Best construction for beach break

Looking at buying a new ski this year, probably the new V10L once they arrive in Australia in March.

Would love to get the Ultra (carbon kevlar) at 11.8kg but think the Performance (glass carbon kevlar) at 14.5kg may the more sensible option considering that I sometimes come in through reasonable sized beach break.

Realise that anything can break if it all goes wrong, but the lower cost Performance would make that prospect slightly less daunting

Any feedback or experience on the actual robustness of the different constructions would be much appreciated.

share your sentiments........

live on the gold coast & have broken one epic ultra & a carbonology carbon ski in surf breaks locally.

now only use epic performance layup v10 in decent size swells as it 'feels' more robust / durable as well as been more affordable for the added risk.

have an ultra v10L on order & plan to only use it on smaller days

not aware of any objective impact or torsion studies on different layups
don't think any brand is spared these concerns, altho' it is my impression some are better than others..........

length & weight realities of modern racing ocean skis don't mix well with bigger surf

Another option:
Ask the manufacturer to place two additional X patters on the bow-deck, two X on the stern-deck and do a total of 4 X on the hull.
If you have the money, go for the ultra and place the 8 X as mentioned above.
It will add a little bit of weight, but that's a really good compromise.
The kevlar will actually hold everything together while flexing some - preferred in the surf in my opinion.

I too live on the Gold Coast near Tony H. Depending on how performance orientated you are, an slsa spec ski(at 18 kg and stable)is made to withstand, "usually", going in and out of the break. Many clubbie training sessions are run totally in and out of the break, practicing starts, sprinting through the break and wave catching skills. It's only in very large or hollow conditions that we may have breakages.
I paddle a Fenn Elite ocean ski, but if the surf's a little challenging, I leave it home and I feel confident using my Gibbons Spec instead. Other brands are Dolphin, Stealth, Hayden, Interceptor, etc. Fenn even make one now! Hope this helps.