Outrigger Connection Australia

Chapter 3 – ‘95

1995 – The year of the Arrow. One man canoes start to evolve as the sport progresses in Hawaii. Narrower designs, but still maintaining the flat high seat. With the Arrow Karel made the first lightweight OC1 using epoxy and graphite vacuum bagged construction.

The Arrow OC1 at Karel's shop

Jim and John Foti are the first team riders for Outrigger Connection and give Outrigger Connection it’s first win in the Molokai Relay. One man outriggers are now getting popular in Hawaii and Outrigger Connection is experiencing its first back log with our orders.

OC Team Riders Jim & John Foti

R&D on a new canoe ARROW 2 begins. Custom made colours and fabric inserts and graphite pedals are introduced for the first time. Karel’s association with Black Bart paddles leads to an introduction of full graphite carbon paddles for outriggers.

The "Rasta" coloured Arrow OC1

We have lots of odd sizes and extras left over from orders so we are having a stock clearance and getting rid of the shirts at really good prices.
T-shirts normally $45 now only $20 each.
Long Sleeves normally $50, now only $35 each.

Great for Christmas Presents!!!

Here is the list of shirt sizes and colours available:

Delivery add $7.50 for 1 shirt or $10 for 2 or more shirts

Mens t-shirts – $20 each
Papaya – L x1 SOLD

Mens long sleeve – $35 each
White – XXL x1
Lemongrass – XL x1 SOLD , XXL x3, 3XL x1
Mandarin – XXL x 1 SOLD, XXL x1, 3XL x1

Mens sleeveless – $20 each
White – M x3, L x1

Island motiv long sleeve – $40 each
Papaya/crimson – S x10
White/crimson – XL x1

Womens flower design – $35
Yellow long sleeve – S x1
Green long sleeve – S x1
Blue t-shirt – S x1, XL x1

Womens t-shirts – $20 each
White – M x3, L x2 SOLD
Marina – S x2
Royal blue – M x3, L x1 SOLD

Womens long sleeve – $35 each
White – XS x1, M x1, L x1, XL x1 SOLD
Royal blue – XS x1, L x1 SOLD

Womens tanks – $20 each
White – S x3, M x6, L x7
Royal blue – M x2

For ordering and bank account details visit the Ordering & Contact page

Cheers

Colin

Chapter 2: 90 – 94

The early 90’s was Karel Snr’s first introduction to outrigger canoes. In the early 90’s Karel Snr was the upper division coach of the Lanikai Canoe Club’s mens crew and was the first coach to incorporate one man canoes into the training program and the first to start using one man outriggers for selecting OC6 crews.

1993 – Outrigger Connections first outrigger was built from the original Tahitian design brought to Hawaii by Paul Gay and Gail Berenguy. Outrigger 27 first custom made two man outrigger, made from the Outrigger 27 was built. The iakos were laminated wood, the custom built deck had single foot well and the adjustments on the ama were done on the threaded rod attached to the iakos.

Kalani Irvine on the Outrigger 27

A young Milan and Karel Jnr on the first OC2, a customised Outrigger 27

1994 – The Cuda 21 was designed to substitute OC6 training with individual exercise. The Cuda had a high flat seat to emulate the same height as in the OC6. The Cuda was the first OC1 in Hawaii to be built with aluminum iakos and also using epoxy and carbon and kevlar. Karel’s involvement with the Lanikai Canoe Club determined the clubs colours on the canoes of the sponsored paddlers.

The Lanikai Men's Crew training on Cudas

Karel Snr and the Cuda 21

Cuda 21s heading out for training

In the next chapter we will look at the Arrow OC1 as One Man designs begin to evolve as the sport takes off in Hawaii.

Here is a quick movie of The Mandurah Classic Ocean Paddle, a 14km downhill run from the Dawseville Cut to Seashells Resort in Mandurah. 105 paddlers, ocean skis, surf skis, plastics, kayaks, outrigger canoes. SW wind at 15 knots and a 1m swell… downhill fun!

The presentation and BBQ was by the pool overlooking the Beach at Seashells Resort… very nice.

It’s no Rambo spectacular but I hope you enjoy it.

I just came across this great huli drill on YouTube posted by the Oceanside OCC. It’s very good and a handy reminder as we go into our OC6 season.

I dug up this footage (apologies for the quality) of Karel Jr and the boys playing and flying the ama in Hawaii in a lightweight Mirage. Looks like heaps of fun and a bit tricky!

Does anyone have any favourite OC1 surfing spots? The best one I’ve come across so far is a sandbar break just off the estuary mouth in Mandurah Western Australia. It’s long and it’s clean, the ride is up to 500m long and you can sit on the one wave for over 1min 30sec. Here is some footage of the break. Where is your favourite spot?

Chapter 1 – The 60’s, 70’s & 80’s

Karel Tresnak Snr was originally from Czechoslovakia where he was a 2 time White Water World Champion and competed in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Karel and his team mates formed a company TGT and made their own canoes.

Karel Snr - Slalom

Karel Snr - Slalom

In the 80’s Karel immigrated with his family to Hawaii and started his company Karel’s Fibreglass and began specialising in custom work on powerboats and making ocean kayaks such as the CUDA, CUDA TANDEM, RODEO, SEA HORSE, and STEALTH.

80's Ocean Kayaks

Karel Snr and his STEALTH. Love the headband!

Karel Snr formed Outrigger Connection and began to manufacture OC1 canoes in 1991. Since then Outrigger Connection designs have always been on the cutting edge in design and technology used in construction, and a lot of the ideas and innovations used in all OC1 design today were developed by Karel and Outrigger Connection. Karel was the first to construct lightweight canoes using aerospace technologies like vacuum bagging and advanced composites like Kevlar, S glass, graphite and epoxy resins. Other innovations include the first to use aluminium iakos, foot well drains, sliding seats, integrated foam seats in to the hull and a lot more.

In the coming weeks I’ll post more chapters outlining more of these innovations and developments in OC1 designs by Outrigger Connection starting in the 90’s with Outrigger Connection’s first OC1 the “OUTRIGGER 27” followed by the CUDA 21 and the first use of OC1’s in team selection in Hawaii.

Karel Snr on the OUTRIGGER 27 in '91

I can’t say it’s not a Mirage because it is, it’s a folding Mirage! With the legality issues of OC6 trailers here in Australia a hot topic at the moment Peter and I put our heads together to see what we could come up with.

With our previous experience in 2 & 3 piece Mirage construction for export we saw that a two piece Mirage would solve the overhang problem, but we wanted to go one step further and make it easy for clubs to put the canoe together and rig it.

Why not just hinge the join so the rear piece can fold up and sit on top of the forward section for safe storage and transportation? So that’s exactly what we did. Clarkie from the Inland Outriggers wanted a new 2 piece Mirage so I pitched the idea to him and he said go for it. And here it is Hot out of the mould, Clarkie’s new folding Mirage!

To add strength to the hinges Pete inserted 2 large stainless steel plates into the iako spreaders, the stainless steel hinges are then screwed into these plates. There is no load on the hinges when the canoe is rigged and the rear section is bolted into position, nor when the canoe is folded and strapped down for transport. The only time the hinges are under load is when the canoe is being folded. Once on the ground the canoe can easily be unfolded and bolted together by 2 people in 5 mins.

When folded and placed on a shorter trailer (Clarkies building one) we’ve calculated the distance from the tow ball to the rear of the trailer will be about 9.6m. The canoes will need to be transported on the trailer the right way up though.

Clarkie will be taking delivery of his folding Mirage in early December and heading down to the National Titles at Coffs Harbour  with it in tow so if you’re there make sure to check it out.

Peter and I hope that this could be one solution to the trailer legality issues facing clubs, let me know what you think?

Cheers

Barts

For all you Sandgropers, if you’ve been thinking about updating or getting a new OC1 or OC2 here is your big chance. There is a container arriving in Perth from Hong Kong in December and if you get your order in before the end of November you can get a brand new canoe for same price as everyone pays on the east coast but you wont have to pay for the expensive freight (or the damage) to get it transported over to the west. It arrives in Perth straight from the factory.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Get your orders in now.