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mattdrayer

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Everything posted by mattdrayer

  1. I also wonder if whitewater/wildwater has experienced a similar change -- at least for wildwater there was some Olympic coverage this year.
  2. I can verify that interest in climbing has exploded over the past several years -- the local gyms are packed, especially with younger kids. In addition I teach ice climbing for the Boston AMC and online applications for our annual program have been so high the past couple of years we've had to wait list some amazingly qualified students due to space constraints and available leaders. It's again a case of low entry cost, high social context, and easy accessibility -- both in terms of locations and skills development -- combined with an enormous amount of marketing effort by the outdoor industry. As a new rock climber you need a helmet, harness, shoes, a couple pieces of gear. Maybe $200. For bouldering you need shoes and that's it. $50. And hundreds of people to meet everywhere you go. Compare that to kayaking where you need a boat, paddle, and pfd at absolute minimum, say $700, and very few people to meet, as amazing as the people are, and it makes sense. I used to be a huge fan of SCUBA diving 15 years ago but stopped for several reasons -- at the time the activity was booming but I haven't kept up with it -- I wonder if there is a similar issue with participation there, because it seems to present the same characteristics as kayaking in terms of gear, accessibility, social, etc.
  3. We're wrestling with these issues as well in our own tiny Tuesday night surfski race series -- participation has dropped off somewhat over the past two seasons. People have moved away, shifted to other activities, or just don't have time. We'd love to see 6-8 new faces sign up for next year's league and think that is possible if we can generate more awareness. For my part, I've recently become an organizer for the Boston Paddling Meetup Group and have begun posting all sorts of events (races, classes, tours, etc.). My goal is to double the group membership to 1000+ by packing the 2017 calendar full of things to do, and hopefully by doing that a half-dozen members will decide to hang out with us for a couple races
  4. I honestly think the SUP movement has had a lot to do with it -- entry-level price points are approximately the same and it's a very social + accessible activity with low gear/equipment/skill requirements for just tooling around the harbor or fooling around at the beach. It's a great cross training exercise for many other sports as well, including kayaking.
  5. ...and then throw the derailleur away altogether in favor of a single speed setup ?
  6. That's the maddening thing about upgrading our equipment and obsessing over elements like feather angle -- as soon as the wind realizes you're trying to see if you are even a tiny bit faster than last time based on a change it shifts around to your bow and ruins everything. And it doesn't help that the water is in on the plan as well.
  7. Wow I've never heard of Autumn Gales -- now THAT sounds like a cool event! I've added it to the Boston Paddling Meetup Group Calendar (edit: Sorry that ^^ was a bit of a non-sequitur)
  8. Yes I agree this is the crux of it -- by tuning the feather angle you are positioning the blade properly at the beginning of your stroke (ie, the "catch") and as you move through the stroke you are trying to maintain that initial blade position as best as you can. So there's an ideal angle for the blade to enter and travel. If the blade is not positioned properly at the start or if you alter the position during the stroke you will experience wobbling, rattling, etc. which is essentially the force you've worked so hard to generate being whisked away A paddle with a tunable feather angle gives you a tool to offset a less-than-perfect catch and/or stroke such that you can approximate the ideal as best as possible. Maybe the ideal is zero-feather, I don't know, I have much to learn about it.
  9. arg I don't like the handle-tagging mechanism of this board -- I keep posting before I'm done writing anyway, trying again: @josko there are a couple people who I would recommend. Sean Rice is a world-class paddler from South Africa who has been hosting summer workshops in New England for a couple years now (Newport in August). Also there are a couple kayak clubs in the greater Northeast area you might contact, such as Rockaway Olympic Canoe and Kayak Club which also hosts a summer workshop for stroke technique. They use ICF boats (K1, K2, K4) which will also help you with stability! I would also highly recommend attending one of the Lighthouse to Lighthouse Race technique clinics. They are coming up on Sunday 9/18 (this weekend, hurry!) -- Jesse Lishchuk and Austin Kieffer are putting on great workshops and yes they are surfski paddlers but if you can get past that for a couple hours you'll get some fantastic instruction on stroke/wing technique
  10. Just got back from a sprint (HIIT) workout -- four rounds of ten sets of ten-second sprints with fifty seconds rest (4x10x10[50]) -- since we've been talking about feather angle it was on my mind and I really tried to focus on my stroke during both the high and low intensity components. I realized I'm not really happy with the ~62.5 right-feather, it just doesn't feel right on my left side. So I went back to R67.5 and it felt smoother but I could see the blade was opened up too far and not drawing through the water cleanly like my right side. The angle definitely needed to be dialed-down. Back to R60, and I could feel some cavitation (rattle) but the blade was moving through the water better. So I decided to go with a drastic change and went all the way to R45. Wow, what a difference, my left side stroke felt almost exactly like my right side stroke, and the blade was going through the water cleanly, and my stability/tracking actually improved a bit although I did have a light following breeze at the end of the workout. I could feel new fatigue on my left side, too, so something was definitely going on there I'll have to experiment with the R45 feather more to see if it's an actual improvement, but my first impression is that it is a good move from where I was at. https://www.endomondo.com/users/2312439/workouts/804777843
  11. I'll also add that feather angle is basically a dial for tuning the curve of the wing blade such that you generate optimal flow of water during your stroke. It's similar to sailing, where you use the sheet to set your sail juuust right, so that it has the ideal shape in the context of your course and the wind direction to generate optimal lift. So it's really important when you're experimenting with feather to be watching for clues that you're not getting optimal flow. I look for things like water splashing on entry/exit, blade feels wobbly vs. smooth/firm during stroke, cavitation during stroke (feels like a rattle), and average speed on a known TT course is lower than normal.
  12. Feather is often discussed and I think everyone is constantly experimenting with it -- I definitely recommend getting a paddle with infinitely adjustable feather. When I first started using a wing I had no idea what to use for feather. My old paddle had zero feather, so I started with that. After I developed solid 1mi and 10k time trial baselines I started experimenting. I quickly decided right feather was better for me versus left, and that is still the case. Then I pushed the angle all the way to 90 degrees and worked it back over a series of TTs until I was getting the best result. That happened to be right around 67.5 degrees -- halfway between 60 and 75. I've since tuned it a bit more toward 60, maybe 62.5, but any more than that and I notice my average speed dropping off. I think that this particular feather angle works for me not because it's ideal, but rather because of my imperfect technique -- my left stroke is definitely not as clean as my right. I can hear the difference especially when I'm doing sprints/HIITs. So I clearly still have a lot to learn when it comes to wing technique ?
  13. It's easy enough to contact Pat and ask him directly -- he may even have one already made-up that would fit your boat. Here are some pictures of the one he made to fit the Merganser and, fortunately for me, also the Surge I raced @ the Blackburn. It's a pretty simple piece -- just hangs on the pegs and I didn't drill/screw I just used duct tape because versatility. It's not a full-foot design as you can see. You are free to give it a try if you think it will fit. Happy to bring it with me to the L2L on Saturday 9/17 if you will be there. And as I mentioned before it's pretty straightforward to emulate as well with a piece of wood for trial purposes, although you may feel a bit of flex with wood. Matt
  14. If you are going with foam on the bulkhead think of it like a layer cake, each layer being just the right thickness for your two settings. You can attach the first layer to the bulkhead with adhesive (permanent) or Velcro (temporary) and use Velcro again for attaching the second layer to the first.
  15. I don't know of a community, per se, but PM me and I can give you the contact info for my friend Chris who lives in Falmouth -- he paddles a V10 Sport and also has a Stellar SR for friends to use. Two other guys I know spend time in Wellfleet and Orleans, and there is Dana Gaines in MV. Actually if you subscribe to neoceankayakracing@yahoogroups.com you might be able to hook up with some people on the Cape that way.
  16. @josko -- re: glutes/thighs, I discovered a couple years ago that my own lower back and upper leg pain was due to weak muscles. This was effectively cured with a surprisingly small amount of squats, deadlifts, step-ups, and lunges plus some rowing erg sessions during the off-season. I didn't have to become a power lifter or anything, I just needed to fix some imbalances and strengthen some weak areas. I've kept it up and haven't had to deal with back pain since. Re: foot cramps -- have you considered attaching a horizontal foot plate to your pegs so you can slide your feet in/out a bit and still be able to apply force. I agree with @jason that it's better to create a full-foot surface but I found a footplate made a big difference over the pegs. You can experiment easily+cheaply by attaching a ~4" strip of thick plywood with some duct tape wrapped around the board+pegs on each side -- no drilling/screws required. It needs to be stiff to efficiently transfer force, which is why the Onno carbon fiber footplate is a good one. Matt
  17. Agreed! Definitely not an either-or -- great fun to be had in both Speaking of fun, I've taken the V10 out for four days straight at this point -- Saturday was a run out to Halfway Rock and back from Marblehead Harbor, Sunday was a downwinder across Nahant Bay from Dread Ledge to Long Beach, and the past two days I've been catching some pretty awesome rides on the giant waves rolling into the Swampscott/Lynn beaches. Talk about an all-around, do-everything kind of boat! Couldn't be happier Cheers, Matt
  18. So @Inverseyourself does this mean you're going to be adding a V8 Pro to your signature soon?
  19. Oh man I think I must be completely breaking the rules -- I drive a Wrangler and the ski rides inverted on top with the tail hanging off the back probably four or even more feet. I do attach an orange flag to the end, and overall the boat is about 6.5ft high. No one has ever mentioned anything to me about it, though.
  20. Actually that's an older habit that a lot of us have gotten away from doing after taking some classes with guys like Ben Lawry and Sean Rice. It's one of those things that sounds like a good idea but in practice is not, because the tape really just accelerates blister formation. What you will probably see now is a couple wraps of tape about an inch wide on the left and right sides of the shaft to function as boundaries for hands to keep from sliding up and down the shaft. I've set mine about an inch wide of my hands on each side. So it's like: Left Blade [space] tape [1" space] left hand [1" space] tape [middle of shaft] tape [1" space] right hand [1"space] tape [space] Right Blade Some people will also very slightly scuff up the hand locations with a very fine sandpaper (400+ grit), and more recently I've heard that some people are using surf wax which is probably the better approach, imho. At the moment I don't have anything in the way of grip/friction material, and it hasn't been a problem as long as the tape boundaries are in tact. I've noticed my hand tends to travel if I lose one, so a bit of wax would probably be a good addition.
  21. FYI -- L2L is back after a hiatus in 2015! Registration fee covers entry, parking, shirt, food, beverages, and entertainment. Proceeds support Achilles International: https://paddleguru.com/races/LighthousetoLighthouseRace2016 For the 16th year we are looking forward to welcoming a competitive field of racers to row or paddle the Lighthouse To Lighthouse Race along the scenic Norwalk Islands on the Connecticut shore. We will have events on both Saturday and Sunday this year. Saturday is race day, Sunday we will host a community day with breakfast and number of clinics (surfski, sea kayak, rowing) for anyone wanting expert coaching among friends. This year we have 2 races - 7 miles and 14 miles. Races start at 10:00am so be on the beach 2 hours in advance in order to comfortably, set up and receive safety briefing / orientation. There will be a four hour time limit on the race so that we can have everyone off the water by 2:00 p.m. Boats having trouble making it back by the deadline will be asked to accept a tow or have their boats picked up and returned to the beach. Boat Classifications You will be asked at time of registration to select a class and enter the name of the manufacturer and model of the boat you will be racing. Please be accurate and detailed so that we can review and confirm conformity with the selected class in advance of the race. For paddled boats (kayaks), as is customary, we will be using the Soundrowers system of classification for paddled craft, with a few exceptions: Sea Kayak, Fast Sea Kayak, Surfski, Surfski 20 Plus For rowed boats we have: - Fixed Seat Racing, Fixed Seat Touring, Sliding Seat Racing, Sliding Seat Touring, Pilot, Livery, Workboats, Whalers. For the aloha folks: - OC1, OC2, OC4 and OC6 Lastly, we welcome SUP paddlers both prone and standing: - 12'6, 14 and Unlimited Both male, female and mixed are valid, as are single and multi crewed. Vessels of any other style or design will be classified as Open unless a 3 or more similar vessels register in order to invoke an new class. Awards At the conclusion of the event awards will be presented to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place competitors in each boat class, gender (male, female and mixed) and crew #. Food and Entertainment Following the race, a beach party will be available for all racers and guests of the racers and volunteers. The party will feature Wayne's famous clam chowder and a raw bar as well as delicious food from the grill. We will also feature music and a range of craft beers in case you are thirsty. There is plenty of space and parking, bring the family for a great end of season event. The beach party is included in the race registration, non racing guests will be asked to make a $20 donation to eat. Guest tickets can be purchased during the registration process.
  22. The Ikelos is a two-piece 210cm straight shaft. The Epic Mid is the Club Carbon model, 205-215cm typically set to 211cm and slightly less than a 60-degree right feather.
  23. @josko I used an Ikelos for a whole season before I got the wing paddle. At first I saw no difference, either but over time I have seen my speed increase and I know I still have a lot of runway even with the same paddle -- it certainly takes practice, probably a lifetime. I actually tried using my Ikelos paddle last year for a session just to see if it was something I'd even want to hang onto -- I was surprised at how "slippery" the blade was in the water. I had a really hard time keeping it still so I could twist on it and move the boat forward. I actually thought to myself that I should try another Blackburn in the SK class but use a wing paddle to see if I can beat my time from 2012, which I did with the Ikelos. @Inverseyourself I think the Mid paddle is a good place to start (or any comparably-sized paddle from another vendor). The Small-Mid would be good if you wanted to up your cadence, but it sounds like you've got plenty of power in your core to leverage. I'm 6'1" and currently 165lbs (a bit too lean for me) and the only reason I'm thinking about a Small-Mid is to try and get my cadence up a little more for 10k or longer races. And I agree that Onno makes a great footplate -- he's definitely a one-man shop, or at least was four years ago when I bought my footplate, and I found him professional and very communicative but I would not expect a quick turnaround. If you want an Onno product the best thing to do is call and talk to him, get an idea of the queue, how far out he's delivering to people, etc., and decide if you want to get in line.
  24. Sure -- I know several people who paddle Jantex and Braca and seem to be happy with them, although I have tried neither. There has been enough for me to learn so far with the Epic Mid that I'm only just now starting to think about another paddle, and that is the Epic Small-Mid ?
  25. If it were me, I would take the V8 over the V7, and I would take the Performance over the Club, even if it meant having to wait a little while longer in order to cover the difference in cost. The Performance layup is still bomber, and yes, it's faster because it's lighter but it's also faster because materials-wise I think you get a stiffer boat. The Ultra is another story but as I said previously you wouldn't want to go there unless you were planning to race. IMHO I think Epic should just stop offering the Club layup altogether. It's heavy enough to really affect the acceleration and speed of the ski, which means you work harder for the same outcome. Plus, knowing that you are an experienced paddler I think you'd hit the top end of the V8 Club's performance threshold pretty quickly and at that point either attain ultimate contentment or be bummed out. Really the best thing to do is head on down to Ed's and take a couple boats out for an hour each and see which one feels the best to you. And/or come to our final series race of the season tomorrow night at 6pm at Lynch Park and check out some of our personal boats, even take one for a spin. There should be a couple V8s there. @leong I think this is a great discussion. You are correct in that the V8 is certainly a superior design to the V7, but it does cost significantly more. A lot of people are scratching their heads right now because Epic has introduced this conundrum. They way I look at it, if I'm thinking about picking up one of those Ocean Kayak sit-on-top boats to haul around, bring to the beach, etc., I'd get a V7 instead.
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