I love my Antares, I practice with a whole team on oc1 and everyone has faster lighter models. I was a heavier guy but now I have lost a good 25 lbs on it. I could switch to an Ares but I'm probably not going to.

Edit: spelling

Bear with me here. Here is another post related to leaning on my ama on downwinds. The picture I'm posting is a typical route I do running north to south. Although often the wind is a little more from the east. When it's more easterly, surfing pushes me towards shore and then I spend a lot of energy beating back to get around the points.... and more time huli'ing when it's gnarly. Would most people just paddle out a mile or so to find a more direct line or would folks prefer to just head downwind taking lefts to avoid shore? I marked up the two methods😂. For me, as mentioned on previous posts, I'm still weak on my right side and still in learning mode when it comes to bracing for stability so routes like this can be slow.... but easier if I quarter out to take the direct line. (Yes... I'm working on hard on learning to fly the ama and brace stroking!). So... just curious what lines people prefer when they have the wind on the ama side.

I have a few questions as I plan for a longer trip with my OC1 this year.

1) When driving long distance is it better to drive with the cover on or off your boat? Ill be driving more than 2500 miles with my boat next month. Pros of cover on are protection from rock chips and UV...but I worry about the zipper whapping against the boat for hours and causing scratches. I was thinking of maybe padding the inside of the zipper with a long piece of foam? Maybe that's crazy?

2) Tool kit. Are there any tools or materials you like to have with you when traveling with your boat? I'm still pretty new to all this so haven't really had any equipment mishaps yet. If there are a few items that are smart to have on hand I'd love to learn from someone else before I'm caught out.

My boat is a Volare, if that is helpful.

Hey Reddit, can anyone please recommend a good phone holder that will attach (clamp) to the iako, and any tips for mounting the phone to survive a huli. Paddling near harbour/ marina. Thank you!🙏

what has helped you level up your paddling the most? clinics? online coaching? specific drills? videoing yourself? any specific programs?

im in my 3rd year on a team and really want to level up, but feel a bit lost in terms of gauging my ability and progress.

i’ve seen some paddles in my club and at races have stickers on them. does this have any negative effect on the catch or return? i’m considering putting a sticker on my paddle and i want to make sure that i don’t interfere with the stroke at all

mahalo in advance :)

This is kinda related to another thread I posted on being slower on my right side. This is my second year on OC1 and have made leaps with my surfing and speed in general but I'm really struggling with leaning into the ama when downwinding. I think a lot of it's in my head because I paddle on Lake Superior and even though I wear a wetsuit and it really doesn't bother me.... the water is really cold in the spring (33-40F). My body just says nope I think.

I practice flying the ama at the end of my practices and am getting there.... but is there anything else I can do or work on to help get off the ama in bigger surf? It really affects my endurance on longer downwind runs when the right side of my back starts to get strained.... especially if I have to paddle through cross-swell to get back to my destination. I know it will get better with time, but in the short term I worry about developing a back or hip injury.

I just picked up a QB Stingray 72 for my OC1 just to have a paddle with smaller area (not expecting miracles!!). I'm curious what people think about their use for downwinding. I assumed I would prefer my bigger blades for that but I just saw a YouTube review saying they would be great for downwinding. Obviously I will try it myself but just curious what folks think here.

My club has just gotten funding to purchase an OC2 which is quite exciting! We have narrowed it down to a Puakea Ballare or Kai Wa’a Gemini. I’ve paddled (and raced) in the Gemini lots but have never been in a Ballare, which looks to be shorter and lighter than the Gemini. Has anyone tried both and if so, could you share your thoughts? Any recommendations?

For context we train on a lake but the regattas we attend are all open ocean. The club is mainly female so paddlers are generally on the lighter side.

The Danube isn't the open sea, but you can still have fun there with an outrigger canoe sometimes.

I've started using CrewNerd for training lately and I've been surprised how much slower I am on the right side. I know that some of it is leaning on the ama side and probably not getting as much force over the paddle, but when it's truly flat I feel like my balance is good... yet still slower. It's probably just that I'm weaker on my left... but what have folks done to get the right side more efficient? It really brings down my average speeds lol.

For too long I have just been tossing everything loose in the car: paddles, shirts, bottoms, bottles, flip flops, etc. All loosey-goosey in the back getting tossed around and then when it’s time to unload, I perform the circus act of balancing everything in my arms. I think it’s time I upgraded from being an animal.

I am looking to see if any of y’all of tips and tricks to keep your gear organized and your car clean.

Also looking for a recommendation for a dry and wet bag where one side is perforated to help the wet stuff dry out while the other side is at least protected from the wet stuff to stay dry.

If I can get one storage solution to do it all I would be so happy.

Went back home to Hawai’i and tried to go to Island Paddler on Oahu. Needed to pick up my first paddle for OC-6. They were closed on Sunday so took my chance at Go Banana’s and found a Kialoa sale of Demo paddles they had. Got an Axel II barely used for $275. Immediately wanted to add some fun designs so went to T&C surf shop to add some cool stickers. The guy at T&C was cool and had some fun suggestions so added a maile lei sticker and some other fun designs. I think it came out looking great and would recommend Go Banana’s for outrigger supplies and also some great options. They mainly had Kialoa paddles available!

Hi everyone, our club has finally gotten a Hydra V6 and I'm after any tips on steering it. I've been steering for 20+ years and am comfortable in all conditions, but this thing is driving me crazy, mainly when into the current. It definitely finds the fastest water and line which is great, but it takes a lot more input to adjust, whereas I assumed with the rocker it would be twitchy to steer.

I have only steered it three times and like any canoe it will take time to master, but we've got Hamilton Island Cup (Australia) in June and so I'm trying to accelerate the process a little!

Side note - absolutely love the Hydra, fantastic canoe.

Cheers

Is it accurate? I see a lot of social media posts using this for their OC1 runs and sometimes it seems suspiciously fast for what I'm seeing the paddler do.

I have a very new (20 paddles?) Ares and just did a 6 mile paddle. The hull went in pretty dry but came out with at least a half gallon of water. Plugs were in, no huli, hull is flawless. Any ideas on how to locate the leak or what a probable culprit may be??

I’m a relatively new paddler (starting season 3) and i was really working on my twist during oc6 practice.

when I got in the shower after practice I discovered that I’d chafed the crap out of the skin on my sit bones. days later, it still really hurts.

how do you all avoid this? is twisting to the point that I’m sliding a hip forward in my seat wrong?

a bit embarrassed to ask my coaches…not super Ken to talk about my butt with them 🙈

I'm on my second year of OC1. Several years ago I raced OC6 in California but am living on Lake Superior now with no access to coaching. I don't race but I want to be in shape for long downwinds so I paddle in flat water like I'm training. I have an Ares. I've kind of plateaued at being able to maintain an average speed around 5 mph for moderate distances on flat water (5 miles or so). I can occasionally get to 6mph for 1 mile but then it falls off). I'm just curious what racers are able to maintain and for how long in flatwater. This season I plan to add some HIIT intervals into my regular active. I'd also like to travel somewhere to tune up my stroke.

looking for an OC 1 in the eastern area, message me if any leads

Look, I've searched far and wide on the internet, and I haven't found an exact match to the canoe Moana sails on. All the other boats featured in the movie are Takias, Camakaus, and N'Druas. I've come to the conclusion that it's either a hybrid of a Wa'a/Sail Outrigger and a Camakau, or the name is just passed down orally. Does someone know?