OKS Keeners blog 3
How to boof
The boof is an incredibly useful stroke for river
running/creeking which lifts the bow of the boat over a feature, typically a
hole, letting the kayaker skip out over the feature rather than receiving a
glorious beatdown, opening up a ton of fun new lines. The boof is also the
skill that I here the most keeners say “oh I never really learned how to boof”
or “I cant run that, my boof is (insert pushup word)”, so here’s my quick
lesson on how to boof.
Step 1: Approach the feature with speed.
If you’re planning on boofing something, it’s generally
because the feature will stop you. That means that more water flows back
upstream than downstream. So if you just float at the same speed as the water,
your chance of getting through the feature isn’t great. By paddling hard and
moving faster than the downstream flow you greatly increase your odds of
getting through the feature. If someone were to only take one thing from this
blog it would be to paddle as hard as you can before a hard boof.
Advanced option: approach angled slightly towards the side
you plan on taking your last stroke on. Use this stroke to redirect your angle
to perpendicular the hole. This helps lift your bow more and is also a good way
to correct if you spin out before the drop.
Step 2: Lifting the bow
As you approach the feature, place your paddle at the lip of
the drop (or just before the peak if boofing a wave). Pull hard on your stroke
once you can see your landing, for a more vertical drop this will be generally
just as your bow clears the lip, whereas a more gradual sloping drop requires a
later stroke. If boofing up onto something like a rock take an early stroke
focused less on lifting and more on driving your boat forward. As you take your
stroke pull up with your knees like you’re doing a sit-up, and try to push your
hips forward.
Step 3: Landing
As you land keep your weight forward and centered, and
quickly take a strong stroke on the opposite side you took your boof stroke on.
Paddle hard until you’re well out of the tow-back
Common mistakes:
Back ender upon landing: lean forward and paddle faster
Diagonal hole boofing: boof perpendicular to the hole rather
than to the river. If your bow is pointing downstream and the hole is at a 40
degree angle, then only a portion of your momentum
I hope this helps, stay safe, SYOTR,
-Reilly
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