October 15, 2007: Bamboo boats
 

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It's the Monday Neatorama Collaboration Image!

http://cellar.org/2007/bambooboat.jpg

This item via Ananova comes from China - Chishui, near Zuiyi city, they say. The villagers there somehow latched onto the idea that a single stalk of bamboo cane could support at least a small person on the water - and now they have turned it into a sport.

Participants can sit or stand on the piece of bamboo, and race across the Pinzhou River using an oar that's almost as long as the boat.

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no way!

Wanna watch out for splinters!

I see that keeping your body out of the water is crucial to cut drag and achieve maximum speed. I guess that the paddle is used for balance as much as propulsion, but still, its pretty amazing.

water is heavy

And Chinese people are not

Shit floats too but I ain't crossing the river on it.

It took about 10 seconds to abandon the log rolling competition.

LOL:greenface

I wonder if this gonna be on Most Extreme Elimination Challenge?

PHOTOSHOP!
They just erased the rest of the boat!

Awesome show. A classic that no one will ever mention in the same breath as Friends, Late Night, Simpsons or even...American Idol.
Shame.

One of my favorite shows! The run-thru-the-doors one is classic!

neat idea, but it would be almost impossible to steer those "boats": they would just go straight ahead.

Two long bamboo poles and a person from one side to the other?

Stilts?

perhaps they use their labia as a rudder?

You can probably steer them the same way you do a rudderless kayak.

Or at least as floatation devices. Kind of like a catamaran(sp?)

When these kids grow up:

We never had foam noodles to play with in the water! We had hard uncomfortable bamboo poles! And we liked it!

:cheerldr:

Meat curtain center board?

Maybe the pole is for balance. Perhaps they queve for propulsion.

(Extra points if you don't have to look up 'queve')