FOREST AND STREAM 
1041 
This Crew Is Proud of Seventeen Straight Victories. 
Photo by Hearst-Selig Co. 
WHEN THE CREWS TAKE THE WATER 
THIS IS A RACING STORY BUT IT TELLS THE ORDINARY CANOEIST 
MANY THINGS OF VALUE IN THE OPERATION OF HIS CRAFT 
By Jule F. Marshall, Member of the Racing Board of the American Canoe Association. 
C ANOE racing has come to be a very popular 
sport. This is best shown by the large 
number of canoes built and building in a 
one design class. Gradual changes in design and 
rules have been made until racing men in gen¬ 
eral are quite satisfied with the present design of 
craft. (See illustrations.) Most of these canoes 
are built in Canada. The type is a striking one 
with straight lines, beautiful flares and the unique 
torpedo deck that sheds water faster than the 
curved and rising bow. The hulls are made of 
varnished American cedar, Spanish cedar or ma¬ 
hogany with a close ribbed interior protected 
again by floor boards. The seams are usually 
sealed with brass strips running the full length 
of the seam to prevent leaking. The torpedo deck 
is either of fibre or mahogany. The former is 
the better for it does not smash as readily in 
shipping and handling the canoes. The outside 
is either a highly polished finish or is painted to 
the water line with a mixture of shellac and 
graphite. Both finishes give about the same re¬ 
sults in reducing friction in the water but the 
high polish is by far the harder to keep in con¬ 
dition. 
Canoes for single and tandem crews are 16 
feet long, 30 inches wide over all, 21 inches on 
the water line in beam, 9 to 12 inches deep and 
weigh about 45 pounds. For crew of four, the 
canoe is 20 feet long, 30 inch beam, 27 inch water 
line, 13 inches deep and weighs 75 pounds. War 
canoes for fifteen men are 30 feet long, 32 to 35 
inches wide, sixteen inches deep and weigh 
around 120 pounds. 
About the best single blade for crew work is 
the type known as the “Sugar Island” blade. This 
also was designed by the long experienced Cana¬ 
dians. The sides of the blade are straight, the 
end is square, the shaft is very full and strong 
and the grip is designed to fit the hand comfort¬ 
ably. The blade is flat on one side in order to 
hold all the water possible while on the reverse 
side a “beaver tail” is carried down the center 
of the blade from the stout shaft. This prevents 
the blade from snapping under the strain. The 
length of the paddle should be no longer than the 
height up to the paddler’s eyes,—never higher. 
The stroke, explained further on, will show the 
reason for this. 
Racing men agree that the “spliced” double 
blade is the only thing. While this would ordi¬ 
narily make a cumbersome shaft some nine feet 
and odd inches long, according to taste, it proves 
worth while as there is no danger of the two 
blades shifting or coming apart during a race. 
There are no ferrules to rot the wood nor add 
to the weight as in the case of the ferruled type. 
Double blades should be of the spoon style and 
are better when chunky in area rather than in 
the long oar design. The opposite blades should 
be turned at a little less than right angles to each 
other. This makes one blade feather the air 
when the other is pulling water. The lesser angle 
than the right angle greatly relieves the strain 
on the one wrist that does all the turning. The 
splicing is an eight inch angle across the middle 
of the shaft. This is glued together, riveted with 
copper rivets and washers and bound with strong 
fish line and varnished. I have only heard of one 
double blade that ever snapped at the splicing. 
Double blades are usually tipped with copper to 
prevent splitting. Copper gathers dirt, rots the 
wood, dents up and enters the water badly. A 
much better and stronger tip is a piece of Spanish 
cedar with the grain running opposite to that of 
the blade, mitered to the blade, glued and tacked 
with tiny brass escutcheon pins. This, when sand¬ 
papered and varnished, will make a clean job 
that will stay that way. All blades should be of 
selected, clear white spruce, free from knots and 
attractive grains. 
I have been asked a good many times for sug¬ 
gestions as to exercises that would keep one lim¬ 
bered up when away from training quarters. Now 
there is no need to tire oneself of this delightful 
sport and the fellowship of training and compet¬ 
ing with other men by overdoing the matter and 
going in for serious gymnastics. In paddling a 
hard race, the strain is more mental than phys¬ 
ical by far. However, there is one exercise that 
will benefit paddlers immensely and that is the 
one of bringing the arms full length up and 
over the head, inhaling and then bringing them 
forward, exhaling and bending until the finger 
tips touch the toes. It will be found when start¬ 
ing this exercise that the floor can hardly be 
touched with the finger tips and later on by per¬ 
sistent trying, you will be surprised to find the 
palm planted flat on the floor beside the feet and 
done easily without bending the knees. This ex¬ 
ercise will stretch all the joints used in paddling 
and especially the back, taking out the annoying 
“kinks.” If this stunt is followed conscientiously 
morning and evening, it will be found a great 
help to paddlers and everyone desiring an active 
body. The training at canoe quarters should be 
done entirely in the canoes the crews are to race 
in. More team work can be gained this way than 
in any other manner. Some men believe in train¬ 
ing in slower boats thinking that they will go 
faster when they race in the shells. In their 
