Think Legend vs. Epic V10L vs. Fenn Elite

Hi All,

Currently looking to get my first decent surf-ski here in NZ and am looking around the secondhand market. I've done a lot of paddling in multisport kayaks (6-6.5m lightweight carbon kevlar race boats) and been playing around in a few different skis over the past two seasons.

I have paddled an XT and found it very stable, and not much of a challenge and got left behind by the guys at the front of the field very easily. Then tried an elite and once used to it found it much more fun and much faster to paddle. Also the same with an Epic V10.

Im 6 foot 3 and about 72kg most of the time so have been told I might be better suited to a V10L, and there happens to be a couple around secondhand.

Also liked the look and reviews I've seen about the Think Legend...

So really after a bit of feedback from more experienced paddlers out there on the pros and cons of these craft and if anyone had compared these boats directly.

Cheers

The legend is slightly more stable than the other 2 boats, though it still isn't as stable as the reviews would have you believe. It would give up a bit of speed on flat water, probably about .3 or .4 of a kph to the elite. Probably on par with the v10 for speed. On downwinds it is as fast as most boats. Good build quality and reasonably priced. I had a red 7 pro which was brilliant downwind but I struggled in sidechop. I would say that the legend is as good downwind but less of a struggle when it gets lumpy.
If I were you I'd look at the stellar ses as well. These are a seriously fast boat with reasonable stability.

I'm amazed that with all the new boats out there, that you are only considering three of them.

Interesting experiment we have been running for the past year. My training partner and I paddled different boats at the beginning of 2010. I had a fenn elite and he had a V10L. In flat seas he would take a minute or more out of me for every hour. But as soon as it become choppy or a downwind the situation would reverse. He is inherently a stronger paddler than me but choppy waters would have lagging far behind in his V10L. In the last quarter of 2010 he changed to fenn elite. Now we race neck and neck in the choppy or downwind stuff, although he still gives me a solid beat down in the flat water. We train together all the time so the only variable that has changed is the boat.

A few weeks back we did a downwind both in Fenns and we level pegged. The next day the conditions were identical and we did another identical downwind the only difference is he used his V10L. I beat him by 2 min. The the Fenn and the V10L are std glass lay ups. Learn from that what you will

I have only had one go at an Fenn Elite.

It was in a about a foot high side chop.
What I noticed was that compared to my V10, it felt like either the rear felt to have much less volume, or the cockpit was placed further back and that this made the ski far less susceptible to being moved around unpredictably by the water motion.
I have found that if I lean back in the V10 that it settles down quite a bit, but who wants to paddle like that?

If I fall off, it is because the rear has moved quite a large amount, and that it was in a way that just did not make sense to my body and it doesn't matter what I try to do, I cannot shift my center of gravity enough to catch it.

To me the Fenn Elite, just didn't do this, what the boat did, always seemed to make sense to my body and it was predictable.

On the quick paddle I had, I couldn't separate them for speed on my GPS when paddling into the chop where they both are very comfy.

I agree with Rightarmbad in that its surprising that you're considering just these 3 skis.
I'm wondering what sort of conditions you'll be paddling in most of the time. Flat? Ocean downwind conditions? The sort of mixed conditions you see in Harbors, etc...? I'm assuming you raced the XT; was it a downwind, or flatter conditions?
I think the answer to your question may hinge on some of this combined with your comfort level/skill in conditions as well as with your expectations in regarding to getting 'stuck in'/putting time in the bucket (are you going to be out there 5 days a week in conditions working on your stroke, fitness, downwind skills, etc...).
I think the skis you've listed are 3 very different skis that in advanced novice to intermediate hands are likely to produce similar results. I would think that which you would choose likely comes down to personal preference in regard to fit and feel (don't discount how they fit and 'feel' to you, this is a very personal thing and what may work for one may not for someone else). I like the V10L but can't really think of a situation I would choose it over my V12. The Legend is a great ski, but with its chine has a different feel to the others and is likely to yield a bit of speed to the Elite if you're equally stable in both skis... My finding was that the Legend is a good bit more stable than the Elite and thus I'm probably as fast without using as much energy staying upright in the Legend versus the Elite, which is a bit tippy for me. Give an elite level paddler the 2 and I suspect the Elite would be faster. To me, the V10L is a great ski, but I cannot really find any reason to paddle it when the V12 is available. The V12 is faster, has a great bailer, has a great bucket, and is just as stable with a bit more secondary stability in my opinion. For me, I think I'm a shade faster in all conditions in my V12 versus the Legend or the V10L. Again, I think the Elite is a different ski and is faster if you have the skill set to paddle it comfortably. I do not. Again, that's just my take as an advance beginner/intermediate who paddles in mixed conditions. I think materials and finish are a wash on the 3 skis you've listed, they all seem similar in those regards.
I guess in the end you just need to find a way to paddle all of the skis you're considering and figure out which one works best for you... But I'd ad a few more to my list if I were you...

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

We are slightly more limited with ski choice here in NZ tan some of you guys in other countries thus the smaller range I was looking at because those are ones that are more readily avaiable second hand in my price bracket....

There are a few stellars starting to pop up around the place so they are also on the list if can be found at the right price.

I had a chance to paddle a Fenn carbon Elite and 6, Think Uno, and Epic v10 and v12 at the weekend. Felt most comfortable in the seat of the Think, but posibly not as stable as I was in the 6 which was close to being as comfortable. Found I didnt like the seat as much in the epics and the hull tended to slap a lot more punching into a short sharp chop than the think or Fenns...

In answer to what sort of conditions Im paddling in. Most of it is in harbour choppy conditons or downwind runs on small swell and wind-chop. We dont get the bigger long period swells around here for great open ocean paddling. I try to paddle at least 3-4 times a week, more if possible, combined with cycling and running as well.

Cheers