What is an Outrigger Canoe?
An Outrigger Canoe (OC) is a traditional Polynesian canoe used mainly on the open ocean for fishing or traveling from island to island. It consists of a long narrow hull with a pontoon, known as the ama, supported by two spars which are called iakus. The ama assists in the stability of the outrigger.
For the purpose of sport racing, an OC is usually configured to carry from one (OC-1) to six (OC-6) paddlers. OC-2 and OC-4 variants are sometimes used, but the 1 and 6 are by far the most popular for competition. Races can be short 1000 metre sprint races to very long, 25 mile or more, endurance races.
FLCC has 2 OC-6s for member use and currently 13 teams use them throughout the year. Several of our teams have entered local races. A list of OC regattas can be found on the Canadian Outrigger Racing Association (CORA) website. Many of the OC members are primarily Dragon boaters using the OCs in the off-season for cross-training purposes although some are realizing OC-ing as a sport unto itself.
Click here to read how to rig the hull to the iaku to the ama.
