ugrade from XT to V10 (L) What to expect?

Am considering moving from an XT to a V10 maybe L but cannot find any comparaisons. Stability, speed comfort, etc?

I'll throw my two cents in, having owned both boats (and now own a similar pair, in terms of categories). You're moving up from one class to the next; the 'stable' skis to the high performance skis (HPS), so there will be a learning curve. This will be much more pronounced in any kind of conditions, particularly beam chop.

Stability: Expect to swim some, probably not at all on flat water, but you will become 'intent' quickly when things pick up a bit. Bucket time...bucket time...bucket time... In the stable skis, you can paddle them every one in a while and you'll be none the worse for wear. not so in the HPS-you really need to spend 3-4 days a week in them min. to get comfortable.

Comfort: Both are comfortable. IMO the V10/L buckets are amongst the most comfortable out there-their ergonomics are dialed also, and they're easy to remount with the low side rails.

Speed; On flat water, the V10/L will literally walk away-you'll be amazed at the glide. they are fast boats. In the rough, don't be surprised if you're faster in the XT, at least initially. stability before speed-you're only as quick as you are efficient in putting the power down.

Weight: Apples to apples-depends what you're comparing in terms of layup. If you're looking at the Ultra layups, then they will be uber light weight, but you may find them to be a bit twitchy in the rough.

Currently own a Huki S1-R and a Custom Kayaks Synergy-both great boats. the Huki is my 'chicken boat' and a fun friend when things get big. The Synergy, although amongst the most stable of the HPS, is still a leap up from the R. Ultimately, having one boat from each category is optimum, but if you're committed to moving up, the Epics might be a bit more initially user friendly compared to some of the others out there. Certainly, the Synergy is. Good luck!

I've owned both an XT and V10, and can happily add to the previous comments.

After paddling an XT in all types of conditions it was clear to me that I had pretty much mastered all the finer points of the fine art of the surf-ski. I happily collected my V10 and when the shop assistant asked if she could help me put it on the car racks, I smiled cockily, said "no thanks" and set off to paddle it home in a 30 knot afternoon buster.

The learning curve was particularly fast that day. After doing the shishkebab rotisserie for sufficient time to enable my swimming stroke to be perfected and the local shark population to be alerted I put my ego back where it belonged and drove home.

Undaunted I threw the V10 in the backyard pool to get a better feel for it,took it out in calmer conditions the next morning and have kept paddling it since. It's a great ski.

It is certainly worth recognising the difference in stability. If I sit a non-paddler on the XT they usually won't fall off. If I sit a non-paddler on the V10, it takes about 0.5 seconds for them to come off. So you want to be committed to putting in the time to get the best out of the more advanaced ski. If you want something between the two in stability look at the V10 Sport.

One of the great benefits of the V10 or an equivalent is what it does for your paddling stroke. I could get away with murderous flaws in my paddling technique on the XT. However if I put in a poor stroke on the V10 I was usually punished with a resounding dunking.

The v10 encouraged me to develop a better stroke driven from good torso rotation over a firm leg action, and a timely exit action.

The V10 has a much more compact and narrow seat than the wide XT. This gives a good feeling of fitting into the ski, rather than sitting on top.

The single footwell also creates a very different paddling sensation. In the XT you can get away with manhandling the ski with the leverage from your feet being spread apart. The single footwell in the V10 creates a more refined feeling of balance, with small movements of your legs from the knee to the heel giving you control of stability.

I find the better alignment of hip/knee/foot in the single footwell V10 reduces strain around the knee compared to the wider stance in the XT.

In conclusion if you want a ski that challenges you to improve and you have the time to put into it you definitely need to look at moving up a ski or two. Go for the V10 or an equivalent if you're prepared to take a big leap and work with it, but if you want to get there progressively go for something like the V10 Sport first which is going to give you the technique benefits and save you from doing as much swimming as I did.

Enjoy the ride.

This feedback is much appreciated and will certainly narrow down my choice. I did sit in a V10 and was very impressed by the confort which also, being tight, I imagine increases the sensation and responsiveness to roll. I do no adequately fill the bucket on the XT.
I did not paddle the V10 though and I understand that it will require a lot of bucket time.
This is my falling block I am not sure that I will ever have enough time to improve sufficiently. The V10 sport sounds good although I wonder if it is not just a XT and therfore not enough of a challenge. is there any increase in performance over the XT?
Cheers

I'm reliably informed that the V10 Sport offers a pretty good pickup in performance and has much of the same nice feel as the other higher performance skis. There's some good studies on comparative speed and stability on the XT, V10 Sport, V10, Mako 6 and equivalents if you search the net. I think quite a few can be found on this site.

Check out the 'Comparative Surfski Chart' at Surfskiracing.com

V10 sport is a good boat but don't sell yourself short by missing a test paddle of a Think Evo if one is available near you - you may well find it to have the most comfortable cockpit of all. A mate of mine bought a v10 sport because he hadnt heard of Think and another was about to follow him, until he test paddled a Think Evo and he was hooked. They are every bit as fast as a v10s on flat water and probably faster in the rough for some because you are more up and over your blade (feet below seat). As much as Fenn and Epic hate to admit it, the Think boats are probably experiencing more rapid sales growth, albeit off a low base because they are the newcomer.

I own a glass Fenn XT and now a carbon Think Legend.
Excellent post from AGA and Trilobite. I couldn?t agree more the steepness of the learning curve. Having mastered an XT in all conditions and ocean-paddled outriggers for 10 years on and off, including Molokai in an OC6 and Catalina, Hamo etc in OC1s, I was even starting to think of an Epic v12 for my next boat. I test paddled Epic, Fenn and Think all in one day and immediately felt at home in the intermediate Legend. Some spare cash meant I could afford the carbon over the Kevlar demo boat, and so I picked up the last one off the container. While I knew it was unwise to head out in the 20 knot easterly I felt confident enough to go for a slightly less angry location, launching off a boat ramp. After almost losing the boat while taking it off the car, I managed to get out in those wind conditions but with only chop and 1 metre swell. Well didn?t I crap my pants as I struggled through a 30 minute session. I had been lulled into a false sense of competence by the very forgiving XT and my technique, balance and core strength were found wanting, causing me to go back to basics. a couple of months on and my stroke has cleaned up (well, 80% better, esp on an early exit), leg drive has improved, hip and shoulder coming back together and i'm on my way again.

I've been in a V10 Sport for about a year. I'm mostly in lakes and rivers so I don't see the ocean in it. But I feel very confident in the boat with big boat wakes rapid sections in the rivers and things like that. I usually keep with the fast ski's in all the races, sometimes even beat them all. So I just recently moved to a V12. Now at the last river race of the year only 1 of the 4 Ultra V12's beat me in my sport but I new it was a fast boat just lacking paddlers. Well even on flat water it's a pretty big jump for me. I've yet to be as fast, let alone faster than I am in the stable "slower" sport. Water is getting cold here so progress will stop soon but I can see that I will eventually be faster with LOTS of time. So if you don't have the time or desire to swim alot and take small steps, I'd say stick with the Sport or EVO as others have said. I've been told the EVO is alittle faster then all the other stable Ski's. I have the Performance model in both boats, and am told the lighter version of those are alittle tippier. Chaz

My rule for any paddler is stability before speed. Don't let anybody push you out of your comfort zone as I have come to learn over 40 years, most people are faster in a stable boat, but feel they have to progress to a tippier for more speed. Another rule is that if you have to make a single brace stroke when the boat wakes come past you are not ready for the next level yet. To progress from a stable boat keep putting butt pads layers till you have 50 mm in the bucket and you still feel super stable.
Oscar Chalupsky

Great feedback from you all guys. Thank you all. I will take the advice and evaluate my competence as suggested by Oscar and then hopefully progress to the next level. I understand that I will should not make the big jump to the V10 yet and will wisely settle for a more stable ski.

Not sure where I will find butt pads however, maybe available on line.
Kavo