Well it happened after waiting almost all summer, I got my C-1. It’s quite experienced by the looks of it, but the price was right. So in the pool I went tonight with my Perception Slasher. It’s a tight fit, but more comfortable than expected, a little foam here and there and I think we’ll be good to go. It feels like a fun boat. I can wet exit fairly easy so I’ll be off to easy moving water next. But I would like to get a spray skirt for it. I can find fit lists for it but can’t seem to find any skirts available for purchase. Anyone know where I can buy a C-1 skirt?
Rolling… during my wet exit practice it feels like this thing would be easy to roll and not just half way. I have spent all my time in open boats so I have no clue where to begin. Any quick start tips? Body positions, paddle position, etc.
Thanks, Mike
Wow a slasher…As i recall that c1
came out after the Gyro Max… A fast boat as
i remember, with slalom lines. Congradulations.
I was not a strong c1 roller, which was one of the reasons i left c1. One of my biggest hassles with C1 rolling was keeping my butt on the seat as I would of course rise up from the saddle when up side down. Some c1 paddlers I know now paddle converted kayaks and they make their own foam seats using various bars and foam gadgits to help keep them extra tight for their rolling/playing.
From my experience a cheap spray skirt came undone around the cockpit and/or i fall right through it when upside down.
Recommendation, take lessons for rolling and get a good spray skirt for it. In terms of size for the slasher, perhaps check out individual spray skirt manufactures and see what they recommend for a boat. I have a a Snap Dragon and am very happy with it.
See you on the river…
Page TommyC1
He’s got a Slasher in his fleet and he rolls it. Unfortunately, he’s been sidelined by tendonitis.
sing
Slasher
www.cboats.net
As I recall the Harmony LC1 skirt fits the Gyramax and the Slasher. I had my current skirt made by Mountain Surf and had to send them the cockpit measurements. I like that skirt a lot. I have another that a friend gave me I'll look at that tonight and update this post.
The C1 and OC1 rolls are just really deep low braces. One thing you can do is get into low brace position and keep pushing how far over you can go and brace back up. Eventualy you want to be completely over, facing the bottom, t-grip around your solar plexus, bottom hand in front of your head, paddle at the surface, power face up, and brace back up. That doesn't help you with the setup but it's a good place to start. Bob Foote has a video that's supposed to be pretty good. A good instructor/mentor is better.
Did I mention www.cboats.net ?
IMO the Slasher is an easy boat to roll and a fast, fun whitewater cruiser. Some folks don't like the original saddle. Mine was toast when I got it so I replaced it with my old Gyramax saddle.
The stern will squirt! I had trouble keeping mine right side too in pushy stuff until I spent some pond time getting the used to the stern going under. I also learned to lean forward when things got rough. (now I need to unlearn that for my Foreplay)
Finaly keep in mind that as many folks hate the Slasher as love it. If you end up loving it, as I do mine, great! But if you find it too frustrating this is one case where it may well be the boat not the paddler.
Have fun,
Tommy
PS www.cboats.net
Don’t work up too fast in your Slasher.
A friend of mine who had paddled Noah C-1s for several years, including on the Grand Canyon, got a Slasher, and quickly took it up to the Ocoee. He must have had that back-ender problem Tommy refers to, because he had to roll four times coming down through Entrance Rapid, and later he missed a roll, something he NEVER did, and took a long swim below Broken Nose. I was just watching and picking up the pieces in my old Phoenix Seewun.
Eventually he got quite used to the Slasher, though it was never his favorite boat. Maybe you will get to try my Dagger Zealot before you give up and go to kayaks.
for a skirt…
…try sending email to John Mason at Mountainsurf.
For outfitting, go to http://localalpaddler.com
and ask in the forum.
Thanks guys
Yeah I visit c-boats don’t post much, mostly just listen. The short time I spent with it in our pool it seemed like a fun boat. I hope to get it out on some easy moving water this weekend.
If it seems the boat has a future with me I plan to attend some pool sessions this winter with it, but wanted a jump start while the weathers still warm.
Mike
Mike… if your outfitting permits,
play with fore-aft weight distribution. You have to know your typical paddling position. Some mostly sit straight up, but slalom c-1s are designed with the assumption that you are leaning forward somewhat when paddling hard.
If a racing type c-1 is trimmed down at the bow, then when you are running down heavy whitewater (like Tablesaw on the Ocoee), you may feel as if you can’t turn the bow and the river is messing with your stern excessively.
If you are stern-heavy, then you will be back-endered excessively on drops, and on turns you will find the stern excessively catchy.
The only way to trim a boat like the Slasher is to adjust your position on the seat forward or back. It may seem surprising, but light people in slalom boats tend to end up stern heavy, and need to move forward. Tall, heavy people like me need to move forward for better trim. One reason I never bought my friend’s Slasher was that those knee cutouts did not allow me to get my thighs properly engaged, much less to get forward on the seat.
Also, you want your seat position such that you can lean back radically without being restricted by the back of the cockpit rim. You can add a little foam on the seat to keep yourself in the forward positon best for trim.
Slalom c-1s allow a much more radical fore-and-aft weight transfer than is the case for slalom kayaks. Of course you can throw your weight way forward onto the forward deck, and if set up right, you can lean back much more effectively than a kayak also. This gives you tremendous control over the loading of the bow and the stern. It is no accident that stern squirts, and then bow stalls, were first discovered in slalom c-1s.