How long should the cord be cut for OC6 canoe rigging?

A common rule of thumb practiced by the Keauhou Club, for one, and probably a great many others is the 7 - 11 rule of thumb. Having nothing to do with a chain fast food convenience stores other than its easy to remember. of course there are as many rules of thumb in rigging outrigger canoes as products sold in a 7-11 store. As Nappy Napoleon is reported to have said, "As long as the buggah doesn't come off", being the premise of good lashing to hold a canoe together.

For the iaku-to-canoe wae lashing, 66 feet of cord works well. So where does 7-11 come in?

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To Bail or Not to Bail:

• An average depth of 1 inch of water 8 inches wide for 20 feet long in an OC6 canoe is 1.15 cubic feet or 75 lbs.
• An average depth of 2 inch of water 10 wide by 25 feet in an OC6 canoe is 3.33 cubic feet or 206 lbs.
• An average depth of 3 inches of water 12" wide in 30 feet of an OC6 canoe is 7.5 cubic feet and weighs 465 lb, more than the empty weight of an empty OC6 canoe without its occupants.

Weight of Water

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There are several blog references to the importance of creating bubble free paddle strokes related to kayaks. The Outrigger community does not seem to have the same written information. There is no doubt that paddles generating bubbles in the water are inefficient.

When looking at the water behind very skilled paddlers, there are almost no bubbles. Often with more powerful but novice paddlers there are lots of bubbles and in the beginning I thought, “My, they are so strong they are cavitating the water.“  That is not the case.

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When tiredness sets in, paddlers often start to look down, shoulders hunch, the stroke moves back in the water and the ‘catch’ portion of the stroke disappears, the breathing becomes slightly more restricted and timing goes out. It’s the beginning of the body trying to transfer or shut down the painful / difficult part of paddling or even the mental fatigue from the discipline required. Even before fatigue, we sometimes only have to lose our focus and it happens.

I wondered why this occurs, asked others and this is what I came up with...

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Keeping paddles in good shape takes just a bit of effort but its more of a tradesman kind of thing. "A good carpenter keeps his tools sharp," and all that. Having a paddle in good shape is part of paying attention to the details.

Once water gets to the inside of a wooden paddle, or worse inside a carbon-fiber paddle, nature is starting to win the battle. Nicks or dents should be sanded out and refinished.  Broken varnish surfaces should be resealed. If a crack appears in a wooden paddle it is often not the end.  I have found that Titebond 3 is the best glue for paddle repairs.  Standard carpenter's glue: white glue, yellow glue or Titebond 2 are NOT water proof and will bleed out of the crack with any prolonged exposure to water.

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