Nelo 520 or Epic V8 Pro

I’ve been paddling Epic 18X and V8 Ski/kayaks for about 10 years. Mostly for fitness with the occasional 15K+ race thrown in. Mostly on flat water with the occasional excursion into the Chesapeake Bay here in the Mid Atlantic.

Looking to upgrade my ride soon and have narrowed down to Nelo 520 and the Epic V8 Pro. Not ready for anything narrower than abou 20 inches for now.

Question for the group: Any experience paddling either boats on flat water for extended periods (more than an hour)? What’s your experience?

Thanks in advance

Greg Jones

I have a V8 pro and have used it for upto 2 hours on flatwater at times. I had a Fenn Bluefin before that. The V8 pro is more stable in my view and rock solid in pretty much anything that flatwater would throw at you (the odd boat wake/wash, etc). Build quality is A1 and its been a great boat - I like it a lot.

The only negatives I have is that I do find comfort start to become an issue at around 2 hours (as my lower back rubs on the rear of the bucket and I have a decent amount of rotation. I find the weight of the performance model a bit meatier than I would like. I debated at the time whether I should go for the Ultra build (and opted not to as I was told it wouldn't make any difference to the performance) but I wished I had now as carrying it around is a pain.

I'm in a quandry of my own as I find this boat almost too safe now for the conditions I typically paddle in (flatwater and waves chop upto 3ft high) but the V10 sport doesn't seem to be a big step (if at all) but the V10 may well be too much.

Thanks for sharing your experience. This is exactly what I was looking for. Just curious, what kind of speed do you get out of the V8 Pro? I realize this is highly subjective and varies from paddlet to paddler.

Again,

Many thanks

Jones, I am also looking for a new ski and the NELO 520 is one serious option for me as well as you. I exclusively paddle on a large lake in Virginia (Smith Mountain Lake), which is typically windy and with lots of messy jet ski and wake boat traffic creating ~2 foot waves and along with shoreline rip-rap, I'm often paddling in washing machine confused waters. I currently paddle a Stellar SR1g and often find myself at the limit of my stability ability, which forces me to tentatively paddle forward and sometimes take an unintentional swim. I’m looking for a "more fun and more stable boat" with a beam wider than 19” and have narrowed my choices to either a Stellar S18S or the NELO 520.

I can hold 11-11.5kph reasonably comfortably for an hour. I wouldn’t say my technique is that brilliant but my standard of base fitness is quite high (i race both bicycles and SUPs). I’m 6ft 3 and 88kg with low body fat.

Perfect - thanks. Anyone out there have Nelo 520 experience they care to share?

Hi DB,

I'm getting ready to sell my Epic V8 - which I find is great for washing machine conditions. If you have any interest shoot me an email - off the forum This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

> Greg

I've been paddling a Nelo 520 for about half a year now. I've never paddled an Epic V8 Pro, but I have paddled a V7 (which I still own) and a V8 in Tarifa, Spain.

I've very happy with the Nelo 520. it's just a bit less stable than the V7 and V8 so I'd guess it's about the same as the V8 Pro in that regard.
But the Nelo 520 is only 17 feet long, two feet shorter than the V8 Pro. So it should be slower, but easier to transport, handle on land, and store.

I very much prefer the Nelo pedal system over Epic's since it allows easy adjustment on the water. And I also prefer the Nelo rigid "strap" (pull bar) over the Epic soft strap.

Hard to see how anyone looking for an modest step up from an intro surfski could go wrong with either boat.

I had a V8 Pro Ultra along with a V11 Ultra that I keep at my 2nd home in northern Michigan. I sold the V8 Pro and replaced it with a Nelo 520. The V8 Pro performed great in flat water yet it didn't impress me much when the conditions picked up. The Nelo 520 imo is a better ski in the big water that Lake Michigan can bring on very quickly. I am not knocking Epic`s as I am a big fan of them. I also have a G3 V10, and have the new V9 elite on order. The V8 Pro is a faster flat water ski than the 520. The 520 is a better Downwind ski. I hope this helps!