So what is this?

Came across this weird ski on gumtree. It looks like a home conversion of some sort. Do not want to paddle that into a head wind, would be pure torture.



Just thought I would share it with you guys. Feel free to post some more weird paddle/surfski craft.

Looks like an old (1980's) "Oscar" double ski - the snitch on the front was for around the cans racing in surf lifesaving events - it prevents the ski from nose diving in big surf. I think they were made by Erics Canoe Shop (Eric Clarke) in Durban. They were fun to paddle and some even did the PE to EL Challenge (4 days 250km)!

Anton

Could mount a flat screen TV on the front of that thing!

Hi, This is a Chalupski double, I made the original polystyrene plug in 1982 (could have the date a little wrong, getting old) that I raced in the PE-EL 244km ski race as a 16 yr old with my partner who was 15.
After the race Gordon Rowe from Kayak Centre then molded it. It became one of the most popular double ski`s around for many years. I then made the 'snitch' (nose cone come wave deflector) this was then raced as a round the can lifesaving double.

The Gordon Rowe that now lives in the north of Auckland.

Walley, it was 1983 and you came 8th in the PE to EL paddling with John Whittle.

You were again 8th in 1985 paddling with Markus Begni.

Yes we are getting old!

Cheers

Anton

Hello Anton and Wally - Thanks for the info. I see this blast-from-the-past is going for R2500 on gumtree

Any other older, weird ski pictures out there?

That`s great to see. They were very popular in Wales in the late `80s when Geoff Edwards brought a single and double back after doing one of the PE to EL races. They were soon copied and claimed many golds at Welsh and GB level lifesaving and ski races. They were the fastest skis in Europe at the time, especially the single when punching through the surf. We gave up on the nose-cone on our double after it twice got ripped off and came flying past my head! Beautiful skis though and many of them are still be paddled for fun after 25 years!