Stellar boats. Is this the hot boat now?

I wonder what happened there.
I lost a post to this thread and these two appeared from another.
Gotta love the wondernet.

Drew Harrison, the Stellar Rep. in the Pacific NorthWest will be at the race with both the SE and SES skis to demo.

OK, Westley's a nice guy, Stellar has designed a good boat,and they did it without copying Epic. But do you really want to buy a boat that comes from the factory(Flying Eagle)that screwed Epic? I don't care how good the boat is, I wouldn't own one. Obviously others disagree,I'd be interested to hear why. Could get interesting down the line if Stellar has QC issues with Flying Eagle.

Could be Karma .

Steve Hansen wrote:

But do you really want to buy a boat that comes from the factory(Flying Eagle)that screwed Epic?

Is that a fact?? Has there been a court ruling?? Do you still think the Stellar is a copy copy of the V10, as well??

I'd be interested to know how the build quality (especially the seams and internal flotation) compares between the Stellars and the "new" Epics. Maybe send some Stellars to Mauritius for testing

But do you really want to buy a boat that comes from the factory(Flying Eagle)that screwed Epic?

If that boat is well built, if it's not a copy, and if it's not too expensive, the answer is YES.
I bought 2 Fenns, and I didn't check before if Fenn screwed someone else... I don't think any of us does.
I would NEVER buy a copy, unless it's built under licence from the original manufacturer.

I'll let Epic and Flying Eagle sort out their own problems, I have enough of my own without worrying about anyone elses.

And I rather like my stellar.

superted wrote:

Steve Hansen wrote:

I'd be interested to know how the build quality (especially the seams and internal flotation) compares between the Stellars and the "new" Epics. Maybe send some Stellars to Mauritius for testing

Good point in my search for my next boat which I used as a forum topic in this and other AR related sites I canvased the idea of the new Stellar boat.

www.surfski.info/forum/19-boats/4203-hel...hoose-which-ski.html

Courtesy of Ty Stedman, a paddle coach in Perth, I got to paddle one and was impressed with it's speed...the only downers for me were, foot height relative to seat and bow volume (relative to AR style racing when there is cross winds), apart from that I couldnt fault the boat.

I was informed by another Western Australian local that a Stellar had come a cropper (Australian for broken a boat) in surf and that the boat was with Walter Chalupsky, of Epic fame. I thought this strange too until the same source said they had it on good authority that it was a case of feeling sorry for the poor sod who bought it...and that it was a good opportunity to have a good look at the design of the boat.

For those familar with the thread I bought another more suitable boat for my needs but shortly after had it damaged in an incident with another ski in some big swell.

As a result it ended up with Walter for repairs. While having a yarn with Walter I spotted the Stellar and he was quite animated in his reponse.

Now let me say I know nothing of boat building except from what I've learnt online, but I was left with the impression that there is a difference between the way Epic make up the inside of thier boats to the way Stellar do.

I emailed Westley directly while I was in boat buying mode and he was very helpful.

The one thing about a lot of the reviews on the surfskiracing site is that they are performed on relatively flat water.

This is excellent for judging speed and to a certain extent stability, but at the end of the day Wesley, like most other reveiwers is reporting on perceived build quality as I have yet to read a review from someone who actually builds boats so can comment on that aspect.

This brings me to a point I made in my search for a boat thread, with all the new ski builders entering the market, much like the car markets have opened up in countries over the years, they have to have a point of difference.

Here in Australia Hyundai came in at a point where they were eyed suspicously, but they lured buyers with 1) cheaper prices and 2) better warranties...today thier product in Australia sells very well and thier prices are catching up with the quality brands, but they had to earn the trust of the market.

The thing I see with Surfski's is that while sponsored athletes are using them we all know the boats are left behind and sold to locals at a discount ( well at least they are in Western Austraia)so we then rely on guys that are using them locally to give us feedback on how they fair, wear and tear wise.

At the end of the day the new comers either have to price themselves into the market or do some very good marketing to convince us that thier boats will not only perform but last .

I really want Stellar and the host of other new boats to be good.....it's good for all of us paddling to have choice, but when I've only got a certain budget to blow on boats every other year I cant risk an unestablished newcomer

Haven't had many chances to get out in my new Stellar but I have already recorded times faster than my previous 2 skis (red7 surf70 & Epicv10).
Build quality is excellent, however time will tell if it's insides are OK. Purchase price was very reasonable compared to other brands in the 15kg range. Only gripe is that the seat height is a whisker lower than feet height so I will probably pad the seat up a bit. This won't be a problem as it is a relatively stable ski for this class.

IMO, the initial thread that insinuated that Stellar had flopped another's hull, without proof, was scandalous with vested interests fuelling the controversy. I'm sure that re-sale of my Stellar will be affected but I took that in to account. Happy with my shiny new boat.

I paddled the Stellar and I'm thrilled with the fit for my body type. ( short. 5.7 ) I watched as multiple Nah sayers brought over epics and couldnt covince anyone they were the same boats. I'm no ski expert but here is my hull observation. The longer Stellar "SE" The initial V that comes off the nose beneath the boat it went to roundedness well before the V-10. (excuse this primitive description.) The SE may have been a hair wider. The hull on the shorter SES it's initial v shape hull tapered more like the Epic but not exactly the same. Both skis had totally different tails. Rudder shafts where totally dif design. If you have seen the top sides of the Stellars you'll immediately know these are two dif skis. The user friendliness of the Stellar is so spot on. Oh, the Stellar should put in a retractible drain. Their drain is OK, just looks big. Is there any other Mfr who has similiar deck features to Stellar. If not, they all better get back to the drawing board.
I have my V 10 already sold to a taller fella.

I began this thread and I accomplished my goal to sort out the buying decission and think through any ethical issues. When I saw the boats the ethical issues were gone. I do beleive its possible that Epic has been treated poorly by the prior Mfr. Its not possible in my life to investigate all my transactions of this level. Sure if you have video or sworn testimony from a whistle blower I'll reconsider. Thank you all for your responses

I have the SE. i'm 100kegs and 6'3" and have the footplate set out at it's max. Not sure how comfortable the cockpit would be for somebody much taller.
Regarding water drainage; after owning a red7, all other drainage systems are sub standard. If the red7 bullets are not patented, then I can't see why others boats are not using them. they are streets ahead of other bailers.

I previously owned a Red7 Surf70Pro and the bullet venturi system is very very nice, drainage is rapid and very impressive to be sure. However, the Andersen Super Mini Bailer on my Epic V12 is almost as fast (within 5 seconds I would guess) at draining the cockpit completely dry, plus you can close it and thus reduce drag when compared to my old Red7 with 3 drains in it. I keep the bailer closed in flat to small conditions, then just reach down and open it when I get into bigger conditions. Its a great piece of kit and I'm not sure why the likes of Stellar wouldn't have one on their ski. I noticed that a few of the Euro skis seem to have readily adopted the same bailer as the V12. Just like I wondered why no one else had the bullets when I had the Red7, I now wonder why everyone's not adopting the V12 setup.

Mark

Mark, I have a red 7 (pro) as well and compared to other ski's the scuppers drain exceptionally well and is the most efficient of all...until I paddled the V12. Man that is a fantastic draining system. Granted, I've only paddled the V12 in NY (rivers) but there was a fair amount of swell (chop/splash). Overall I think the V12 is an amazing ski - and next on my shopping list. As far as I'm concerned the ultra is more stable than my glass Red 7 and an extremely comfortable, fast and forgiving ski. Up until Eric B's review I (as a fish and chips paddler) never considered the ski, but it really is that forgiving.

I didn't know of the China Epic/Stellar issue. From what I've read the ski's are as different as day from night. Stellar (and more specifically Echols) surely attracted a lot of attention (and unsolicited flack)- as the new kid on the block often does. Established brands (Epic, Fenn, Custom, Red 7 - dare I say) has been here for a long time, and I sincerely hope the newby's (Think, Nelo, Stellar etc.) stick around. Variety remains the spice of life and will encourage rapid development on the manufacturing side.

On a final (and non related) issue: Ease off on Sven (that's directed at the Saffa's), and Sven - ease off the personal comments.

S.S.

Totally agree on the Andersen Super Mini Bailer. Have one in my Van Dusen Mohican that works great. Ted's been using them in the Mohican since introduced 5 or 6 years ago, surprised it didn't catch on sooner. Perhaps cost comes into play.

Chris

The last time I paddled a Stellar it was the SE advantage and it was in windy , lumpy conditions without my GPS and I left feeling I hadnt seen the ski in it's best light.

Finally got to paddle a Stellar this morning in conditions I could compare it to my V10L.

One the guys in my paddle group picked up the SES Sport lay up. He has come from a PRS so he was looking for something stable and able to keep up with the ski's the rest of the group paddle (mixture of Epic, Custom, Fenn and spec ski's)

We put both boats on the water when I arrived and the conditions were ideal, next to no wind, marina environment with no current and smooth surface.

I took the Stellar out first.

My initial impressions were that it weighed about the same as my boat (15kg), comfortable seat and foot height (the SE foot height felt high when I paddled it), the wide seat had padding at the hips. The first thing you notice looking forward is the huge footwell and wide catch

I am 6 ft 2 in and I fit in with still more adjustment left on the footplate (while my V10L is maxed out), so for the supposedly small Stellar it can fit tall paddlers

I headed out and it accelerated quickly up to my usual upper cruising speed of 11.3-11.7km/hr and held it there quite easily....I was flabberagasted It didnt feel like it should be able to travel that fast with that wide a catch


I turned around and headed back, if I was watching from the bank I am sure I would have seen me shaking my head all the way back in.

I jumped in my V10L and to my suprise it took a noticeably longer time to build up to the same cruising speed.

I returned not being able to split the two for speed, the acceleration up to speed may be GPS lag but I am amazed at how this boat moves along as well as it does.

I took a couple of photos with my phone (sorry not good light) to show some of the differences between the two, obvioulsy the ski is somewhat shorter and the footwell is bigger. Next time we are both there I'll replace these pics with some better ones.

ATTN: Rob

Just some housekeeping, can this thread b moved from training to boats, will make searching easier down the track!

I see a stellar was 3rd fastest boat in the Anaconda and I think 3 in the top 10 at the classic paddle. The choice just gets more complicated every week. I think there were also 3 carbonology's in the top 15 in Augusta. The shorter boats seem to be holding there own.

How is a ski that is 2 feet shorter than the rest so fast?

sprint K1's about 5.2m, so speed is not necessarily related to length
many of these high performance ski have been designed by or for athletes of 1.85m plus heights & 95kg plus weights.
so a ski that is designed for shorter & lighter individuals who need more stability has a large potential market
am surprised epic & fenn haven't been quicker to respond to this market niche?
ones enjoyment of this fantastic sport improves tremendously when one has equipment that feels right...........don't be afraid to try every ski until you find right stability vs speed ratio & similarly with paddles

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