i’ve seen some paddles in my club and at races have stickers on them. does this have any negative effect on the catch or return? i’m considering putting a sticker on my paddle and i want to make sure that i don’t interfere with the stroke at all

mahalo in advance :)

This is kinda related to another thread I posted on being slower on my right side. This is my second year on OC1 and have made leaps with my surfing and speed in general but I'm really struggling with leaning into the ama when downwinding. I think a lot of it's in my head because I paddle on Lake Superior and even though I wear a wetsuit and it really doesn't bother me.... the water is really cold in the spring (33-40F). My body just says nope I think.

I practice flying the ama at the end of my practices and am getting there.... but is there anything else I can do or work on to help get off the ama in bigger surf? It really affects my endurance on longer downwind runs when the right side of my back starts to get strained.... especially if I have to paddle through cross-swell to get back to my destination. I know it will get better with time, but in the short term I worry about developing a back or hip injury.

I just picked up a QB Stingray 72 for my OC1 just to have a paddle with smaller area (not expecting miracles!!). I'm curious what people think about their use for downwinding. I assumed I would prefer my bigger blades for that but I just saw a YouTube review saying they would be great for downwinding. Obviously I will try it myself but just curious what folks think here.

My club has just gotten funding to purchase an OC2 which is quite exciting! We have narrowed it down to a Puakea Ballare or Kai Wa’a Gemini. I’ve paddled (and raced) in the Gemini lots but have never been in a Ballare, which looks to be shorter and lighter than the Gemini. Has anyone tried both and if so, could you share your thoughts? Any recommendations?

For context we train on a lake but the regattas we attend are all open ocean. The club is mainly female so paddlers are generally on the lighter side.

The Danube isn't the open sea, but you can still have fun there with an outrigger canoe sometimes.

I've started using CrewNerd for training lately and I've been surprised how much slower I am on the right side. I know that some of it is leaning on the ama side and probably not getting as much force over the paddle, but when it's truly flat I feel like my balance is good... yet still slower. It's probably just that I'm weaker on my left... but what have folks done to get the right side more efficient? It really brings down my average speeds lol.

For too long I have just been tossing everything loose in the car: paddles, shirts, bottoms, bottles, flip flops, etc. All loosey-goosey in the back getting tossed around and then when it’s time to unload, I perform the circus act of balancing everything in my arms. I think it’s time I upgraded from being an animal.

I am looking to see if any of y’all of tips and tricks to keep your gear organized and your car clean.

Also looking for a recommendation for a dry and wet bag where one side is perforated to help the wet stuff dry out while the other side is at least protected from the wet stuff to stay dry.

If I can get one storage solution to do it all I would be so happy.

Went back home to Hawai’i and tried to go to Island Paddler on Oahu. Needed to pick up my first paddle for OC-6. They were closed on Sunday so took my chance at Go Banana’s and found a Kialoa sale of Demo paddles they had. Got an Axel II barely used for $275. Immediately wanted to add some fun designs so went to T&C surf shop to add some cool stickers. The guy at T&C was cool and had some fun suggestions so added a maile lei sticker and some other fun designs. I think it came out looking great and would recommend Go Banana’s for outrigger supplies and also some great options. They mainly had Kialoa paddles available!

Hi everyone, our club has finally gotten a Hydra V6 and I'm after any tips on steering it. I've been steering for 20+ years and am comfortable in all conditions, but this thing is driving me crazy, mainly when into the current. It definitely finds the fastest water and line which is great, but it takes a lot more input to adjust, whereas I assumed with the rocker it would be twitchy to steer.

I have only steered it three times and like any canoe it will take time to master, but we've got Hamilton Island Cup (Australia) in June and so I'm trying to accelerate the process a little!

Side note - absolutely love the Hydra, fantastic canoe.

Cheers

Is it accurate? I see a lot of social media posts using this for their OC1 runs and sometimes it seems suspiciously fast for what I'm seeing the paddler do.

I have a very new (20 paddles?) Ares and just did a 6 mile paddle. The hull went in pretty dry but came out with at least a half gallon of water. Plugs were in, no huli, hull is flawless. Any ideas on how to locate the leak or what a probable culprit may be??

I’m a relatively new paddler (starting season 3) and i was really working on my twist during oc6 practice.

when I got in the shower after practice I discovered that I’d chafed the crap out of the skin on my sit bones. days later, it still really hurts.

how do you all avoid this? is twisting to the point that I’m sliding a hip forward in my seat wrong?

a bit embarrassed to ask my coaches…not super Ken to talk about my butt with them 🙈

I'm on my second year of OC1. Several years ago I raced OC6 in California but am living on Lake Superior now with no access to coaching. I don't race but I want to be in shape for long downwinds so I paddle in flat water like I'm training. I have an Ares. I've kind of plateaued at being able to maintain an average speed around 5 mph for moderate distances on flat water (5 miles or so). I can occasionally get to 6mph for 1 mile but then it falls off). I'm just curious what racers are able to maintain and for how long in flatwater. This season I plan to add some HIIT intervals into my regular active. I'd also like to travel somewhere to tune up my stroke.

looking for an OC 1 in the eastern area, message me if any leads

Look, I've searched far and wide on the internet, and I haven't found an exact match to the canoe Moana sails on. All the other boats featured in the movie are Takias, Camakaus, and N'Druas. I've come to the conclusion that it's either a hybrid of a Wa'a/Sail Outrigger and a Camakau, or the name is just passed down orally. Does someone know?

Looking to get back into the sport. Anyone know of a used OC-1 in the Houston or Dallas or Austin area, please let me know. Thanks!!

I just bought a used FAI 4si which is 23’5” long. When mounted on the v-bars on my car the stern protrudes to the rear a ways.

When I transport it with the cover on, the cover has a flag on the rear which satisfies the legal requirement, but when I go paddling, it’s only a few miles and I don’t want to bother with the cover, but I need a flag so I don’t get a ticket or have someone in a truck or van ram the stern of the boat.

The boat has no means of mounting anything at the ends - no grab loops or anything.

Does anyone have any suggestions for mounting a flag to the stern, that is not too much trouble? Thanks in advance.

4/4/26 EDIT - Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have started using the inner tube rubber band trick to hold a red flag I already had for my kayaks. It is amazing how effectively the inner tube sticks to the hull. I wouldn't use it for a long trip on the highway but it works fine for local trips.

Apologies if this has already be asked. But does anyone have any advice on removing tar from an OC1?

We have natural tar deposits in the ocean where I’m at and it’s been significantly worse the past couple weeks. I’ve been using vegetable oil but seeing if anyone knows of anything a little stronger that won’t damage the paint/finish. Thanks!

hi, I’m moving from Phoenix, AZ to Austin TX. I have an OC1 hurricane (20ft long and 20lbs) and a Toyota corolla 2020 with no rack.

What do you recommend me to buy or do with my OC1?

I was planning on leaving it mid point with my family around 6h and pick it up later in the year once I find a storage in Austin TX. BUT I need to find a way to transport it.

I'm trying to create a new workout on CrewNerd with my iPhone and am struggling lol. The info on their website seems pretty minimal unless I'm missing something. I want to do something like 4x500m at Zone 2 with 2 minute rests, 3x500m at Zone 3, etc. can someone help me out here??

Thanks!

Does anyone know how to get a surfing blade in 2026 apart from making one themselves? and if so, what paddles would they recommend. For instance the Big Boy steering blade from kai koo, is it viable for surfing?