V10L for super lightweight paddlers

I'll be writing up an article about my new Epic V10L surfski in a couple of days. The first thing I can tell you is that it will be written with super lightweight paddlers in mind, and hopefully answer:
What you can expect (if you also happen to be very light).

In any case, and as usual: I am excited for any new boats

Hi photofr,

come, visit us in Australia and try the new OCEAN OSS 2 (designed for lighter paddlers) and I promise, you will be very, very excited!

Cheers!

Your OSS 2 seems very intriguing. Keep up the great work, because it's really cool to see people looking and thinking outside "the box". A trip to Australia would prove very expansive to try a new boat… heck, I have never driven more than 30 miles to try a boat… most often (and you can ask my friends) I buy first, try second.

For the Epic V10 L - well, we are having some strong winds and great swells. Not much time to write yet, and I want to put in one more run. So far, it's super exciting.

First impressions:
SUPER stable, Foot plate that will accommodate (I dare say) the shortest of all legs, the best upwind paddling experience so far, fantastic side wind capabilities, and quieter than expected but still very fun.

Pictures and real feedback for lighter paddlers coming tomorrow night (French West Standard Time)

The last few days have provided a great playground with lots of wind and swells coming in. I guess winter is coming… and this is great news for Brittany, France.

This made for a lot of fun testing the V10L, but most importantly, it created very similar conditions to compare apples with apples. The result:

STABILITY
That one is still getting to me: I find the V10L to be far more stable than the Spark, V10 performance, V10 Ultra, and V10 GT. I could be wrong, but this may be due to the fact that in other boats, I am just "too light" and end up riding a very narrow part of the hull. In this case, the V10L was rock solid, even with some horrible side chop & wind.

SPEED DOWNWIND
The V10L feels very fast - hands down. I will emphasize on the "feel" because this is not flat water comparisons; there are a lot of elements involved… But in the end, here's my take :
The ski accelerates quickly (according to my GPS) but doesn't feel like a slingshot. The feeling there is relatively "quiet" even though it's fast. The really big surprise is when you are on the wave, riding with a grin. It's starts with a fast but smooth acceleration, and then surfs quite well. The V10L seems to have far less rocker than the Spark, but surfs almost as well. Changing direction is a breeze, and you'll feel confident to do it as often as you please (not as well as a Spark, but darn close).

The V10L seems to outperform the Spark when it comes down to staying on a wave longer. On many occasions, I felt like I was going to loose a wave, but the V10L was still at it: surfing away with ease.

When finally getting off a wave, I felt like the V10L kept its speed longer than my Spark. This, ultimately made it easier to catch the next, and next waves. Sprinting from a dead stop with the Spark seems faster though. Repeating waves and linking waves seems easier with the V10L.

SIDE WIND
The nose of the V10L isn't very high off the water level… so this will probably be the easiest ski you will ever paddle with a side wind. Stability on the V10L also amplifies this ease. The nose of Spark and the regular V10 both sit higher off the water surface.

Perhaps there is good and bad to this… With the Spark and regular V10, I was able to "wind surf" my way across a side wind. I had less stability, but more speed when using the ocean to my advantage. The V10L feels, again, rock solid with steadier speeds.

UPWIND
The V10L was pleasant going upwind, but not even close to the fun you can have with a Spark. Seemingly, I wasn't able to surf the back of oncoming waves as well as with other skis, or as well as I am used to. This is probably not very fair for me to say though, because I was on a demo V10L that was a bit on the heavy side of the scale (14.9 Kilos).

ERGONOMICS
The seat is shallow (nice), and comfortable (super nice). On flat water, I felt like I was going a little bit uphill, just like in my Spark. The seat really shines where it's designed to shine: Downwind, where the angle is aimed just right.

The Footboard is like a dream: the angle is comfortable (nothing like the Spark where the angle is far too sharp). The footrest is also super easy to adjust, and will accommodate nearly-all-short-legs without compromise. This is important, because you'll still have access to the drain handle, and your heels will not be raised as you move the footboard closer. Big Bonus there!

Another very cool aspect of the footboard is the fact that I am able to have my heels and the ball of my foot firmly onto the rest… and my toes take care of the steering - this is very intuitive for those of us shorter folks who haven't paddle this way before. Comfort is all there.

I spoke about the seat, and then the feet being a near-perfect setup. The midpoint would therefore be calves, more specifically, the bump. Well, that one is simple: finally a lowered bump that will probably never get in your way.

Not everything is perfect with Ergonomics of the V10L…
I feel that the calf area could have been narrowed down by quite a bit. After all, this is a ski for lighter and smaller paddlers, so why not accommodate all the way ? I am not talking about making all skis that way, just one model (out of 8 other models). You'll either live with it, or pad it - because I really feel it's far too large of an area to promote efficient leg drive.

LENGTH
There could be a lot of controversy on the length of surfskis, but suffice to say that if a 6m50 boat accommodates 230 pound paddler, then there is no reason for a 125 pound paddler to be using such a long boat. The V10L comes in at 6m15 - and no complaints from me there.

I did notice that it reacted well to upper body placement when surfing, better than all longer skis I have tried, though the Spark was close to that feeling.

THE HANDLE
I wish it didn't have a front handle… that would be less weight, and less resistance when the nose goes under a bit. Perhaps placing a leash plug up front would be plenty sufficient for added safety. Same with the back: I'd personally remove the handle.

SHALLOW COCKPIT
The entire cockpit is very shallow - shallower than just about any other surfski I have tried (and very similar to 1989's Chalupski. In fact, they both behave with a lot of similarities… very interesting Oscar

The shallow cockpit actually is nice… or should I say: I like it. One thing that is different, you will get wet, just as I did, with my 127 pounds.

RECOMMENDATIONS
If you are reading this, you are probably a lighter paddler. If that's the case, I believe that you will really enjoy this ski for its huge versatility, and great stability compared to other "smaller skis". With this in mind, and especially for the lighter (and weaker paddlers like myself) I highly recommend getting the lightest version you can afford.

I believe the weight of your V10L will either make you super happy about your investment (if it's super light) or left with regrets if you opted to save some money. So if you can, buy ONE SKI - a V10L, that's about as heavy as a feather and I believe you will not even be thinking about buying a second ski.

The V10L gets special marks in my books for its amazing versatility, overall speed, and amazing downwind capabilities.

Epic V10L PHOTOS:













More Photos ?
About 10 more here: www.photofr.smugmug.com/FindYourPhotos-1...06-Epic-Surfski-V10L

Do you still prefer your V10?

There are things that I prefer with the Ultra Light V10 GT… I mean, what's not to like about such a light boat ???
but the cockpit is just too big for me.

Being that I don't have very long legs, the V10L is really MUCH BETTER SUITED for me, and the paddle entry point is just "like magic" on the V10L.

Yes, that's what I thought and why I queried your choice when you bought your V10, nice review by the way, thank you.

Where is my V10L GT ?
This may be the case where we are both right:
V10 GT - because smaller people benefit more from a lightweight boat.
V10L - because it is better suited for smaller paddlers.

Back to my original question… where the heck can I find a V10L GT ahahaha

Ludovic,

I remember crudely measuring the new V10 L bucket width and found it to be identical to the new V10. Has that changed?

John

They seem different;
V10 bucket: Deeper, more shaped, taller walls and wider. It's quite noticeable when you straddle the boat, where I feel like my knees are above my head (I am exaggerating, but you probably get the picture).

V10L bucket: Shallower, and less shape. This makes a huge difference, because now my rear-end is sitting above my heels. Add a pad to feel even more power into your stroke. Carrying the V10L is also noticeable different: less volume and walls that aren't so high means your short arm will be able to carry the V10L with more ease. Straddling the V10L is even easier than the Spark.

I concur with what Ludovic is saying. The footboard on my V10 is as close as possible to me and I still could use another notch. I also feel like I am sitting in a bath tub compared to my V10L, the bucket is that much deeper on the regular V10.

If the V10L is too much boat, the V10S seems to have a bucket that splits the difference and can fit a much wider variety of paddler shapes.

According to the Epic website the V10 bucket is 3cms deeper than the L bucket. But my query was related to the interior width of the bucket.
, from side to side.
Maybe someone could measure them?

On the V10L, I can place one finger between my hip bones and the surfski bucket sidewalls.
On the V10, I can place two fingers, with ease.

The bucket on the V10L is shallower, rounder, smoother, narrower (not as wide), and shorter. Basically, I'd estimate the V10L bucket to be 15% smaller in all directions, so that's a great improvement for smaller paddlers.

Keep in mind that measurements will mean very little. If you want to see if it will be perfect for you, just go try one out. The reality is: very few paddlers will find any one bucket to be perfect for them. For this to happen, manufacturers will have to take an imprint of your bottom.

Hi Ludovic,
Thanks for the great review. I'm quite light, 68kg 150lb, I rented the new V10l red tip Ultra on Maui last year. I found it to be very comfortable and quite stable. It did feel more stable but a little slower than my Stellar SES but it's always so hard to compare boats from a distance over different water. Unfortunately the cost of the Epic boats in Australia is much higher than either Fenn or Stellar for similar weight craft, they need to be convincingly better to justify the extra expense. Interestingly on Maui quite a few bigger guys are paddling the V10l and loving them, probably up to 190 lb's.
I hope this is not a rude question but I was wondering if you have an association with Epic or just a great deal of passion for a new brand.
I enjoy your posts.

Thanks Jonathan.

Not a rude question at all…
I associate myself with Epic, but I am not associated with them. Let me explain:

You should first know that I pay full face value for my personal skis. I do promote Epic more than other brands only because I like Epic more – and yes, I like Fenn boats too. You may like Fenn, Nelo or Stellar more – and that’s always okay with me (as long as you paddle the darn things)

You should also know that the Epic representative for France is a good friend of mine, and since I have more than 30 years experience on skis, I figured I’d give him a helping hand from time to time. In fact, I associated myself with Epic while being on a Spark – for an entire year. Epic didn’t mind... but I did – so I purchased an Epic ski and shared my findings. Got another, and shared that here with you as well.

I am not associated with Epic in the sense that I do not get a paycheck or discounts from Epic. Some people purchase a $2600 ski and get nothing, others get a free leash or a free paddle. When I spent $3700 on a ski, I got a free hat. So no, I am not associated with Epic, but I will continue to help Epic and the surfski community.

In the last 23 months, my wife and I have owned:
A Zedtech Dominator, Fenn Spark, Fenn XT, Fenn Swordfish, Epic V10, Epic V10L, and Epic V8. During that time, I have tried more than a dozen other models.

If I had more time, I’d like to be an ambassador for couple of manufacturers for:
Surfskis, Stand Up Paddling, Telemark skis, Rock climbing equipment, and bikes.

I have been teaching sports for over 3 decades, so no matter what I choose to do later in life, you can count on me being a teacher and passing on info. People who know me will tell you: “I tell it the way it is... the way I see it”.

I hope this answers your question.