some thoughts about the DORADO surfski

Hey,
I'm new to this sport and i'm looking for a boat to start my journey in the surf ski world....
My question is about the dorado.
my weight is about 75kg....
i have tried the dorado and the V10 sport and found the dorado to be very challenging.
My thoughts are if the dorado would be faster and better with riding waves in time as my skills would be better or it will stay unstable and not fun to ride on....
the reason im asking this is due to the price difference between these two.
i saw a very old review here in the forum (in 2012) and thought if someone have some more experience with the dorado?

thanks for the help.....

The Kayak Centre Dorado went out of production quite a few years ago, so I doubt that you'll find many people who still paddle them.

Just a thought - you don't say what the price difference is, but I suspect it would be worth it to have a boat that you enjoy from day one, rather than struggling with the Dorado and perhaps getting discouraged.

If you can afford it, I'd strongly recommend the V10 Sport.  It's a long time since I paddled the Dorado, but I'm fairly sure that the performance you'll get out of the V10 will be better in any case.

Hey Robin,

Thanks for the replay...
i agree that the better boat would be the best choice...
for the v10 sport they want something like 1400usd and for the dorado its more like 800usd and maybe with a paddle include...

Do you think the dorado design is so old that its outdated?

Cheers,
 

Do you think the dorado design is so old that its outdated?

Put it this way - the Dorado would never get anything like that resale here in South Africa.  Outdated design?  Phew - it's certainly old - and was never rated very highly here.  I'd definitely say that the V10 Sport was "next generation" from the Dorado.

You don't say though what version V10 Sport it is.  V10 Sport is in its third incarnation now and each version got better and better.  I would ask the seller what generation it is.  The first gen V10 Sport had a seat that was about a mile wide, I hated it!  Ideally it would be second or even third generation. 

You should be able to tell how old the V10 Sport is from its serial number on the tail. 

Example:

GIP7Z10181909 EK12006

EKI2006 is the year the boat was designed.
909 means it was manufactured in September 2009.
7Z10181 is the serial number.

2006 would be a gen 1 boat I think.

Cheers
Rob

Hi, I’m relatively new to the sport as well. I’ve been paddling a Dorado  for the last 6 months but have recently tested a lot of skis. To be honest the Dorado doesn’t really do anything well. It’s not very stable but not fast either and heavier than it needs to be. I’d go for a modern beginner ski now because you will end up going that way at some point. If you don’t like it you’ll probably sell it quickly for what you paid for it . I’ve just bought an Epic V8 and the first day was the best day I’ve had on a ski. There is absolutely no comparison between the 2 in the waves. In a perfect world I would have got a V8pro but couldn’t find one second hand. I would be much more advanced if I had bought a different ski to start with. The Dorado will have you looking for calm days and there’s no fun in that.
Also - I cant see a Dorado being faster than a v10s

hey...
great information....thanks for the replay.
i think that i cant get away with low price and the dorado...
i will have to look for something else... save some more cash for a better boat.

thanks for the help again...
jonathan

If you can snag an Epic v10 sport for $1400 US that's a great deal unless the boat is a complete wreck. The v10 sport is not considered a beginner boat, but if you have any kind of paddling experience, you'll probably be fine. I loved paddling the v10 sport and the only reason I opted for a v8pro was the carry handles. Good luck in your search. Surfski paddling is such an awesome sport.