Rolling has become a common skill for open boaters paddling continuous class III and harder rivers. Rolling saves the long swim, and keeps you in the relative safety of your boat.
When you first try to roll, you will probably focus on the paddle motion. This isn’t the essence. Instead, the key is rolling the boat up with your lower body, while your the paddle supports the torso. Then your paddle helps you move up over the boat. Good rolling depends on this “hip and torso rotation,” which is the torso and knee motion that rights the boat.
The best way to learn this is with your hands on the side of a pool, or resting in a friend’s hands at water level. Put your head on your hands. To roll on the right, practice moving the boat through the full range of motion. Stretch your torso to the surface, at right angles to the boat, to wind up. Follow through by gently pressing your forehead towards the water and tugging up on your right knee. Try to minimize the force by being light, keeping your weight floating near the surface. Doing this effortlessly is a prerequisite to rolling with a paddle.
The low brace roll uses this same torso and knee motion. To learn the low brace roll try this easy system. First, float the paddle perpendicular to the boat on your paddle side. Then tip over towards your paddle, and curl your body up so you can grab the shaft. Really stretch your torso for the surface. Try to turn so both shoulders are near the surface, and over the shaft of the paddle. Your head, hand, and paddle blade should clear the surface before you start the rolling action.
Now drive your forehead down towards the shaft, push with your hand while you pull up on your right knee. Push down on your left knee. Starting with your shaft arm bent, and gradually straightening it will help give you a little extra power, but your body should do almost all the work. You might feel that this is very gradual, first pressing gently on the paddle for support, and when it starts to slip turning your torso and hips. Each step happens incrementally.
To finish, pull the T-grip across in front of your waist, while sweeping the blade forward. When the gunnel clears the surface, swing your head low and across the gunnel to the other side. Think of scratching your nose on each gunnel of the boat. People often spoil their roll by raising their head too soon.
Once you’re rolling consistently on a low brace it’s time to learn the set up. This way you can roll no matter which way you flip. The set-up is with your body tucked forward and the blade flat against the top of the boat, ready to swing with your body out to the side.
A good way to learn this is in a decked C-1, where the force required is typically less. Converting a decked C-1 roll to an open boat requires a little more force and a little slower roll.
Your boat design and outfitting can affect the ease of rolling. Outfitting should be snug, but allow easy escape when necessary. If you can slide your knees or butt more than 1 inch in any direction, your outfitting is probably too loose. Some boat designs and float bag configurations can make the boat get stuck partway upside down. When this happens, you’ll need a short underwater sweep stroke to pull the boat completely upside down.
A closely related skill is the brace, which properly used can often save you from flipping in the first place. With some practice, you can develop a brace, a roll and save the hassle of the long swim.