Bruce Laidley
former flatwater sprinter
Canoe & kayak sprinters today race craft that are constructed of composite materials like epoxy and carbon fibre. These specialized watercraft are light, rigid, very unstable and very fast in a straight line. Canoes are paddled from the high kneeling position while kayaks are propelled from a seated position.
The goal in sprinting is to get to the finish line before anyone else on a flat course of 200m, 500m or 1000m.
The racing boats do, however, have a long history and were original manufactured in a manner similar to traditional wooden boat building. Planks covered ribs on the early racing canoes.
Today, C15s(war canoes) are still constructed the old fashioned way despite advancement in materials seen in the other specialized craft.
C1s, C2s, C4s, K1s, K2s & K4s today are composite but, in the 1960s and on into the 1970s, the newly improved designs were produced by incredible European craftsmen in wood. The shells were beautifully formed and finished... creating works of art and were sought after by all of the elite racing federations for their competitive athletes.
You can get a glympse of the era of wooden racing shells at a blog that has been dedicated to John Wood(1950-2013) http://john-wood-olympian.blogspot.ca/
John is a Canadian legend in the competitive paddling world and there is a beautiful tribute to him and to flat water racing in a film on the blog entitled "Paddles Up".
I hope you enjoy!
The goal in sprinting is to get to the finish line before anyone else on a flat course of 200m, 500m or 1000m.
The racing boats do, however, have a long history and were original manufactured in a manner similar to traditional wooden boat building. Planks covered ribs on the early racing canoes.
Today, C15s(war canoes) are still constructed the old fashioned way despite advancement in materials seen in the other specialized craft.
C1s, C2s, C4s, K1s, K2s & K4s today are composite but, in the 1960s and on into the 1970s, the newly improved designs were produced by incredible European craftsmen in wood. The shells were beautifully formed and finished... creating works of art and were sought after by all of the elite racing federations for their competitive athletes.
You can get a glympse of the era of wooden racing shells at a blog that has been dedicated to John Wood(1950-2013) http://john-wood-olympian.blogspot.ca/
John is a Canadian legend in the competitive paddling world and there is a beautiful tribute to him and to flat water racing in a film on the blog entitled "Paddles Up".
I hope you enjoy!
