All of the OBECO boats described below originate from the ‘80s to early ‘90s. These boats, with the exception of the Exel, are all medium volume designs suitable for virtually any size of slalom course, be it large or small. The Exel is analogous to the Condor Polo boat. Its hull shape is similar to the Barcelona, but it has more displacement and is therefore suitable for paddlers up to 90kg while retaining good slalom performance.             Satori      The Sartori is a small to medium volume French design, suitable for paddlers up to 75 kg. It is a boat designed for forward speed and tracking and has relatively hard chines for carving turns. The front and rear decks are quite flat but it is still comfortable for the knees under the front deck.   How to Buy >>        Extra       This was a very popular British design from the mid-80s. It is somewhat similar to design to the Sartori in that it has similar but somewhat softer chines, particularly toward the ends of the boat. Both the Barcelona and Exel have more rocker than the Extra or the Satori giving them an edge on a more wide open race course, whereas the Barcelona and Exel would be the choice for narrower courses requiring more acute maneuvering.      How to Buy >>          Exel      The design, emanating from Canada, is essentially a larger volume Barcelona. It is truly a slalom boat for the larger paddler and has good (and similar) performance characteristics compared to its smaller ancestor.      How to Buy >>        Barcelona      This particular boat bears the name of the event for which it was designed, the slalom event of the ’92 Olympic Games. This boat has soft chines in the front part of the boat from the footrests to the back of the cockpit which help to carve into eddies. The chine fades to a more rounded hull, which adds to its turning and pivoting ability (good on narrow courses). The back deck is quite flat from the cockpit to the tail. It has quite a lot of room in the body compartment including more volume in the front deck relative to the Sartori, which helps to keep water off the deck.        How to Buy >>   For more information about Slalom Racing: - Edmonton Whitewater Paddlers - IOC - Slalom - International Canoe Federation            More detailed information can be provided on any of these designs by contacting OBECO           OBECO Whitewater Products 10385 - 60 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T6H 1H1 Dale at (780)982-1315 or Darryl at (780)982-1250   Fax: (780)463-0612    Copyright © 2005-2011 All Rights Reserved.

s