Rambos Locker Outrigger Canoe Blog

I have ordered this little Waterproof Still & Video Camera for trial. It's cheap ... $AU 220 delivered and if the reports from a fellow gadget lover are correct, this is a little beauty and far exceeds it's previous little brother. Here are the specs ....


This will be perfect for using on the OC1/2 or OC6, and apparently it takes excellent underwater video and stills as well. No conversion needed to upload to a computer for editing, just plug in to a USB port and the files are loaded straight to your desktop ready for editing in TV quality resolution.

I'm hoping to receive it before the Nationals so i can give it a good workout and post a review here later in the week.

In the mean time check out the Quality in this 10 sec video shot with the camera, it also records sound.


Standby

Cheers Rambo

Labels: camera mounts, GoPro

Watch how a Koa tree is selected for an OC6 Canoe and manhandled down Mt Haleakala on Maui. Incredible team work required and very exciting watching the log slide down the mountain under control.
Rambo's Comment - and you blokes thought packing canoes on a trailer for hammo was hard work!

Labels: Culture, Koa

Watch this crazy guy checking out the Surf spots on the Nth Shore Hawaii in record time. Crazy stuff.

Turn up your sound volume first

Labels: Makaha, Oc4

I promised to give my thoughts on the Outrigger Connection Fuze so here it is.

Before I do just a little disclaimer.. I currently own and paddle a Hurricane which I love. I don’t have any connection to any Manufacturer nor am I lucky or good enough to be sponsored, so my opinion is pure and just that, my opinion.

My interest in the Fuze started at about the same time as I bought my Hurricane, 12 months ago. It wasn’t available in Aust. then so was crossed off the list.

I knew Lisa Curry Kenny paddled one in Hawaii and actually brought it back with her so I had seen it on the ocean at Mooloolaba and questioned her about it.

My interest was rekindled when in Hawaii in April this year to do 2 iron oc1 races on Maui. In between the two races I had 4 days on Oahu and visited Karels factory at Kailua to demo the Fuze and had morning tea with Karel snrs lovely wife Marcella.
They had both Hawaiian and Chinese made Fuzes available and you could not pick the difference.

I took the Fuze to local waters and paddled in various conditions for the rest of afternoon.
I was quite impressed with the wave catching ability of the canoe; it seemed to drop in on the wave easily and had extremely responsive rudder control. No pearling of the nose was another noticeable attribute. On flat water I felt that it did not have the speed of a Hurricane, but without a Hurricane there to trial it was at best a guess. Comfortable, I could have paddled it all day and the lower seat height allowed a closer to the water and straighter leg style of paddling that I like. I also like the looseness or slappiness of the Ama on the water which I believe is similar in action to the Puffy Ama on the oc6 Mirage.

Back to the present and the demo of the Fuze on Hammo.

Man straight-away I knew this was a different canoe. In fact it was Lisa’s Fuze from above. The only way I could describe the difference was that it was light-footed or loose on the water. The flat water speed felt much faster. In fact I was so excited about the performance of this canoe; I flipped twice in shallow water front of my Mooloolaba club mates and copped a huge serve from them. So Marty and Grant Kenny, Darren Mercer, Lemmo, my coach Danny Sheard and the others ¦…. Get Stuffed ¦I was just trying to see how light the Ama was, and it caught me by surprise.

Talking to Bart’s (Outrigger Connection Dealer in Australia) later about the canoe (actually I was trying to buy it) he confirmed that it was in fact Lisa’s Fuze and it was now his wife’s canoe. Further, it is also a Carbon- Carbon canoe not a Carbon-Kevlar like the ones currently for sale. Here’s the reason for the light footedness I experienced. It weighs full rigged 8.5kgs. I assume that it is a one off canoe and probably not covered by the normal warrantee as the Carbon-Kevlar product, and that’s completely understandable. But I want it.

So there you have it, an excellent canoe design and impressive all around performance.

If I had pick one thing negative it would be the non-adjustable seat, but you can slide fore and aft a few inches.

I now need two canoes, my Hurricane and a Fuze.

Cheers Rambo

Labels: oc1 review

Lot's of paddlers have asked me for more info on the longer, slimmer and lighter surfing rudder that i have on my Hurricane and where they can purchase it from. It's actually an Outrigger Zone product (the maker of the Canoe) and while it did perform as i stated in an earlier post http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com/2007/03/about-my-single-outrigger-canoe-oc1.html
it did not last very long, neither did the ones fitted to 2 other canoes belonging to my paddling buddy's.

The problem is the rudder is so thin at the shaft entry point that the carbon splits on both sides and water enters and delaminates the fibres. The rudder exterior takes on the appearance of shark skin and the complete rudder twists into an "s" shape, not very hydrodynamic in that shape i can assure you.
Cracked where shaft enters rudder


Not enough "meat" on either side of shaft


Two Rudders Side by Side (click for close up)

I'm sure Outrigger Zone are on to this and a better version will be available soon. I hope so because it really does make a difference to the canoes handling.

Rambo

Labels: Hurricane Oc1

The Race and the Party

Labels: Hammo

It appears that over the last few years the Australian National Outrigger Titles have lost their attraction for a lot of paddlers. Initially, i though it might have been the poor location choice or the fact that it is too close date-wise, to The Hamilton Island Cup. Now I'm not so sure. Why would crews train all year, race at zone regatta's and then come Nats time, not want to "bother"pitting themselves against the best crews the country has to offer. Is it fear of failure? Is it "if I'm not in the best team I'm not going"excuse? What is going on here?

The Nats should be about competing for your Club, to win the Club Championship. (yes there is such a thing) The smaller clubs must look in disbelief at the larger and more successful clubs and shake their heads at the pathetic turnout. They would love to be part of it and struggle to get numbers and equipment to the location, but they do it, and hats off to them.

Wake up you successful club crews and individuals, or one day you will be complaining about the loss of something you never supported.

Rambo

Labels: Oc4, wipeout

Labels: wipeout

Labels: va'a

This 60 second video, is a GPS upload to Google Earth of the actual route i took in the 27km race.

Labels: Hurricane Oc1, repair canoe

My Ama has been found. The Twin Waters Life Guard Tower spotted my Ama the next day.
Life Guard said that when he first saw it, it was wiggling itself up the sand towards the tower like it was going for help.

Thanks my reliable little Buddy.

Told you canoes have "Mana"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana

Being reunited today and it can sleep on the bottom of my bed tonite, next to Ralph (my dog) Move over Mrs Rambo.

Labels: Hurricane Oc1

Not Smashed ... equipment failure this time. On the same Moffats to Mooloolaba run, this time in a different spot and different circumstances......
About 10 of us did the run today in good 20kts SE winds.

Before i elaborate, i would just like to thank the thieving prick that "exchanged" my good iakos for their very worn and stuffed ones some time back when i left them next to my canoe while having a leak. I believe Kate Watson from Mooloolaba also had hers "exchanged" at the same spot, same day. So not all paddlers are nice types.

Anyway what happened was 3/4 of the way thru the run on the face of a wave the front iako broke at the canoe end, where the locating grooves are inside the twist lock. The Ama swung around dropped off the rear iako. By the time i had recovered and started to gather all the pieces my Ama had blown 50 metres away and traveling faster than i could swim with the canoe in toe (on the leg rope of course). As i had only 1 iako it was pointless any way and i was reluctant to leave the canoe.

At least one other paddler passed me but was unaware what had happened.

Tried to lay on the back of the canoe and paddle like a paddle board but could not make headway against the receding tide nor could i get closer to the shore (1km away).

Thought of tying the canoe to Kawana shark nets and swimming in but staying with the canoe has to be the no1 priority. However still had not heard from any of the other 9 paddlers although i thought i saw Thor and Westy appear near Cartwright Lighthouse, this turned out to be correct but they did not see me and went to seek further assistance.

After about one and a half hours passed and no assistance i finally drifted to Point Cartwright rocks and washed up there.

Where was all the safety equipment i always harp about? Well we only decided to do a downwind that morning when we all met and all my equipment was at home (except the PFD it was at the club house)

No Bloody excuse.

1st time ever, i have been on a downwind run with out it, but got caught out. Although i appreciate the help and concern i got from the other paddlers the "buddy"system is not infallible.

Moral of the story is .... BE PREPARED FOR ALL SCENARIOS AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND NOT RELY ON OTHERS KNOWING YOUR SITUATION.

I'm taking my own advice and won't be caught again.

Hurricane in two pieces, broke just behind the seat, will post pictures as i repair it. Damn.

Rambo

The Damage (click to enlarge)







Go here to see the Repair Process http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com/2007/04/repairing-hurricane.html

Labels: Hurricane Oc1