BANGOR – In a race filled with boats of every shape, size, and classification, the two-man kayak Jeff Sands and H.I. Hasey paddled down Kenduskeag Stream on Saturday defied simple description.

In the water, the boat looked sleek and fast and worthy of respect. On land, the evidence of the cobbling and patching the pair did two years ago was more evident.

And both Sands and Hasey were willing to poke good-natured fun at their odd two-man kayak.

“It’s a hybrid,” Bangor’s Sands said on Saturday afternoon after he and Hasey finished fourth in the 39th Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. “It’s half flat water and half wild water. He owns the front half, and I own the back half.”

Two years ago, the pair combined two boats to create their two-man kayak. Ever since, the tinkering – and the jokes – have continued.

Hasey, an avid kayaker from Eddington who was still making adjustments to the boat Friday night, said the boat worked great – except that the rudder broke during the latter stages of the 161/2-mile race, and the duo seem to disagree on just how speedy their boat is.

“It’s a fun, fast boat,” Hasey said. “It’s just fun to get out and paddle fast and paddle hard.”

Nearby, Sands nearly choked on his paddle at Hasey’s assessment.

“I don’t know about fast,” he said.

“The verdict’s still out,” Hasey said. “Maybe his half isn’t fast.”

A quick bit of kayak trivia may be in order here: There is a good reason two-person kayaks are often called “divorce boats.”

Sands joked that he’s always ready for an acrimonious parting with his paddling pal, especially when his half of the boat doesn’t seem as fast as he’d like – and the rudder breaks, to boot.

“I have a Sawzall on hand, just in case he gives me a hard time,” Sands said. “I’ll cut it in two.”

All joking aside, Sands and Hasey said they were satisfied with their race. Unfortunately for them, three paddlers in solo kayaks proved faster.

Trevor Maclean of Halifax, Nova Scotia, returned to Bangor and won his third Kenduskeag title in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 27 seconds. Kenny Cushman of Hampden was second in 2:13:30 while Fred Ludwig of Houlton took third in 2:14:35.

Last year, Ludwig and Cushman teamed up in a two-man kayak to win the overall title, edging out Maclean.

Jeff Owen of Orono and Steve Woodard of Cumberland brought an interesting boat to the race and posted the day’s fastest canoe time, 2:18:09, to take fifth overall, prevailing in a deep field of experienced paddlers in the racing-canoe division.

Clayton Cole and Paul Cole were just 1:30 behind the Owen-Woodard boat and finished sixth.

In all, 1,031 paddlers in 557 boats competed in the race. Surprising some who expected high water levels, several dry days allowed the previously intimidating stream to recede.

Instead of a spring freshet, racers were treated to a more modest flow – “low” in the words of many – and spectators enjoyed a cloud-free day with temperatures in the low 60s.

Maclean, who races the Kenduskeag in a faster flat-water boat, said the length of the race and the staggered starting times – five boats leave the starting line each minute – leave him with a simple goal.

“Try to catch everyone in front of you,” Maclean said. “There were a couple of boats I didn’t catch, but other than that, it was pretty good.”

Cushman started a minute behind Ludwig and caught him early in the race, but ended up paddling with his friend for most of the morning.

While the pair had toyed with the idea of competing in a two-man kayak again this year, they decided to forgo a two-hour workout in a cramped and uncomfortable boat this time around.

Cushman said that for most of the race, the two weren’t much farther apart than they were when they raced in the same boat.

“I turned [to Ludwig] at one point and said, ‘We just should have paddled together,'” Cushman said.

Cushman said that after he and Ludwig passed Six Mile Falls, the company was welcome.

“I was glad he was there for a while because I was cramping so bad I wasn’t sure I wanted to go any further,” Cushman said.

After the race, the boat of Owen and Woodard proved popular among paddling enthusiasts who wanted to check out the speedy new racing canoe.

“What a hot rod,” Owen said as he and his paddling partner hauled the boat ashore.

Owen and Woodard, who rarely race together anymore but who spent several years as one of the state’s top tandems, paddled a boat that was built over the winter.

“It’s a really good flat-water hull, and it’s just a really fast boat,” Owen said. “It was wonderful.”

Though his craft was designed as a flat-water boat, Owen had an extra 3 inches of freeboard added so that it could handle more white water.

Both were pleased with the result and said the competition among the other top canoeists – seven of the top 12 overall finishers were two-person teams in racing canoes – was fantastic.

“[The boat] exceeded our expectations,” Woodard said, explaining that he and Owen had thought they might take on more water than they did.

But in a race with boats of all shapes and sizes – and with paddlers of all ability levels – Woodard clearly knew one secret that didn’t hurt the chances of him and his friend.

“As you get older, you’ve got to get a faster boat,” Woodard said with a chuckle.