Epic v7 new paddler

.i've been reading topics here for a while now, learning everything possible from all of your experiences and discussions without actually being able to add my own experience. 

Ive wanted to try a surfski for months now, after stumbling onto a few awesome youtube videos showing some of you in action. So a couple of months ago i made the mistake of buying an old Srearwater spec ski for $100. and gave it a try. Total and absolute failure was the result. So after only a couple of short attempts i sold it and almost gave up on the idea of paddling a surfski. 

But for some reason I've kept this idea in the back of my head. So i made the decision recently to try it once more, but this time plan it a little more thoughtfully, take all the advice i could find, and try and do all this the right way this time. So last week i purchased a used (but in great condition) Epic V7. I did my best to set it up correctly and today took it to the water for the first time. I must admit i didn't paddle much, i basically spent about 60 minutes just floating around in it in about 3 ft of water, getting used to the feel, and rocking back and forth to see how far it would go, and hopefully getting a bit of instinct as to how to respond to tipping one way or another. At the end of this "first" hour on a surfski, unlike the utter and complete failure of my earlier attempt a few months ago, i feel completely successful and excited for more now. Im going to go out again tomorrow and do it again, and i may even feel confident enough to take my V7 out into some open water for a while, and maybe try some remounts. I know i may sound like a sissy because im being so cautious and slow to hit the open water, but my first experience was so humiliating and disappointing that i have to be certain im going to be able to tackle the steps to make this awesome sport everything i imagine it could be. So off i go to becoming a surfski paddler, instead of just a surfski watcher. 
I also want to thank many here who have posted advice and experiences in other topics that i read and found knowledge in, your time and efforts here do help others very much.
Take it easy all, and happy paddling.!

Yeeeeha!

Well done Joe!

Welcome to the most fantastic sport...  You're going to love it!

Welcome to the ultimate sport, the one you will practice for the rest of your life!
I wish I had found out about surfski.info before I bought my first surfski and made a lot of mistakes.
Don't feel bad about being cautious to venture in open water, even more so if you paddle alone.
When I started, I set myself the goal of reaching a nearby island, 10 km offshore. But I was afraid of being alone in the open sea, so that I approached my goal with baby steps... One day I set to paddle straight away from the beach for only 15 minutes, then another time I paddled a little more, like 20 minutes, and so on. It took me many paddling sessions to reach my goal. But in the process I got used to being alone and far away, got used to the distances and the landscape, learnt some orientation, became sure that I was not prone to feel seasick etc.
Remember, you will be doing this for the rest of your life! There's no need to rush.
Stability and safety first. Add some experience, that will come with many hours of practice. It's good to get coaching and learn proper technique, so you will avoid injuries and paddle more efficiently. Little by little everything will fall into place.

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.! 
Yes baby steps, especially paddling alone. 
Well my first day a just floated around, the second day a paddled a bit more, fell off 3 times but got back on easily, at least it seemed easy but I'm sure I did my share of splashing and looked quite comical to onlookers.. 
Today was day 3, and I went for my first decent paddle down the shoreline about a mile then back, with no problems at all. 
Now that the initial "getting used to everything" is behind me, I'm really looking forward to some fun paddles. 
So far, so good.!! 
Thanks all. 

Awesome. I'm a beginner as well (V5) and started the middle of last year. I think the biggest early breakthrough for me was developing a solid brace stroke. I'm happy with the progress I've made - I'm now pretty comfortable going out solo in 3-4ft downwinds. I have a considerable amount of safety gear as well, and I think this helps me be more comfortable going solo: PLB mounted to shoulder, VHF radio attached to vest, phone in vest, compass in vest, whistle attached to vest, neon orange safety hat.

well that is awesome!!!!  

I started paddling at all much, bought my first kayak in my 20's just for recreation after renting kayaks for day trips...very slow recreational vessels...and after a few trips of slogging, I was like "can this not be easier??" and researched more efficient hulls and bought a plastic touring kayak and I just had a blast on day trips with friends (flat water) as it felt so much more GLIDE....then on fb I learned of surfskis and wanted to try racing....I too started with the v7 then..

When I very first tried the touring kayak, you feel weird...you go from paddling hyperstability anything less than that feels different...in no time now you will forget about stability in that boat if you paddle it regularly (although some of what im saying can depend on body type/age and other factors)…..

It seems a common experience that people learn about surfski by finding low cost unstable skis to paddle....its almost seemingly a rite of passage lol...."common beginner mistakes"....that sorta thing.

It really hurts our sport that "surfski" is associated with "so dang tippy most cannot paddle"....my wife is a VERY casual rec paddler and could paddle the v7...as well as re-enter it easier than her rec-SOT...

Anyway, good luck!  Have fun! Enjoy! 

Thanks for tbe replies. 
Yes ive been out on the water almost every day now, paddling 4-5 miles each day. Its getting much more comfortable now, and im really glad that i stuck with it and kept trying, because i truely enjoy my time on the water so much now.! 
Thanks for all of the encouragement.!