Epic V10s or Stellar SEI for small paddler?

Glad to hear you were able to test some boats and come up with a direction for you and your wife! Getting two boats will most likely prove to be a lot more satisfying.

People are often surprised at how significantly the weight of a boat layup affects stability, but it's very noticeable. I typically recommend going with a heavier layup if you're marginal in your stability with a boat of interest. The V10S Performance sounds like a very good choice for you; it has a nice mixture of speed and stability.

I'm sorry to hear the Stellar folks have been indifferent to you; they have some great products and most dealers over here will go out of their way to work with potential customers.

Hmm... seemed to have had this discussion time and time again. Me... ditched two Stellars; SEI 1G, in Excel and an S18S in Advantage and consolidated on a 2015 SR 2G (Excel). Love the SR and is the perfect boat... for Me.

As red_pepper has stated and has been mentioned many times in the past, you have to take the layup of the boat into consideration when you are deciding on a new / different ski. Yesterday, for example I had a short 10 min paddle on a SEI 1G in Advantage. The handling and stability of this layup compared to my old SEI in Excel was literally chalk and cheese. So much so that if my old SEI was in Advantage layup I would still have it.

Similarly, had a Performance 2G V10S a couple of years ago. Thought it was a bit of a slug. Took an Ultra V10S for a paddle and loved it. Totally different feel and much easier to paddle.

Can understand that this can all be confusing, but believe me the difference in handling and stability in different layups can be an eye opener.

All the best in your deliberations andis.

Mick

Hi guys, I thought of debriefing you on what we ended up doing...
We got a great deal on a couple of lightly used boats that we ended up buying; V10s & v10l both in 2nd generation performance layouts.
Both boats are fantastic and we are very happy with our purchase.
While the v10s' speed surprised me, the real revelation was the v10l which has very quickly become my wife's favorite boat.
The Fenns they were compared with, the bluefin and swordfish are more maneuverable but slower. Also, the stability of the epics was a positive surprise.
Have a great New Year!

All the women I have introduced to surfskis always do much better and are more stable initially then men. It's classic!