Bike trailer & ...V5?

i've had my v5 for 5 months now and love every paddle in it from formidable surf to messy chop and glassy flatwater. don't be put off by it's comfortable width, because it's one of those rare designs that come along every now and then where everything fits together and it just works. good luck. pete

That’s great to hear, Pete! What layup did you get? Have you compared it to other boats and could you tell how it differs when catching waves?

I just saw I hadn't replied to you yet fath20, sorry! Thanks for pointing out lighter weight is more enjoyable. Enjoying theexperience as much as possible is indeed my primary goal. I will buy a lighter layup now!

i got the Performance model at 16kg because the roto one was way too heavy. the weight of the Ultra would have been even better but after extensive research i realised that it might not stand up to the pounding it was going to get in the surf zone. it might be ideal for your down winders though. i've always surfed boards, wave skis, SUP's and for many years enjoyed a 14' custom made mini surf seen in the photo.
the V5 is my first ocean ski and i had to go as short as possible to fit it in a campervan. at the time of researching i saw the Vadja Next 52 as my ideal boat but now the speed, stability and shortness of the V5 have won me over. it sits in between wave crests nicely as your video showed but can easily accelerate over the front one and the tail is not so long that the rudder is in the air. this photo shows some of the slop i have to surf in but on a good high tide day i can get a 2 minute ride i enjoy paddling a mates Epic SLS10 (48cm wide) on a nice day but when the wind and chop comes up i'd rather be back on mine. i never come out of mine unless it's a wipeout on a wave. the other day when this photo was taken one bloke on a skinny Fenn was having plenty of swims so to answer your question on how it compares catching waves in think the only shortfall would be in long fat waves that need heaps of paddling speed from the longest water line skis, just to get on them. definitely get a wave deflector to reduce the amount of water flooding the tub. take care. pete

Nice pics paddlepop. Where are those taken?

Nice empty peak! Where's my surfboard!?

Wow! Great pictures, Pete, thanks! And very interesting to read your experience.
2 minute rides... I hope you don't mind me turning a little green here, whilst drewling over your pics...

I've had my V5 since about 4 months now, and am excited to see another convert! First, let me stipulate too front I'm not in the same league as everyone else here. Yep, one of those sea kayakers.

I'm not in training, counting calories, or using one of the GPS things to count my fractions of seconds between strokes .... not that there's anything wrong with that. Different strokes for different folks.

For me, its just about being out on the ocean, in a small boat, playing in the waves, going fast when I have the urge, or leaning back, hanging my feet over the sides and bobbing in the waves.

The V5 is a great go anywhere, any conditions, just for pure enjoyment of paddling kind of boat. ... Well, except rock gardening. Stable, can lean it, responsive and maneuverable, as fast as any "play boat" sea kayak, and easy to get back in. Started with a plastic one, just to try it out. Traded it in a few weeks later for a Performance layup.

After years with a number of sea kayaks - plastic, then glass, downsizing in volume after discovering I don't want a kayak for expeditions, giving up on trying to roll (bad shoulder), and subsequently becoming concerned on safety (getting back in, in conditions w\out help, and the weight\transport thing. My last kayak was a Valley Nordkapp LV.

Then I started looking at surf skis.

My first surf ski was a Performance V8. Great boat, but even at that weight, 18 feet is a lot to manage walking around, and getting on\off the car. I sold it a few years ago, but missed being on the water. The V5 drew me back in.

I found a some noticeable difference between the plastic and Performance layup. The weight is a big one, but also the seat and stiffness\preciseness of the hull. With the plastic one, I was considering hip pads to hold me in place, and even a - here goes - back band (yep, bad lower back too). The seat seems more defined in the composite, and I had a sore lower back in the plastic one. Not so in the composite. Felt just like the V8.

Now, on performance, as stated, this is purely for run for me. So let me explain: over maybe 15 years of paddling, I know how long it typically takes me to get to certain places from various launch points. My V8 got me there faster than my Nordlow did. The plastic V5 took noticeably more time than the V8. The V5 Performance seems almost as fast as the V8. Now, that's a function of the engine, so most of you folks would not find this to be the same for you - you'd get more out of the V8 or V5 that I do.

There are amazing videos of god-like athletes in the V5. There are many - most perhaps - who discard it a waste of a good layup because it's not a long, skinny needle, and that's what everyone who picks of a surf ski and wing paddle must aspire to. If ya can't train with it, what good is it??

At first it felt funny in a 14 foot boat. Smallest boat I've ever had. Kept thinking I should have picked up another V8. Almost did - was on the fence. I'm so happy I tried, and stuck, with the V5 Performance.

You mentioned how some boats have that "something special" about them. The Nordlow is one of those amazing boats that comes around every so often. Nordkapps have a rep as being one of the more demanding sea kayaks, one that can go into the most extreme conditions (for a sea kayak) ... but unforgiving. Will toss anyone in the drink - even in flat water - who can't handle nuances of the hull design.

The V5 , not so. Practically anyone can get in one, sit back and sip cocktails. At the same time, like the Nordlow, if can take you as far as you want to go. Well, not racing maybe. But maybe everything else.

thanks for the great replies everyone. i did have a bit of a rant on how good the V5 is for me. of course it's not what 99% of members here are into but it seems to have an enthusiastic following. the photos were all taken on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. the ski one at Moffats beach, the beach one at the Caloundra bar where Pumicestone Passage drains out and the last one is the Mooloolaba Spit sandbar/bombora. i'll throw in my favourite ski photo taken in 2012 in Adelaide, South Australia. i'm taking the V5 there for the first time after xmas and can't wait!

Great stories & pictures. Very inspiring to read.

Hi Wavehugger. going back to your original question about a bike trailer, i just found these images on the surfski maui FB page. should be easy to make out of wood or aluminium. pete

Thank you, Pete! Much appreciated!
I have to admit I am really bad at handyman-stuff. I get depressed just looking at a screwdriver . I make my living as a comedian, everything happens in my mind, not so much in my hands
However if the guy who made this trailer would live in my country, I would immediately hunt him down and make him an offer he can't refuse!