The new Stellar SEI

Hi all,
This is my first post after spending a year reading just about every thing I can on the site - it is a great resource for new paddlers.

A year ago I got a good deal on a 4yr old Fenn Mako 6, and this was my first foray into the world of skinny skis. I loved the sleek look of this ski, and in the right hands it would be truly amazing, but it was probably not the best choice for a first ski.

I spent the next 6 months getting the hang of this ski and loved the challenge, going out 3-4 times a week on early winter mornings here in Perth WA on the Swan river. While I rarely fell out except in side chop made by the 20 knot sea breeze combined with the ferry and power boats wake it proved to be a really good ski but it forced me to take technique seriously. So I got expert training from the WAIS kayak coach and tried to get good full body rotation and a good catch for some months after that with a fair bit of success in flat water, watching my speeds slowly climb to around 10.5km/h for an hour paddle and sprinting up to about 14km/h.

I entered the 12km Classic Swan river paddle this year in my Mako6 and fell out at the 8km mark, knackered after spending the whole time fighting the side chop. I made it, but felt slightly traumatized at the end.

Then I ventured into the ocean and being a surfer loved the feeling of getting on waves way offshore, but quickly found myself feeling tentative in anything but upwind or downwind conditions. I read that you need to really attack the water in the catch and lean on the paddle for stability and while this helped I couldn't sustain it and found myself swimming with no warning. Remounts side saddle style are relatively straight forward in the Fenn, but I resigned myself to another 6 months of learning in the ocean.

Then I tried and bought the new Stellar SEI from Go Paddle Sports here in Perth, and man what a difference, a whole new world opened up to me. Because I was used the Fenn this ski felt rock solid in everything and I went from trying to see where the next wave that was going to knock me out was, to just having fun.

I purposely took it out the roughest conditions I could find off Perth, just to see what would happen, and never fell out once except coming back in on the shore break when I tried to pull off a wave I thought would send me over the falls. This is truly an all condition ski. I even went out one day when the wind just spun me around 180 degrees while I was carrying the ski down to the ocean.

I can hold 9.5 -10km/h going straight into a 20 knot sea breeze and launching out the back of waves, and still get full rotation in the bucket and spear most of my strokes. The odd fresh air stroke on the top of a wave is no worries, whereas before that it would be it game over.

Going downwind is pure joy, just sprint and hop on, and while linking runs is still eluding me a bit the ski never buries, broaches or does anything un-predictable.

The ski is extremely well built and looking through the drainage hole on the front you can see the marine ply bulkheads and the even thickness of the fiberglass.

I am looking forward to going in the odd adventure race and may even enter the next Summer Series paddle on the ocean in this ski.

See you out there and thanks for all the good info on this site.

Skinnyskiaddict,
Thanks for the the info. I am currently paddling a Swordfish and loving it. I own a Stellar SEL have been very pleased with it but I think I am a bit light to get the most out of it. I like the shorter length of the Swordfish. I don't think the extra length of the SEL gives me much. Stellar was kind enough to lend me a 18S to race the Sea to Ski race in Bellingham this year. I was very pleased with the outcome in this ski. For a beginner ski it smokes! Been curious about the SEI since Stellar announced it was in production but haven't been able to demo one. The quality of the Stellar boats seems to be first class. Would love to hear from anyone that could compare the SEI to the Swordfish, new V10 and Evo11. I certainly don't need another ski but am intrigued with the way these boats are evolving so quickly. Then there is the "missing V".........

Cheers,

Ken

Ken,

I used to think I would be a Fenn man forever, but I am willing to try anything that is well built and suits me at the stage I am at. I reckon if I sell my boat every 2 years, I will get to try them all. A Fenn Swordfish or Evo2 sound really good too and I would also like to see a comparison in terms speed, stability, durability and quality between the SEI, Swordfish, V10 and Evo2 in all conditions.

At the level I am at in adventure racing, speed is relative. If you can rotate in all conditions, your endurance is better and overall speed in an hour is better than going fast in a elite ski for the first 30 mins and slowing down because your core is gone for the next 30 mins.

I did notice that my Fenn Mako 6 on the flat was about 0.3 -0.4 km faster for the same level of effort than my SEI. This is only about 2-3 minutes in time over an hour paddle if you can maintain it.

Cheers
Steve

I have carbon Swordfish (used to have EPIC V10). Mate has just got an SEI Excel after selling his swordfish.

IMO the SEI feels a bit quicker on the flat and bit slower upwind. The SEI is way better downwind as it doesn't bury the nose or have a tendency to broach (prob due to the big vol in the tail on the swordfish).

Stability is pretty similar. Seat and hump position is more comfortable in the SEI. The SEI feels more predictable if that makes sense, seems to have similar volumes front and rear.

I really like the twin venturis and footplate.... I love my swordy but this SEI is making me definitely consider it as my next ski as it is a step above in all areas.

Barry,
Thanks for the info. How much do you weigh and what is your height? I am pretty thin and find the Swordfish a great fit.

Ken

6ft 190lbs ...

I picked up a brand new SEI Advantage from Julian at Paddle2Fitness on Thursday morning. Took it for it's maiden voyage this morning on the Brisbane River. I am moving up from a Spirit PRS.
The SEI felt comfortable and even with messy ferry wakes hitting me directly on the beam I felt stable and fast. I was almost 1km/hr quicker over my 10km course. I was also picking up small runners from boat wakes and the messy rebound chop off the river bank. It feels like this will be a rocket with some proper swell to catch.
I am happy with my first paddle on it and am looking forward to hitting the open ocean and Moreton Bay.

This boat showed me how lazy we can get in a stable boat. It gets too easy and we get complacent. This boat made me want to work hard and get the most out of it.

I had another paddle of the SEI and its definitely the fastest draining ski I have paddled, must be the twin bullets, as its way quicker then may twin venturi swordfish.

I've only had a handful of paddles on my SEI. Mostly flat water and a couple of open water(small swell)sessions. I agree that this boat drains very quickly. Above 6knm/hr and you can hear (and see) the water gurgling out.

I had a test paddle in an SEI today and was pleased and disappointed.

I currently paddle an SES and am looking for an intermediate ski for the rougher days and when I just want to go and play in the waves.

The SEI was great in the very bumpy boat wash caused by lots of pleasure craft out today. Felt very stable and managed a couple of long rides in the boat wakes. It turned quite well compared to the SES, but that may just be because it felt so stable and I was happy to just throw it around. It felt like I could paddle the ski all day and it wouldn't be a struggle when I'm tired (as the SES is for me). Would have loved to test paddle it in the waves, but that wasn't an option today.

The only downside was that on a couple of occasions it felt a little slow, but this is compared to the SES. I was a little preoccupied chasing boats to do any decent speed tests, but I did have my GPS which I haven't downloaded yet. I guess it just made me think about why I was looking for a fun boat as while i was chasing boats i didn't care about my speed. The good thing is that I now really appreciate how easy it is to cruise along in the SES when the conditions are mild and I will definitely want to keep pushing it in everything but big conditions.

I thought that having two skis would be easier than trying to find one ski that is perfect for all conditions. but maybe its twice as hard.....

I will be test paddling a Swordfish and hopefully an EVO II in the next couple of days to compare...

Midlife - what did you think of the bucket and footwell compared to the SES?

I would say that the foot fell was a little narrower than the SES and it did allow you to connect with the ski around your calf. Something that you can't do in the SES without padding. There still seemed to be a fair bit of space in front of the footplate but maybe a touch less than the SES. As mentioned by a few people, it drains much better.

The bucket itself seemed very comfortable and I had no problem in it for a one hour paddle. I would definitely take it (or any ski) for a two hour paddle before deciding it was comfortable though. The hump wasn't a problem for me and I'm 180cm. The bucket didn't feel as deep as the SES but that may just be because the SES is narrower. I would really need to try them both one after the other to compare properly.

For a lighter paddler (72kg) it didn't seem as corky as the new V10. Probably doesn't sit down in the water quite as well as the SES, but not too bad and the extra stability made it less of an issue.

I test paddled a Swordfish yesterday and it was an interesting comparison.

The Swordfish also felt very stable and was no problem in the big chop and rebounding waves. I was getting a little carried away before I realised I had not taken my leg leash with me so I backed off a bit as I didn't want to be swimming after a ski when I was paddling on my own.

As has been mentioned by others, it was very good upwind. It seems really solid and let's you power along quite well. I would say it may be a touch faster that the SEI upwind, but the conditions weren't exactly the same so it's hard to be sure. It was a bit hard to tell the downwind speed but it was possibly a touch slower than the SEI. Again not much in it. The Swordfish did bury the nose a little though and the swell wasn't that big.

The bucket and footwell of the Swordfish were similar to the Swordfish and both quite comfortable. The Swordfish bucket may be a touch narrower which may be why it felt rock solid in the rebounding waves.

By comparison, the only real downside of the Swordfish was the hump. For an hour paddle it didn't cause too much problem, but it was obvious with my legs in contact with it a lot. I will probably need to paddle it for longer and try some better rotation to see if it would be too much of an issue. I didn't notice the hump at all in the SEI.

I intend to take both out again for another test. The SEI in some rebounding waves, and the Swordfish for a longer paddle to make sure it is comfortable for more than a one hour paddle.

The skis are very similar and I think they are both great. I expect either would be a good bet if you are comfortable in the bucket.

Hope to test the EVO II in a couple of days.