excerpt of product info:
Durepox is an epoxy urethane with amazing adhesion to carbon fibre, fibreglass and wood, which can be applied without sanding between coats. While developed as a primer, Durepox is used as a topcoat on racing boats as it has excellent water barrier properties and exceptional weather stability. Durepox was tested by the Otago Flume Laboratory and results showed that its satin finish gave a 15% less drag coefficient than a high gloss surface on rowing skulls. On a practical level, painters admire its fast dry properties and sandability after three hours with no shrink back.

Link: http://www.resene.co.nz/archspec/products/durepox.htm

Otago Flume Laboratory is located in the South Island of Dunedin New Zealand at the University of Otago, three stories tall, and I believe the only flume lab capable and designed for physiological/biomechanical testing of water based sports motions. Last I heard, OTC at Colorado was dismantling their flume. For those who venture down to Dunedin, you should definitely get in contact with Dave Pease and the guys at the High Performance Centre, they have some really cool biomechanical analysis equipment for analysing paddling technique. The flume is the largest of its kind, built I think in 1998.

In a couple of weeks I'm flying to an out of town race. I want to bring my own paddles, but it doesn't seem like JetBlue will let me carry them on. I am a little nervous about checking the paddlebag.

In addition, it seems like the paddlebag will exceed the 62" width+height+thickness limit for standard luggage and require additional payment.

Any tips out there?

Heres some pics of that 197lb tahitian design canoe. I saw it in kona last year, I was so impressed by the design and workmanship I had to get some photos of it. I Also spoke to some of the guys who paddled in it and they were amazed by how fast it gets up to speed.

Looking for some feedback from any of you guys with tracrac setups on your trucks. What kind of OC1 cradle/saddles are you using? I was thinking I could just use options from either Thule or Yakima however I've been told they won't fit. Any truth to this or can it be done? If yes, let me know if it just worked as is or if there was some customization work that needed to be done.

Thanks,
Isamu

what have you guys heard about the hihimanu canoe.....any info would be appreciated...

Maybe our local builders will take note. Check out the Gecko, I think it's great idea.
Get em hooked while their young.
http://www.allwave.it/

I recently modified the seat on my Fusion, by cutting a hole in the bottom for my water bladder. This required me to cut out the original velcro and put on new velcro. I have acquired some fine marine-grade velcro, but it won't stick to the foam. Then I noticed that the foam had been coated with a whitish-yellowish substance for the original velcro to adhere. Does anyone know what this wonderous substance is? Elmers Glue?

I'm looking into buying sunglasses for paddling. any suggestions? Polarized vs. UV? Brands? Price ranges?