Overstern vs. understern
I would probably opt to outfit the ski with an overstern rudder, if not, a small understern & spare parts should be part of your gear bag. There are lots of rocks & stumps & logs just below the surface. My partner & I traveled, paddled, and camped together. If not for the broken rudder the first day, and having to paddle the K2 for MANY hours that day using draw strokes & stern rudders & paddling sides, we would have had a blast. As it was, that first day, caused a bit of tension. But, the whole experience is wonderful, including the shuttles and the camping, and a double ski will be a blast to scream through the field. We carried all our water in CamelBack bladders, you might want to rig your ski with bungies to attach water bags, a spare paddle, and a small food bag with snacks and Gu. On the second day’s finish, there’s been a tent set up with chicken broth, even on a warm day, it’s amazing how good that stuff tastes after a hard day of paddling!
thanks
are you reading this, mark?
af
PFD
Regarding the pfd, my partner & I got the inflatible marine types, which stored much easier than the bulky foam ones. Since you’ll have no space inside the ski to pack, you’ll be limited on deck space, and you 'll want everything bungied down well so things won’t fall off when you’re running the portages, but easily accessable if needed.
Handles
And you might want to attach bow & stern handles to make the carrying easier. When I paddled solo, I had a shoulder strap to attach the bow handle to, and wheels for the stern (although a couple of the portages are not wheel friendly).
shoulder straps
Now that might be possible. Do you think the straps are useful for getting it out of the water and then doing a shoulder carry, or do you run with it holding by the straps? If I did put in a shoulder strap, maybe I would attach at one point and make a loop back to the same point. we could use quick release snaps to take it off and on, if need be. this way the person in front would be running with most or all of the boat behind him and the person in the rear with the boat in front of him. I can put bungees down on front middle and rear, so storage on top is possible. I already have the inflatable sospender and it works great for racing.
You guys got me all excited !
Anyone know when the entry forms come out?
Cheers,
JackL
Portaging
I think putting the boat on your shoulders and running is the most efficient way to portage, especially if you can keep your gear light. Carrying it by the handles will just be good to pull it out of the water (and maybe to haul it up the big hill on the second day). A shoulder strap and wheels that could be attached quickly to the boat, or permanently installed and flipped out of the way when in the water, would be another option.
Wheels on the 90 miler
if you use wheels they must be carried on the boat all three days. The tail mounted wheels need to be fastened solidly to the hull; bungee cords seem to come off when the tiny wheels hit a rock. Have been behind many kayaker putting their little beach wheels back onto their boats in the mddle of the trail.
As to the fixed rudder, that would NOT be a good idea. There are too many shallow spots that it will drag. And how do you paddle over a beaver dam without it snagging? Even the weeds in Brown’s Tract will be piling up on it. No wonder the Natives didn’t develop Kayaks in the Northwoods.
To answer Jack L.'s question about the entry forms; they go out the first part of July. There is a cutoff date in early August. Everyone in by that date is in the draw. If the number of entries is less than 250 by the cutoff date, everyone is in. If there are more than 250 entries, the veterans with many Classics under their belt are in, and there is a draw for the remaining slots up to 250. Another 30 or so are drawn and put on a waiting list, the rest get a so sorry letter and their checks back. Each year there has been a waiting list, about 25 people move up because of withdrawals. The more people paddle in war canoes and C-4, the more people can get in the race with a 250 boat limit.
the 30 Mile ARC marathon to Tupper Lake in mid August is a great dress rehearsal for the Classic. It covers some of the 2nd and 3rd days course and has a full range of water types to paddle. And a nice long over the hills carry. If you can manage this 30 miler and not die, you are capable of the 90. If you have problems in the 30 miler, you have three weeks to get them solved.
Definitely practice carrying over distance and rough terrain. Thru the woods, up hill on rocky paths, thru mud, everything you can find.
Practice your take-outs and put-ins. Getting your prep steps down before the take-outs is a great time saver. Nothing worse than a crowded takeout with people at the landing tying gear onto their boats or looking for rope to tie on their wheels. 250 boats come into every landing and some are less than 20 feet wide. This is not Malibu beach. It helps to gauge the crowd as you approach the takeouts and adjust your speed to land when the crowd is at a minimum. No sense sprinting to shore and getting backed up at the landing. Better to cruise in, tank up and grab a snack, then stow gear and hydration equipment as you approach.
The water level the last two years was high, we are due for a normal or dry year. High is great, last year was fast and the course gets so much wider when the rivers are up. 2002 we had to wade in from Long Lake to get into the Raquette River, last year there were power boats past the big rock at the Cold River Junction.
Next weekend is the Round the Mountain Race in Saranac Lake and we will get the first look at the course since ice-out. Will see if the short cuts on the Saranac River and Otseetah Lake are open. The cottagers keep hauling rocks out onto the ice to plug up the passages to keep the jetski’s away from their swimming areas. If there is enough room to paddle thru we will know in 10 days.
Bill
shallow
In 2002 and 2003 the understern was not possible because many shallow creeks and wet gravel beds that are wannabe creeks. Most people go with a boat that is too long. My 21 ft t-bolt is slow in shallows and requires effort to turn. A 19 ft excel would be better for getting in and out when you are forced to get in or out while perpendicualr to shore. Alsopractice boat dock get ins where water is 3 ft below the dock. You need some long training runs but there is no substitute for longer races. I wrap thumbs loosely with black electrical tape or half width of duct tape over wells lamont neoprene gloves with fingertips cut off. Stretching is a big deal and of course huge thigh padding. The 90 is 90% logistics and people to help. I did 70 mile clinton race by realxing and visiting with people and saying if I feel good then will slow down and pace to get the t-shirt. Many do the 90 in a rec mode to enjoy the ride. Some take a dog and do a nice pace. A 18 ft 6 in kevlar sundowner canoe is a great choice. It is beautiful to see a pair paddling. Pam is the goddess of long races and she smoked me in the 70. Do the miles at a fun pace. Turbo wing paddles are very rugged and won olympic gold.