One of the greatest, and most underutilized, downriver freestyle moves in all of kayaking is the boof to splat!
Boofing a kayak is an art that paddlers have been perfecting for years. Generally, the boof will launch the kayaker over a rock or hole into safety. However, you don’t always need to launch to a safe place. Sometimes, it is fun to stay in the feature for tricks. Is it possible to get an incredible launch and still use the feature for freestyle? Can I have my cake and eat it too? You absolutely can!
The boof to splat combination is the best pairing of two great things since macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or Harry and Lloyd! While not as safe or predictable as the traditional boof, the boof to splat provides excitement and often leads to that reckless verticality that we all crave! You will likely feel fear your first couple times trying it and you may want to run back to the safety of a regular boof. You will need to cover your fear like a large sweatshirt hiding a botched boob job! You can’t hold back, like that time you got in trouble for calling your boss a douchebag when you thought you were on mute in a Zoom meeting! Once you give in to the allure of the boof to splat and let your slicy stern work its magic, you will open the door to moves that you never thought possible!
To get started, you will need a boat with a slicy stern, a good rock, and a cavalier attitude. The best rocks for this are upturned at an angle higher than your average boof rock but lower that your average splat rock. You also want a fairly deep landing zone since your stern will be landing down and can possibly tag rocks. It is important to note that good rocks for this move are diamonds in the rough and when you find one you must cherish it! If you search your local bouldery Class 3-4 run, you are likely to find one or two. When you finally find that perfect spot and nail a boof to splat, you will feel a level of euphoria only matched by a roaring bear riding across the ocean on the back of a megalodon while firing a machine gun into the air!
How To Perform A Successful Boof To Splat:
1) Drive toward the boof rock, focusing on where you want to hit the rock. Aim to catch lots of rock and commit to the move.
2) Your final stroke should be a big stroke just before you hit the rock with a lot of lean. Sink the stern to get the bow high. Pull through the stroke to continue the rise of the bow and give stabilization.
3) As you drag your hull along the rock, your boat will lose momentum and your stern will fall out from under you.
4) As you land stern down, the water coming off the drop will help push your stern deeper. A variety of things can happen next: you may get close to vertical and drop down, backender, or possibly stern stall into a pirouette. Use your paddle as you would on a stern squirt to help control your exit and enjoy the ride!
Rewind And Do It All Over Again
Performing this move consistently requires you to boof and splat well first. You will need to be comfortable placing the hull of your boat against a rock as you go off of a drop. Remember, your slicy stern, gravity and the power of the river are your friends, and they will help you along if you can get the party started.
Make sure you choose a spot that is deep and doesn’t have a huge hole at the bottom. The goal is to have fun, not break your stern off or swim out of a boiling vat of death. However, this is an unpredictable move so don’t be surprised if you get beat down occasionally. It’s kind of like befriending your neighbor who is addicted to crack. You’ll have some good times hanging out with them for sure but you can’t be shocked when they steal your wallet out of your car!
All kidding aside, this move is incredibly fun and is not that difficult to do. If you are willing to patiently search for a good rock and then commit yourself fully to the move you will open up a new facet of verticality that will add to your fun on the river!
