Solo Racing Canoe

[TexasRiverRacer23]

I'll add more information in the coming weeks, but I've been working on a solo racing canoe design. I plan to build this boat and to see how it feels to paddle and if my design goals were achieved. To make this project interesting I’ve been using AI to help me design it. I’ve been using AI more in my job so I thought I would test it with a boat design and see how it comes out. Call it a fun and interesting exercise. I created a preliminary design in Fusion360 (my best guess of what I wanted) and uploaded the file and put in all my parameters such as my paddling weight, estimated finished boat weight, racing items/gear, target cruising speeds, etc., and specifically mentioned the Texas Water Safari and MR340 as target races.

I built a canoe for the Texas Water Safari back in 2018 but it was very skinny and it was tippier than I expected at long distances. After 200 miles my core was shot. I continued to paddle that boat for a few more years before selling it. Since that time I paddled a C1 for years. I have never wanted to race the Safari in a C1 though.

With that said my design is influenced by a C1 style boat but I’ve changed it quite a bit. I’ve removed the main wing (I still have a flare but not as pronounced like C1) and planned for more secondary stability. Of course I’ll have to build it to find out for sure. I’ve tried to take what I liked and disliked about the two boats (homemade solo and C1 Wenonah), and have come up with this design with input from AI. It would run hydrostatics and other calculations based on my inputs and give feedback. I would take those suggestions and change my CAD file and input back into AI. I went though multiple iterations of this intil I ended up with what you see here.

I will have a rudder on this boat and will paddle both single and double blade.

 

[dutchlennart]

Hi Texas river racer,
I have spend limited time in racing c1's ( and most of that time was in high kneelers. Mainly due to the lack ot these boats nearby. I am still fascinated by them. or bettes said i am fascinated byusing a effecient paddling platfomr that isa joy to paddle when i want to go fast/do a workout. as theree are no races around europe that interres me and have the same rules about the lxw ratio'sthat are in play in us racing. i look wtha cose eye to the people like you that think and do stuff in that direction.
there are 4 designs/boat/concepts that i know of that actually float and are paddled:
1

Darkside Canoes

2

Barracuda Plans - A John Winters Design

3

Barracuda Plans - A John Winters Design

4

I look forward to see where ir brings you. I like to manny other things as well to successfully add a boats to this list.I guess someday i will buy or build one. or go the outrigger route, depending on where i live. ir the sea / big waters are the primaly paddling waters the outigger is thesaver route.

 

[TexasRiverRacer23]

Hi Texas river racer,
I have spend limited time in racing c1's ( and most of that time was in high kneelers. Mainly due to the lack ot these boats nearby. I am still fascinated by them. or bettes said i am fascinated byusing a effecient paddling platfomr that isa joy to paddle when i want to go fast/do a workout. as theree are no races around europe that interres me and have the same rules about the lxw ratio'sthat are in play in us racing. i look wtha cose eye to the people like you that think and do stuff in that direction.
there are 4 designs/boat/concepts that i know of that actually float and are paddled:
1

Darkside Canoes

2

Barracuda Plans - A John Winters Design

3

Barracuda Plans - A John Winters Design

4

I look forward to see where ir brings you. I like to manny other things as well to successfully add a boats to this list.I guess someday i will buy or build one. or go the outrigger route, depending on where i live. ir the sea / big waters are the primaly paddling waters the outigger is thesaver

I uploaded all of John Winters material and formulas into AI which was used to provide feedback during design.

About 7 or 8 years ago I had a Landick2 built for me. I loved it but when I moved into a downtown Houston townhome I didn’t have room for it. I wish I had never sold it.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Wondering what flattening the bottom does in your computer program?

 

[Alan Gage]

Interesting boat and sounds like a fun project. I'll be interested to see it come to fruition. Are you thinking strip or composite build?

A few years back I embarked on a similar project. I wanted something to bridge the gap in terms of stability and speed between a fast recreational hull (Magic, Advantage, Blackwater) and a J-boat. I could just never get comfortable in my J-boat and there was no room for the dog. Designing was a difficult learning process but very enjoyable. I learned a lot (and subsequently forgot most of it) in the process of working out the design. It was very rewarding to get it on the water and have a boat that filled the niche I was looking for and had no equal in the world (that I'm aware of).

I always thought it would have made a nice long distance racing hull but I got out of competitive paddling before I had a chance to put that to the test.

X canoe build

I don't know what to call it yet. I might call it a POS once it hits the water. Trying my hand at designing my own canoe. It's meant to be a workout/racing boat and not much else but more user friendly than something like C1 marathon. Oh yeah, and the dog will be able to fit in the bow as well...

www.canoetripping.net

Another user went all out with a mold and infusion when he built his racing boat:

Multiday Adventure Race Canoe Build - Composite

Welcome to an unconventional build thread. I enjoy reading these sorts of things and have learned so much from others that I am happy to post my own projects. I welcome community input and hope we can learn a few things along the way. This is a construction forum, so no need to tell me I'm...

www.canoetripping.net

Alan

 

[TexasRiverRacer23]

Interesting boat and sounds like a fun project. I'll be interested to see it come to fruition. Are you thinking strip or composite build?

A few years back I embarked on a similar project. I wanted something to bridge the gap in terms of stability and speed between a fast recreational hull (Magic, Advantage, Blackwater) and a J-boat. I could just never get comfortable in my J-boat and there was no room for the dog. Designing was a difficult learning process but very enjoyable. I learned a lot (and subsequently forgot most of it) in the process of working out the design. It was very rewarding to get it on the water and have a boat that filled the niche I was looking for and had no equal in the world (that I'm aware of).

I always thought it would have made a nice long distance racing hull but I got out of competitive paddling before I had a chance to put that to the test.

X canoe build

I don't know what to call it yet. I might call it a POS once it hits the water. Trying my hand at designing my own canoe. It's meant to be a workout/racing boat and not much else but more user friendly than something like C1 marathon. Oh yeah, and the dog will be able to fit in the bow as well...

www.canoetripping.net

Another user went all out with a mold and infusion when he built his racing boat:

Multiday Adventure Race Canoe Build - Composite

Welcome to an unconventional build thread. I enjoy reading these sorts of things and have learned so much from others that I am happy to post my own projects. I welcome community input and hope we can learn a few things along the way. This is a construction forum, so no need to tell me I'm...

www.canoetripping.net

Alan

I’m planning on woodstrip for this build. My last racing boat was marine grade foam that I skinned with Kevlar outside and in.

Since I’m not sure how I’ll like it until I paddle it one day, I don’t want to go to the trouble of a composite build.

I’ve seen the thread on the adventure race composite build which is amazing.

I’ll probably make a strong back and the station forms this year but with me planning on some big races next year I need to focus on training vs canoe building. Once the season is over I’ll shift to boat building.

A bucket list item for me is to complete the Texas Water Safari solo in a boat that I build. I’m about to turn 60 and my window for races like that is slowly closing so I’ll need to complete this boat sooner than later.

 

[Tryin']

I look forward to following this build!

 

[dutchlennart]

the regret of sold boats I can relate to. but alos the joy a number of people have with boats I sold to them.
enjoy the paddling in your current boat and the new one.

 

[memaquay]

I believe Alan built a J. Winters Barracuda. I did as well. It wasn't a boat I liked, even though I really wanted too. Alan probably has a more refined opinion than mine.

 

[Alan Gage]

I believe Alan built a J. Winters Barracuda. I did as well. It wasn't a boat I liked, even though I really wanted too. Alan probably has a more refined opinion than mine.

I still have it and it's probably my favorite boat for day paddles on flat water. The low sheer makes switches very easy and relaxed. It just wasn't as fast as I was looking for at the time. It's slightly quicker than hulls like the Magic but just marginally. Not something I'd want to paddle when tripping or on an adventure race though. I think it would take on water pretty easily.

Alan

 

[TexasRiverRacer23]

Design Objective: Create a solo boat that I build and race. Specifically in the Texas Water Safari. The boat will have a rudder and be used in the unlimited class but could be paddled rudderless if desired.

I have plans for a solo racing canoe and plans for a solo tripping boat. Is it possible to blend the two

• C1: extremely fine entry, low wetted surface, optimized for maximum flatwater speed at racing trim. The bow is very slender, with the widest point occurring well aft because of marathon racing rules.
• Tripping solo: intended as an all-around cruising and tripping canoe, with more volume, more forgiving stability, better load carrying, and better behavior in waves.

My thought was what if I could somehow blend to two boats resulting in good cruising speed (not as fast as the C1), but pick up some of the forgiving stability (not as stable as the solo tripping canoe) so that I get a boat that works for my needs.

The last boat I built was fast but not as stable as it should have been. My previous C1 was raced for years but not for the Safari and I want more secondary stability. If I can design a boat that is slower than a racing canoe but more stable, I'll be more comfortable and overall faster in the boat over 260 miles compared to previous canoes.

After I post this, I'll find some pictures of a hybrid design I put into CAD last year but had no idea what it might behave like. I 3D printed a scaled model that has been on my desk.

Over the past 1-2 years I've been using AI more in my job (not a lot) to be more efficient. I've been very impressed with how it has worked for me. I mainly use ChatGPT but I've dabbled in Claude. This year I went from using the free ChatGPT to the paid version.

Recently I decided to see what would happen if I tried to design a canoe in both platforms from the ground up and I didn't like what it was producing. The waterline may have been fine but both kept producing some strange hard chines in the hulls.

I decided to ditch that approach list specs for the C1 and tripping canoe. I input that the boat would be a hybrid of two designs and gave specs for both boats. I stated that when racing I normally weight 180lbs, was targeting a finished rigged boat weight of 40lbs, and gear would be dependent on what race I was doing. I put in a maximum displacement of 250-260lbs. Once all the data was input I hit enter.

After processing the data, AI came back with the following:

If you use the C1 front and Solo Tripper rear​

This is actually the combination I would choose if I had to make a hybrid.

What will likely improve​

Excellent entry

• The C1 bow should reduce wave-making resistance.
• It should feel noticeably easier to accelerate than the Solo Tripper.
• At cruising speeds (3–5 mph) you'll probably gain some efficiency.

Dryer ride

• The taller, finer racing bow tends to split waves nicely.

Good tracking

• The C1 forebody resists wandering.
• The Solo stern should still release reasonably well.

What you'll probably lose​

Top-end speed

• The Solo stern creates more turbulence than the racing stern.
• At race speeds the stern contributes a surprising amount to total drag.

Perfect trim balance

• The two hulls were designed around different longitudinal volume distributions.
• Unless the splice occurs at identical station shapes, the canoe's center of buoyancy will shift.

That means seat location will probably need to move several inches from where either set of plans specifies.

---

Stability​

I actually think stability may improve.


The racing canoe's instability comes primarily from:

• narrow waterline
• small midship volume
• rounded sections

The Solo stern carries more immersed volume and generally broader sections.


My guess:

• Initial stability: better than the C1
• Secondary stability: close to the Solo
• Overall: somewhere between the two

---

Turning​

I'd expect

• better than the C1
• worse than the Solo

The bow will "lock on" to a course more strongly than the Solo.

---

One thing that worries me​

The biggest engineering issue isn't hydrodynamics.


It's fairness of the hull.


If you literally cut the molds in half and join them:

• rocker may change abruptly
• keel line may develop a kink
• chine flow may become unfair
• waterline may have a bump

Even a 1/4-inch discontinuity can create considerably more drag than you'd expect.


Professional designers spend a lot of time ensuring the curvature changes smoothly.

---

A better splice location​

Instead of joining exactly at center, I'd splice where the two boats have nearly identical sections.


Usually that's around

• 45–55% of waterline length.

I'd compare:

• section width
• section depth
• deadrise
• rocker tangent

If the sections match closely, the transition can almost disappear.

---

What I would expect on the water​

Compared to the Solo Tripper:

• Cruising speed: 3–8% faster
• Acceleration: noticeably quicker
• Tracking: better
• Load capacity: slightly reduced
• Maneuverability: slightly reduced

Compared to the Marathon C1:

• slower
• much easier to paddle for long periods
• much more forgiving
• more capable with camping gear

I decided to process this information and come back to it after sleeping on it a day or two.

Next will be pics of the boat I drew up last year, combining the two boat mentioned already.