Serge wrote:
The rule

(http://www.uscanoe.com/2002canoespec.html) reads that width of the boat
has to be at least 14.375% of the length at the 4" waterline. That
works out to 32" wide for 18'6" (max length).


I also wondered why the shape is so weird. Sounds like a very
artificial
rule. I remember seeing other canoes without such pronounced wings,
At some point, all rules are artificial. One of the goals of rules for
racing canoes is to keep the sport so that more than a handful of people
can a)afford to paddle, and b)keep them upright. There have been some
fairly ludicrous designs, that could only be handled by a very skilled
pair of paddlers. At this point, there are so many C1s meeting the
14.375 rule that there isn't much impetus to mess with the rule.

There have been a couple of 'major improvements' to the rules in the
last few years, most notably the move to allow pro-boats, which are 27"
at the 3" waterline, instead of 4" at 32 (usually read 3x27 and 4x32)
The proboat is a lot easier to loft, and a darned sight faster when
paddled right. The USCA also has moved away from the 'standard class',
which was supposed to foster a 'stockboat' design, and instead created
an ugly sorta slow boat.
probably
Olympic canoes. Darn things are so tippy, they capsize when empty...

'high kneelers' - Olympic sprint canoes - are amazingly fast,
approaching the speed of fla****er kayaks, but you wouldn't want to
paddle one for hours. Pro canoes (C2) and C1s like above are still
fairly tippy, and do demand good balance. They also reward good
paddling, and can deal with fairly severe water (lake waves and Class
1/2). The straight keel-line means that they track very well, so to
turn quickly you use a cross-bow rudder and lean the boat down on the
outside to create an artificial rocker. When done right, they'll spin
around amazingly fast. Done badly, you swim.
Amazing that with shape so weird they are faster than kayaks and even
faster
than surf skis on long distance.

To save the weight no gelcoat is used, so cover is necessary to
prevent epoxy/carbon/Kevlar breakdown.

I will stick to my surf ski though, these canoes are no good in the
ocean
and outrigger does not suit my fancy ether.

Over short to medium distances, very slick kayaks and surf skis are
faster, but marathon style paddling (and 7oz paddles) allow you to rest
better over long distances.

Marsh