I also wonder about the type of construction of Reg Blomfield's canoe.
It appears to be a traditional Peterborough style longitudinal strip canoe
Thank you, Benson, and I'd like to explore this type of construction in a separate thread, since it obviously obviates the need for a heavy fiberglass overlay.
Meanwhile, I'd like folks, especially new canoeists, to focus on some of the definitive technique assertions made in the video.
"In the early days canoeing accidents were few, owing to the fact that seats were not built in canoes and the canoeist was taught to
kneel. The greenhorn's habit of sitting on decks, seats and thwarts is responsible for about 90% of all canoeing accidents."
Note also the emphasis, when forward paddling an empty canoe solo, on
kneeling slightly behind center ,
kneeling on the bottom,
kneeling with your knees wide apart, and possibly even
kneeling on your heels Indian-style (if you can). "This gives you a very steady position."
As to the the forward stroke, the thumb of the upper grip hand "is always to be turned down"—what we would now call a J stroke. "This enables you to keep a perfectly straight correction." The "incorrect position" is where the grip hand "thumb is turned up", which "creates drag on your stroke and the stern of your boat swings around considerably"—what we now sometimes call the goon stroke. (The goon stroke does have application for short bursts in heavy whitewater canoeing.)
Finally, as to the touring forward stroke, note that Blomfield, like Omer Stringer and Bill Mason (for both of whom I can provide cites), will lever the paddle lightly off the gunwale, like a fulcrum, to assist the J correction and thereby reduce the force load on the arms, which can cumulate into arm tiredness in a long day of touring.
To empty the canoe with the side shake-out, note that the canoe is shoved ahead a bit with each shake, so as to get the water wave in the canoe to slop over the side and out.
