We are in the search for the lighest OC-1 paddles

Any picts

Ive been thinking about the double bend vs straight shaft and wondering......If the double bend puts the wrist closer to a neutral position, wouldnt that also increase the ability to load the wrist, thus the paddle more? And if so, doesnt that increase the output? And if so, wouldnt it be best to keep the wrist in nuetral at all times through the power section of a stroke? And if so what do y'all think the power/performance increase would be? 1%? 2%? 3%? More? Less? Any paddle gurus out there have any idea?

Way back I used to have the Chi Running video and they make a big deal about tempo and manipulating stride per minute with the use of a metronome...I hear metromes as the rowers go by in long beach. Nothing on metronomes in the search here on the site.

On the olympic canoe/kayak page metronome is listed as one of the "essential peices of training equiptment:

"Metronomes: We use these to control our stroke rate (SR). Without this the DPS (distance per stroke) work over the next few months will have little meaning and improvement will not be as recognizable or maximized. You will improve so much faster if you can control your stroke rate and your speed. You will learn how to control stroke and efficiency at lower stroke rates and then increase that to race rate. Pretty soon you will be able to hold race ratings @ 105-110 and still move the boat as far as possible on each stroke."

Wondering if anyone who does a significant amount of paddling in calm has used a metronome for training.

btw Looking at this topic I ran into a clip from the discovery channel about a gadget that the canandian olympic rowers use that shows how well they are balancing the boat and how good balance was a major difference in novice and elite rowers.

thanks for any comment

Anyone in Southern California have a set of iako's for KAKU Elua or can make them?

Anyone know what kind of effect it would have if the rudder were moved way forward, like just behind the seat? Could it keep the rudder in the water on a wave to still have control but maybe allow for a smaller rudder therefore reducing drag? Just a thought.

I have seen them around here before but can't seem to find them. Myself and a friend are looking into trying to produce some OC-1's. Just something pretty affordable for use as team trainers/users. I can't find any of the plans that have been bounced around here in the past. Can anybody help me out or point me in the right direction??

anyone that has or still uses a waveblade ama on a hurricane i'm interested in some feedback...pros, cons, rigging, etc. does it make much of a difference ?

I noticed a few canoes have brackets for attaching a spare paddle laying flat with the blade behind the seat and the shaft toward the tail of the canoe. Seems sleeker than intertubing it to the iako. Anyone have a suggestion on how to do this (I have a fusion) like glueing some velcro loops? Is there any problem with this position for the spare paddle like having a wave drive the paddle into your back or anything like that?

Thanks for advice

When will a boat be made of all carbon. I mean imagine a Pahoa being able to have six seats and just one iako with a small ama and a rudder. Six expert paddlers will fly on the water and might be able to do molokai?Think about this idea.Bad or good?

I have a bent Iako bolt on my ama. Any suggestions on a fix, method of straightening, replacing the bolts or ama...