History of Slalom Boats - can anyone help add to this list...

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:33 pm

Radical moves weren't around long. They mostly built the Retro, but they did have a unique design of their own with a sort of keel in the bow section. It didn't work, and I don't remember what the boat was called.

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:47 pm

The Pyranha Image came between the Prem II and Prem III, I would say about 1983 - mine had a sticker on it celebrating 5 World Champs wins for Pyranha, the last being 1981. That would put the Prem III back to about 1984/85

Nomad had a Pro Am C1 to go with the kayak and C2, they must have been about the same time - so 1985 if the kayak date is correct.

frontman2 · Post by **frontman2** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:34 pm

Image came out for Augsburg Worlds in 1985. I had my Image in 1986. Image III was later still, around 87/88?

RussJohnson · Post by **RussJohnson** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:42 pm

the name Retro stands out as the model of the Radical Moves boat i ust to paddle.

it was a "good" boat to introduce a paddler into the world of slalom boats as the boat i used before was a TekSport Xcess plastic boat.

It turned.. erm.. Well it turned eventually. it was good in a straight line at least and it was stable and had a good few layers of strong material (good to take down Wagon Lane)

but i can rightly say that it was never as good as the Vadja Nexus which replaced it

oldschool · Post by **oldschool** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:36 pm

radical moves were nomads weren't they?

oldboy · Post by **oldboy** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:34 pm

You may want to start a bit earlier if you really are talking the history of slalom boats. Prior to glassfibre there was a very healthy slalom community using folding kayaks. Klepper were the most popular, Hartung too.
So Klepper Slalom55 was from 1955 and Klepper Slalom58 was the last of the folding slalom kayaks from 1958. Their first glassfibre boat was pretty much the shape of the Slalom58 folder it replaced.
I have an example of a Klepper S58 in excellent condition if anyone needs photos!

Spiderman · Post by **Spiderman** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:44 pm

Ok, and to fill in between folding kayaks (!) and the starting point at the top of this thread, in 1971 there was the Trylon Ox. At least I think it was Trylon. A mold arrived at our school for the Ox and we used all Trylon resins and glass to make about 15 of them...all bright solid orange! So these were actually a "homemade" model using a supplied mold. Then there was the KW7? Help me here please...Keith W......W.......argh, the brains shot! Anyway, same principle. We made a dozen KW7's, this time using translucent colours

Both of these were slalom boats. Then we get to the Merano and Wildcat previously mentioned, so thats extended the list a tad

PP

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:12 am

I'm pretty sure it was Keith White. I remember even older fogies than me talking about his boats in the days when they were the bees knees.

I also remember a Bevan, which was probably around the time of the Pyranha Vedel. Whether that is the manufacturer's name or the model I don't know.

AndyA - The Virago and Kick need to be credited to Technique as mentioned earlier. I have seen Technique around at slaloms again recently with a new junior boat.

andya · Post by **andya** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:10 pm

davebrads wrote:AndyA - The Virago and Kick need to be credited to Technique as mentioned earlier. I have seen Technique around at slaloms again recently with a new junior boat.

Cheers Dave, will do.

I plan to do a uipdate over the weekend, as there are a whole batch of changes building up.

But overall its looking good ... keep those additions, amends and memories coming ...!

carboncraft · Post by **carboncraft** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:34 pm

a list with photos would be interesting to see how the boats have evolved?

there must be loads of pictures around and posibily boats, i know i have some old ones in the back of the garage.

sandylaner · Post by **sandylaner** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:45 am

Spiderman wrote:Oh! Check this link and then go to the links in there to see the programme for that event containing some boat ads:-

http://www.clevercaptures.com/Canoein....1_sXcNW

There is a Gaybo advert with 7 Lettman and Prijon designs that will assist with the list There are also boats by Streamlyte (Tyne Canoes), P&H, Cymru canoes, Pyranha, Topcraft and Jaycee.

I am seen in some of the pictures in the photogallery paddling my red Augsburg and David Brown (Bedford not Chester) in his Gaybo boat at that time and the adverts in the programe will date the boats featured. Bob Campbell is in the blue gaybo boat going under Miss Davies's Bridge.

I really must scan and upload the slalom stuff I have here from the 70's as I have it all...and so brilliantly documented by my dear old departed Mum too

I spoke to a young Div 1 lad last weekend and mentioned the name Alan Edge to him. He said, "Who is he?". Hmmm...we need some record of this sports history it seems!

PP

Pete,

I competed at that event! It's a long time since I saw my name on a start sheet.... it's also a long time since my name had a (Y) next to it too!

That was the first top level slalom that I can remember having any sort of sponsorship - Gaybo even gave all competitors a very nice boat sticker that sat proudly on my Olymp V until I wrote it off surfing at Hells Mouth...

I miss those days so much. I often drive past the Trywerwyn on my way to Abersoch, and can never resist stopping for a nostalgic wander about.

3 back operations have ruled out any chance of getting into a boat again - if anyone on this forum has access to a time machine, could they please let me know?

sandylaner · Post by **sandylaner** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:56 am

davebrads wrote:It was Melvyn Jones. But Melvyn Swallow did race at quite a high level in Slalom as well as the top in WWR.

Melvyn Swallow was in the British Slalom Team before concentrating his efforts on WWR.

At one time, he held the record for being in the top slalom division longer than anyone else (Division 1 and then Premier Division). For all I know he could still hold that record - it would have taken some beating. I can remember at Chester that he would spend all year training in his WWR boat and then, around October, he would realise that he needed some ranking points to stay in the top division. He would jump in a slalom boat for an evening on flat water, do some gate work, and that was that. He would then turn up at the last major slalom of the year (Serpents Tail in those days) and get enough points to stay up.

Still paddling and still winning. Married Nikki Wain's sister, Sarah. Has a daughter Jenny who is following in her father's boat tracks and winning everything in sight as well!

sandylaner · Post by **sandylaner** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:58 am

Keith White?

sandylaner · Post by **sandylaner** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 10:37 am

Spiderman wrote:Yes Jim, I remember the introduction of the Perfekt. There was a very fast Chester Paddler who I can only remember by his nickname of "Woody" (might have been Paul Wood?) who saw it and said in his broad accent "Them ends'll go ferra start!".

PP

Pete,

It was, indeed, Paul Wood. He made the British Youth Team and was also a very talented C1 paddler. He was a bit of a rough diamond from Ellesmere Port and was never short of an opinion on anything. Whilst everyone else at the club was paddling Olymp V's, Woody was the only person I can recall paddling an Olympia "H". I remember having a go in it once, it had the highest front deck ever. I could hardly see over the top of it. (Although as it was the boat used by Siggy Horn to win the Gold at the Munich olympics it must have been half decent I suppose!)

Woody gave up canoeing and took up Ice Hockey. Nuff said.

Slapdash Sal · Post by **Slapdash Sal** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:54 am

What memories - I'm pretty sure my brother's first boat was a deep purple ox - It was a really buoyant boat and he could only just see over the cockpit at 11 years old.

Green Pete - Is the boat you designed on the list? I know it was only shortlived but it still existed.

It's been great reading everyone's memories and I'd be up for a 4 metre boat competition - I've got my wooden kobers somehwere (Picked up from the Kober factory costing £35 following a trip to Augsburg). Last season I was paddling a 4 metre boat in Div 1 - We could get hold of some quite ancient slalom boats although I think my old elite is porous now and lying in my Mum and Dad's garden.

I tell you, there are enough Proteus members who can remember the rules from bygone days so judging would not be a problem - might confuse the younger members though!

Thanks for taking me down memory lane.

Slapdash Sal