Rent out surfskis?

Hi,

Long time reader of the community, finally managed to sign up

I've worked as a ski guide in the winter, and i am curious starting some business rent out / guiding with surfski in the Oslo fjord (Norway). I paddled surfski for many years myself,

I hope this is not seen as a shameless marketing campaign, but as someone who are interested in growing the community and create some opportunities for enthusiast who are visiting Oslo.

If anyone can help me with a few questions, that would be appreciated.

Are fibreglass boats strong enough to be rented out?
Are enthusiast willing to rent plastic boats?
If you are an enthusiast coming to Norway, would you be interested in renting a steady boat made of plastic?

Oslo fjord is quite nice with a few islands and marine lift to paddle around, however, it rarely are great downwind opportunities here. Are the community interested in paddling surfski without the downwind experience?

If anyone has some thoughts around these questions that would be highly appreciated.

Fiberglass kayaks and especially tandem kayaks are commonly used by touring/ rental companies. There may be several reasons for this. Fiberglass may actually last longer than plastic long term. It all depends on how they are used I suppose. You don't see many plastic double kayaks, they're just not ridged enough at that length. I think enthusiasts are willing to rent plastic boats if that's all there is. I also think it would be a mistake to build a business model based on surfski enthusiasts coming to Norway to paddle . Given a choice, most surfski paddlers are going to opt for a paddling vacation where it's warm and there are downwind possibilities like Hawaii or Spain. Your third question, I'm not sure how to answer that. If I am a enthusiast coming to Norway I will always prefer paddling a surfski because I dislike kayaks. A stable surfski is always good when the water is cold. For me a plastic surfski kind of defeats the whole purpose of a surfski which is performance. Oslo looks great for multi-day kayak touring but I imagine the season is short for warm weather. Hope this helps. By the way, can you get me an autograph from Johannes Klaebo ?

Thanks a lot for your reply.

When I talk about "enthusiast tourist" in norway, i dont think about people coming here strictly for paddling surfski,
but people to happen to be here for work or pleasure and would like to enjoy a trip in the fjord.

I'll look out for a Klæbu signature ^^

I just posted, but my post disappeared

Thanks a lot for your reply!

I wanna be a valuable option for paddlers who happen to be in Norway. I dont expect anyone come here for the surfski paddling. But if you are here on a warm summer day. A day on the fjord might be of interest to paddlers.

I'll look out for an autograph from klæbu

ice-surfski wrote:

I just posted, but my post disappeared

Nope - it didn't disappear - it had to be moderated!

I moderate the first two messages from each new member - it's the only reliable way to keep spammers out!

Cheers!

When I bring my surfski to the dock in Los Angeles, most people have never seen a surfski before. I get comments like wow, that is a Ferrari of boats. Other say that is a beautiful boat. There is definitely interest there.
The first question people ask is whether it is hard to paddle. So there is potentially a hesitancy. You may need to give an honest evaluation like if you can ride a skateboard, you can paddle a surfski. Or have a plank of wood on the ground. If you can walk across, then you can do it.
On the plus side, people that take the trouble to evaluate themselves and put the effort to meet the challenge would probably take good care of the boat.
You would have to develop a quick program so people at least understand what a good stroke feels like, but not over do it. Need like 50 yard of low level effort to feel the water. They can have the rest of the time to perfect it. You don't want people to get in splashing water and strong arm the paddle with no idea what a good form is. They will get frustrated. If they have something to aim for, and kind of get it by the end, they might want to come back again to perfect it more. You may even have a convert.
It would definitely be fun to tour the fiord on a surfski. Standup board and plastic kayak are too slow. Is nice to have the glide of the surfski.