Cyclocross biking is a big deal these days. People love maneuvering their toys around. I'm finding that I love to handle my canoe a lot, too! Now, whitewater seems to have the corner on the handling market with its slalom sport. But why limit turny fun to whitewater? Why not have flatwater slalom? All slalom is is an obstacle course. Flatwater slalom can be easily set up most anywhere there's flat water. It could be set up with buoys on a lake. But it seems like it might be best in a narrow, twisty stream. Have your course go over and under logs. Narrow squeezes. Have it do various kinds of portages (including over a hill). Have it go thru really shallow sections where you have to get out and run your boat by the painter. A great boat for this would be kinda short, kinda narrow, very light. And you really might want to be standing. You might want to bring 3 tools along: paddle, pole and SUP-paddle -- but I could see that they might bang around -- install quick-clips to hold 'em?
Our local river is all these things: narrow, twisty, shallow and full of jams. Few people try to paddle it. They're missing out!!! I just love "flowing" my way through all the challenges. I use an old Advantage. It weighs about 28 lbs. I mostly do poling. It's so easy to get in and out of the boat for logjams and portages. I do "teeter-totter" over low logs. I do "scootering" through "almost-too-shallows." It's a blast. I'm starting to miss the logjams after we do our annual cleanouts!
Boatocross is a sport that would reward skill more than power and would reward an allround sort of hull more than extreme, exotic or overly-fragile race hull. I think that anything that might widen interest or increase access to paddling and paddlesport would be a good thing. ...Altho boatocross does require all-body fitness and agility.
It would also show the benefits of a canoe over the way-too-common kayak.
My goal is to learn the full speed remount like the cyclocrossers do. I want to learn to toss my boat back in the water and just jump in, landing on one foot in the bottom and with the boat gliding the right direction. I'm not fast enough with that yet. My hull is a bit tippy but I can tell it would be fun to hit it flying. Someday!
-- Jeff Potter
http://outyourbackdoor.com -- HQ for indie outdoor adventure and culture -- 2000+ articles
Our local river is all these things: narrow, twisty, shallow and full of jams. Few people try to paddle it. They're missing out!!! I just love "flowing" my way through all the challenges. I use an old Advantage. It weighs about 28 lbs. I mostly do poling. It's so easy to get in and out of the boat for logjams and portages. I do "teeter-totter" over low logs. I do "scootering" through "almost-too-shallows." It's a blast. I'm starting to miss the logjams after we do our annual cleanouts!
Boatocross is a sport that would reward skill more than power and would reward an allround sort of hull more than extreme, exotic or overly-fragile race hull. I think that anything that might widen interest or increase access to paddling and paddlesport would be a good thing. ...Altho boatocross does require all-body fitness and agility.
It would also show the benefits of a canoe over the way-too-common kayak.
My goal is to learn the full speed remount like the cyclocrossers do. I want to learn to toss my boat back in the water and just jump in, landing on one foot in the bottom and with the boat gliding the right direction. I'm not fast enough with that yet. My hull is a bit tippy but I can tell it would be fun to hit it flying. Someday!
-- Jeff Potter
http://outyourbackdoor.com -- HQ for indie outdoor adventure and culture -- 2000+ articles
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