OC 1 Performance - What Matters In Race Performance

What matters in OC 1 race performance ? All things matter.
The typical "it's the engine and not the boat" may sound good to some, but it is not convincing.

Paddler
Motivation, incentives, access to good training waters, finances, family status. Smaller and lighter paddlers do well in long distance and agitated conditions, heavier and taller paddlers can dominate in shorter sprint events.
Weight
Weight, boat and paddler combined, is the single most important factor. It determines how deep the boat sits in the water and thus the drag.
Experience
The more, the better. This is also true for race tactics, conditioning etc.. Good nutrition can be mentioned here, too.
Technique
There are many different styles of paddling, long/short, flat/open ocean, etc. all demand different abilities. Your technique will adapt to the conditions that you paddle in most frequently.
Conditioning
Let's assume that everyone, who wants to race, is well conditioned.
Local water knowledge
Very important. If you know the currents and wave/tide behavior, you will be able to judge your performance during the race and can adapt accordingly - a huge advantage.

Equipment
Canoe
Different canoes for different conditions.
Waterline length, beam. draft, rocker, design volume, entry, shape - they all matter and determine the behavior of a boat.
They are definitely not 'all the same'.
Paddle
Paddle length and paddle width definitely matter. A wide blade may be good for up to an hour, a narrower blade may be more efficient overall in a long distance race.
Whitewater paddlers like scooped blades, North American paddlers like bent shafts, Olympic paddlers usually have straight shafts etc., again a huge variety.

Race course
A good surfer may not do as well in the flats, a good flat water paddler may not feel as comfortable in the open ocean etc..

Conditions
Wind, waves, currents - we all like some conditions better than others.

OC 1 Performance - Equipment - The Paddle II

My first version worked well with some limitations. I made the changes that I felt may lead to improvements.
My main shortcoming of version I was the lack of response at the catch; I changed the shaft blade angle to a more conventional degree.

OC 1 Performance - Equipment - The Paddle

'The paddle' in its current form - it has a name already, but will first need to live up to it.
52 x 18 x 9 1/2




Ok - did my first careful run without much acceleration.

The paddle can be paddled as is.

Entry - slightly canted with the outside edge leading, no problem. Occasionally not a clean entry, but certainly no plunging.

Catch - didn't get good feed back how effective the catch is - I didn't feel much load on the blade, not sure what that means

Pull - normal, no problem there. You have to stop the pull where we teach to stop it, can't pull through all the way.

Exit - very doable, needed some getting used to. Just handled it the way you would pull your hand out of the water in free style, no problem. Had to be careful not to load the shovel towards the exit. A quick exit somewhat to the side worked. I didn't put any transversal scoop on the blade because I wanted to exit this way, and because I don't want the paddle to get 'locked in' without lateral slide.


Flutter - just a bit on the left and only occasionally. Maybe as much as the old Axel. When I grip the shat low - I grip with fingers only - no flutter.

Shaft - not used to a bent shaft; not sure that it is needed.

Handle - that was a quick fix because I wanted to get on the water. I like palm grip, have a t top. Not as good - Black Bart has a very good handle.

Overall certainly ok. Better than predicted and expected. Of course I would need some proof that this paddle is more effective than my usual Black Bart paddle. I will try it for some miles next week and take times on my test courses.

I didn't get to test full acceleration.

Exit and efficiency would be the key points to look at. If it were more efficient, the slightly different exit could easily be justified.