Help !! newbe to surfski and having ballance problems !

Hi, newbe here from the UK

Been surfing for several years and at 52 have had to call it a day with my stiff back . Bought a waveski and while I did loads of kayaking as a kid with no issues, I can not get my feet on the deck without it tipping.

If I hold my feet just on the edge of the board I can keep it reasonably stable.

Once I catch a wave all is fine, I can bring my feet in and off I go, its just the paddling out that is an issue.

I have spent about 4 hours out on the water now over about 6 sessions so is it me or is the board too narrow ?

Board dimensions L 91" x W 24"

I am six foot and 196 lbs

Is it me or is the board too narrow ?

Hi Stafford,

Most of the guys on this forum paddle surfskis, a very different animal to waveskis. Surfskis are open ocean sit-on-top kayaks, usually about 6.4m in length.

But however, perhaps some of them paddle waveskis and you may get a useful response!

Perhaps you should try surfski paddling - there are very stable surfskis which I guarantee you'd manage and a wealth of different designs that you could move up to!

The surfing we do tends to be on ocean swells out at sea, but there are even surfskis designed for inshore surfing - for surf lifesavers.

Cheers

New to kayaking of any kind, i found that those balls people sit on at work quickly worked the balancing muscles needed. As I learned to surf ski, that was the quickest improvement in my balance. I still need more, but just getting those muscles up and running was a big deal.

Hi Stafford,

see also this recent thread: Stability trainer . It seems to be more helpful to train short times often rather than for longer periods...

Have fun!

So I have a little bit of experience with wave skis. My thinking is your wave ski is way to small for you. Not even realistic for a beginner. 91" is only 7.5', most of my surfboards are longer than that. I was given a 9' waveski made for a woman that was way to small for me at 220 lbs. I suggest you do your self a favor and get a finless Merv Larsen style waveski at around 10' long. Very fun!
Sorry to hear about not being able to surf. I am currently experiencing the same dilemma. I suffer from "surfers neck". Guessing I have paddled some 50,000 miles during my 56 years. Being treated by neurosurgen and I am contemplating surgery. I do spend a lot of time with my Fenn XT surfski in the surf zone. Not the same as surfing , but, still riding waves. My surfski is 19' x 19"
Good luck!