About the FCRCC Outrigger Canoe Program

About the Outrigger Canoe

An Outrigger Canoe, or OC6, is traditionally a 6 person Polynesian canoe. The original race specs were that it had to be at least 40 feet long and weigh at least 400 lbs. The outrigger consists of an ama, or flotation device, that is attached to the canoe by 2 iakos giving it the stability necessary to travel over great distances and in a variety of water conditions.

Many variations of these designs exist, including 4 person surfing canoes. False Creek focuses on the fibreglass design racing canoes. We compete in single, double, and six person races in both fresh and salt water.

Race styles vary greatly in this sport. Some sprint races can be as short as 500 meters while long distance change races (where paddlers rotate in and out of the boat) can be up to 45 km in length or even longer and last for 6 – 8 hours.

The development of outrigger canoes is difficult to trace back because they have been in use far longer than there have been written records. A common estimate is that the development of outrigger canoes dates back nearly 3000 years.

It is assumed that that the first designs for the canoe were formed from logs hollowed out by the use of clam shells or perhaps sharpened rocks. The limited stability of these water craft then led to the Polynesian practice of lashing two canoes together to form a double hull design.

It is assumed that out of the double hull design, the next logical advancement was the double outrigger design which offered increased maneuverability and stability. Though very fast, the problem with the double outrigger design was that in heavy seas, the primary hull could become suspended between two large waves which made maneuvering impossible and often lead to snapping of the iakos. The single outrigger design overcame this limitation and has persisted over the years as being the optimal compromise between stability and flexibility.