Icon surfski

Hi
I live on the Costa Blanca in Spain and have been paddling for 1 year, coming from a river background, so the sea at first was quiet challenging. I bought an Icon thinking it fast so good for going places quickly, only to be rudely surprised by it?s instability or my lack of stability!
The Med is not flat by any means. I have since purchased an Epic V10 sport which I find a lot more stable.
Is it me or is the Icon an incredibly difficult boat to paddle? I use it from time to time and am now much better in it but would hate to be on it in strong cross chop or backslap from the many cliffs around.
Does anyone out there have any similar experience with Icons?

Hi Joel

I have paddled most of the competitive skis available in South Africa and the Icon is definitely the most unstable amongst them. The ski has very low primary stability and does not have a clear "upright" point. As a result I find it tends to flop from side to side and turns away as it does so. Clearly this is not an issue for some paddlers (Barry Lewin being the prime example) as racing results attest. My conclusion is that if you have both good balance and a strong core the ski is in fact very competitve especially down wind. The V10 is of course almost the exact opposite - great primary stability leading a feeling of great security. The primary stability does create issues in rough water but the ski is still way more stable.

I was speak to Mark Lewin (Custom Kayaks owner) last week, and was surprised to find out that the Mark 1 is about to be axed from their line-up. He's looking to develop a faster, more stable boat...potentially using the Icon as a base, and making it more stable.

If that's the case, it's going to be an awesome boat for somebody looking for a good trade off between speed and stability.

Can't wait.

Hi Joel
I don't think the Icon is any less stable than the faster skis. The slightly more stable competitive skis (V10, Mako 6) have been a great revolution, making the transition from spec skis to racing skis much easier for entry level paddlers. Epic have also done a great job with their marketing, placing the top paddlers on sponsored boats and showing that a more stable boat can still win in the right hands.

It is interesting to see that Fenn is still investing in the faster boats with their new Mako Elite. These boats (Icon, Millenium, Mako Elite) are definitely quicker than their more stable cousins but as said before, you do need that extra bit of balance to use the potential properly.

It is also interesting to see Custom Kayaks joining the mass market with a more stable competitive ski. No prizes for guessing what the tail shape will be....

Joel,

I find the Icon very unstable (as described above) on flat and relatively flat water. I don't like it at all. However, once the waves are larger than about 1-2 ft (30-60 cm), the Icon becomes well mannered and easier to balance than you would think. Upwind and downwind in waves 3 ft or more, it's a nice ski to paddle due to it high volume and its "V" shaped hull/deck. Overall, though, I still think that a ski like the Mako6 or V10 feels as well mannered on rough water and far more secure on the flatter water.

I'll be looking forward to the trying out the new Custom Kayaks ski, though, as they've got the most comfortable seat shapes in the business - for me anyway.

Ironically the reason why the Icon feels better on rougher water is that it has lower primary stability. This is because it has a very small righting momement and is not tilted when the water "tilts". The fact that it has good secondary stability also helps but it still takes a paddler with a strong core to make it really work.