History of Slalom boats

[Chris. D]

From 1969 for at least twelve years we built more than 25 fibre glass slalom canoes and Bats . Mostly built in the winter using moulds hired from Trylon Woollaston or bought moulds and we made our paddles from kits and four canoe trailers in the workshop recycling old wheels and angle iron etc. It was good fun making equipment -a team effort with brightly coloured resins but our own design patterns using masking tape to personalise individual kayaks.Most canoe club local families and college FE students couldn't afford the manufacturers prices so DIY was the only way we could all afford to get afloat.We also made detachable sleeve skegs so slalom kayaks could be used by beginners more easily and on summer coastal sea paddles as well as whitewater - river trips and local slaloms. Remember building the Apache designs first-then many Ox 1's and Panthers -Wombats for our pool sessions and polo-several KW7's that had a really comfy seat and then Snipes. Those who entered serious BCU div slalom competitions and whitewater racing did buy manufactured slalom designs and one local student was in the British Junior team and their team were 3rd in the European Champs.We also made from KITS lightweight sleeping bags - even cagoules, spraydecks and wetsuits from paper patterns pots of glue and brushes -really useful for winter training and canoe surfing -and DIY navy fleece zipped jackets in late 60's on old sewing machine before these all appeared in shops at affordable prices-I still have a catalogue and an old 'kit wet suit' and many photos with great memories.

[Philq]

Apollo was set up by Nick Pink after he left Gaybo

Even less well known would be Panza Mouldings set up in the late 70's/early 80's by another ex-Gaybo employee, Doug Ray. If anyone has a Myth they should hang it on a wall as it may well count as the rarest slalom kayak ever, it was probably the slowest turning slalom kayak of all time which might explain why

[TheKrikkitWars]

A note on all the Max and Bat series C1's, they're all Designs by Jon Lugbill and Davy Hearn with the Max II (aparently a play on "to the max", there was never a Max or Max I) being the first, made over 18 months, using a german slalom kayak which had been cut in four and then modified beyond all recogntion... and ending with the Fanatic II (which it would seem never made it to the UK).

They also spawned several Slalom-Cruiser-Squirt crossovers including the Aerobat and Acrobat which were created by Peter Zurflieh and manufactured by New Wave

Also the Hahn (by Paul Hahn) came in both 80cm and 73cm widths (pre and post rule changes), with the latter having various modernisations as well as the width reduction; being the first of the narrower boats to make it to the US it gained a bit of a following, and there are a couple of different versions (including the sweet hahn and the modified hahn) Last time I checked you could still order them brand new from Millbrook Boats.

I'm now paddling a restored Extrabat (made by Nomad in 91') and it's proving fun, and educational compared with the rather more modern 3.8m and 3.5m I was introduced to c1 in... Hence my research in this area.

[Chris Bolton]

Joshua,

I agree regarding the designers of the Max/Bat series - but since you mention the Extrabat as well, I'm not sure if you know it's not part of that series. It was designed by Mike Dalton (Nomad) as the C1 complement to the Extra kayak. Glad to hear you're finding it interesting - you wrote in another post that you were going to cut it down, I guess you haven't done that yet?

Chris

[andya]

I agree regarding the designers of the Max/Bat series - but since you mention the Extrabat as well, I'm not sure if you know it's not part of that series. It was designed by Mike Dalton (Nomad) as the C1 complement to the Extra kayak.

??????

http://www.cboats.net/c_db/list.php?&boat_id=58
http://www.whitewaterslalom.org/marketplace/boats.html

or from the horses mouth ....

http://www.daveyhearn.com/MWP%20Gear/Re ... itting.htm

Davey Hearn is an expert composite boat builder with abundant knowledge of boat outfitting & repair.
Davey is co-designer of decked whitewater canoes and kayaks used around the world including the Max II, Supermax, Ultramax, Cudamax, Batmax, Gyramax, SuperBatmax, ExtraBat, Acrobat, Fanatic, F2, Stealth, X1, SSX, SSX96, Dynamic, and SuperGlide C1s, the LaserBat and Photon K1s, and the Paramax C2.

Love my Extrabat ,,, http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... 776&type=1

[Chris Bolton]

Hmmm, thanks Andy, I may be wrong then, interesting. It may just be co-incidence that Mike Dalton produced the Nomad Extra just prior to the Extrabat. But I've never heard of Mike licensing a design from somebody else, he always used to design his own boats. I shall have to make enquires, if I can find the right people.

Chris

[TheKrikkitWars]

Love my Extrabat ,,, http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... 776&type=1

I'm afraid mine doesn't look quite so original; Great fun though.

[andya]

Love my Extrabat ,,, http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... 776&type=1

I'm afraid mine doesn't look quite so original; Great fun though.

Nice!

[Martin S]

In the late 70s there was a boat manufacturer near Chester/Manchester who made boats for Ray Calverley. I can't remember his name? Does anyone have any ideas?
I had one of his boats which was great, but a bit high volume. This was at a time when the Olymp 4 came out, which some people saw as cheating because of its low ends. I later paddled a Gaybo Perfekt, which was basically a bat with poles on the ends to make up the required length. People would shout abuse from the bank, saying that it should be banned!

Great thread bough back some fond memories!

Martin

--

Martin Shakeshaft

[Jon352]

Some pictures from the Gaybo catalogue of about 1976 to illustrate the Perfekt and Olymp mentioned above, and a few others from the same year.

[Jon352]

More Gaybo boats from late '70s / early '80s catalogues.

[Jon352]

Gaybo Pricelist from February 1979. VAT at 12.5% on boats, but only 8% on delivery and equipment - can't remember why that was.

[Terryg]

Wow! that brought back memories.

[Jon352]

Contributions from Pyranha and Jaycee:

[andya]

Love these Jon!

I've some old White Water Mags from the 78/80's. Now you've done those I might have to scan a few of those latter adverts ... :¬)

[Solonova]

Superb! Miss-spent many hours in school pouring over these very brochures.
I forgot about the Hydro-broke the nose off mine every time I paddled it.

[Martin S]

Canoe porn! I can remember saving up for an Olymp 5 then a Perfekt. Thanks for posting the brochures they bought back some great memories.

Martin

[mharrall]

Just spotted this: http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/image.phtml ... 84&image=1

Thought it might be of interest to 80s slalomists

[kjcc25]

If anyone is interested I have just put a Arrowcraft Image 85 for sale on Ebay. Very good condition.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0676974599

[Jon Wood]

This link may be of interest-old paddlers on the new London Olympic course. In a wide variety of boats!
Also loving the Ace helmets.

http://aephotos.co.uk/slalommediaday4apr2012-team1972

[Terryg]

Any chance of some paddler identification? Court & Goodwin in the C2 is obvious, and I think I have identified some of the others, but its been 40 years since I have seen some of these faces and I am not sure of all of them.

[Terryg]

And I got that wrong! it wasn't Court and Goodwin in the C2.

[ian the badger]

I paddled an SL5 around 1966, wrote it off at Trevor Rocks. Bought a new KW7, shite build quality, wrote it off surfing at Porth Ceirad, Bought an beautiful SL7 lowline, fabulous build I loved that boat, in transulcent red.

[Dave Manby]

I paddled an SL5 around 1966, wrote it off at Trevor Rocks. Bought a new KW7, shite build quality, wrote it off surfing at Porth Ceirad, Bought an beautiful SL7 lowline, fabulous build I loved that boat, in transulcent red.

I remember that smart looking boat. I had a SL5 - weighed a ton - to start with then bought a JC Wildcat - I believed the advertising blurb - before switching to an early 73 cms Hann C1

[Dave Manby]

Any chance of some paddler identification? Court & Goodwin in the C2 is obvious, and I think I have identified some of the others, but its been 40 years since I have seen some of these faces and I am not sure of all of them.

Here the results - not all of us were in contention for Olympic places back then.
Keith Wickham 1.51 mins 1st First Position

Ray Calverley 2.00 mins 2nd =

Chris Skellern 2.00 mins 2nd =

Rob Hastings 2.01 mins 4th

Graham Goldsmith 2.03 mins 5th =

Melvin Swallow 2.03 mins 5th =

John Macloed 2.05 mins 7th

Ken Langford 2.06 mins 8th

John Griffiths 2.08 mins 9th =

Nigel Timmins 2.08 mins 9th =

Graham Mackereth 2.15 mins 11th

Chris Avery 2.22 mins 12th

Keith Robinson 2.28 mins 13th

Geoff Dinsdale/Mike Hillyard 2.33 mins 14th First Canadian

Sue Hornby 2.39 mins 15th First Lady

Norman Jackson 2.50 mins 16th

Mike Ramsey 3.25 mins 17th

Dave Manby 3.27 mins 18th

Nick Wain 1.47 mins Fastest Run

Vic Brown cap

Stuart Fisher cap

Jim Sibley Ret. after practise

Nigel Morley Ret.after practise

Mike Thomas dns

[Dave Manby]

Any chance of some paddler identification? Court & Goodwin in the C2 is obvious, and I think I have identified some of the others, but its been 40 years since I have seen some of these faces and I am not sure of all of them.

Even some video here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn5HlG5w ... ploademail

[Derek Marshall]

Also great memories
Started with the KW7 and moved on the a Scorpion.
This lead to an Olymp 6 and finally on to a Sanna Extreme

Now paddling a Bako B-max ... in a straight line
or a Lancer down the lumpy stuff & still enjoying it all be it no longer in slalom

[Screwloose_LeTrack]

Just to prove you can't keep a good thread our a good boat down, heres my contribution to this venerable old thread.
My son was recently given an unidentified lime green and orange fibreglass boat.
I have pics but can't work out how to post them. After a few false leads we think now its a P & H Phazer. Fabulous condition apart from some ugly external repairs to the hull. We're removing them slowly and replacing them with internal repairs.
We also have a pretty battered Olymp that will be repaired over the winter.
My son is 12 and he adores his 4m glass boat, he won't be tempted away from it.

[surfkayaks.com]

Im still after an "Isere" if anyone has one kicking around, condition not really important!
We have the technology.

Malcolm
Mega

[Screwloose_LeTrack]

I have the same technology going on in my garage at the moment
I call it technology, my wife calls it "that stink"
The joys of laying up fibreglass are wasted on her