Difference in skis

I have at my disposal 3 skis and I cannot really feel much of a difference in them.
The skis are a Gen 1 Epic V10 sport (I believe it is called the ultra layup, not sure, a Stellar S18s with the 2 bailers (Gen 2))and a Stellar Sr Excel.

I am not an accomplished paddler but I am learning, slowly.

When I read posts on the forum comparing one to the other it reminds me of guys who are into cars and like to speak about the comparisons of say Ford Mustang to Dodge Charger.I respect those who are good enough to really perceive the minute differences in stability and speed differences between skis but for my purposes I do not see the need to concern myself with a time over a course which is say 30 seconds quicker.

At age 70 i am just trying to have some fun.

Honestly the only differences I feel is that the Epic seems to be a bit less stable when sitting still.

Clearly any of these 3 work for me as I have paddled them all.

What am I missing? At a beginner level is there something I should perceive which is different between the skis aside from the more "tippy' feel of the Epic/

Just trying to learn here.

FWIW: At my level I have yet to venture into any kind of rough water. I am confining myself to a lake at this time.

is it in the rougher conditions where I would feel the difference?

The big plus I do see in the S18S is the hatches which allow me to carry items.

Appreciate all your thoughts.

Yes it is when you encounter the bumps it starts to make a difference between the v10 and the others. The gen1 V10 is too much of a boat for the majority of paddlers in rough water. Even if you can keep it upright you will struggle to keep up any kind of technique. Obviously you have a reasonable sense of balance to be entry level and stay upright on it, even in the flat. But what is your technique like? Have you learned to paddle properly yet or are you just Lilly dipping along? Performance doesnt pick up until you have developed performance like paddling. Otherwise they are just tootling along in low gear, and its like doing a car review without leaving the car park.

As an entry level boat the SR is probably best choice which will allow you to be able to venture into bumpier conditions.

I'm 66, just a couple years younger than you. Based on what you've written, I'd choose S18S. It's the widest of the skis and probably the most stable, a primary consideration if you're looking to eventually challenge yourself by paddling in rougher conditions. Also, it's the shortest of the skis, which I think is an important consideration at our age. We are, unfortunately, not getting stronger as we get older. A shorter ski is much easier to manage of land and in the water it's quicker to accelerate and requires less strength to paddle as conditions get rougher. I've recently stepped down from a 6.1m to a 5.4m ski. Yes, I'm a bit slower in flat conditions, but I'm having lots more fun when it's bumpy. Hope this helps.

Differences in flat water speed get bigger the faster you go. Going at an easy pace as you describe you are probably 100% correct that there is no difference in speed between those boats. As far as stability, if you ended up on rougher water you would probably discover that the s18s is the most stable and enjoyable of the bunch. I have paddled that boat downwind in rough conditions and it is blast. And short is nice in a head wind or sidewind and especially when lugging the thing around off the water. I agree with the other commenter that if you had to pick one of those skis, go with the s18s.

drjay9051 wrote:

Gen 1 Epic V10 sport (I believe it is called the ultra layup, not sure,

If it has a red stripe it is the Ultra layup. Black or blue is Performance or Club.

It had two available bucket widths.

drjay9051 wrote:

FWIW: At my level I have yet to venture into any kind of rough water. I am confining myself to a lake at this time.

is it in the rougher conditions where I would feel the difference?

Wear a heart rate monitor and learn what your perceived effort feels like in zone 2. Go out in slightly rougher water and see if you can stay in zone 2 with half the perceived effort.

Then you will have empirical proof of why tippy skis extend the learning curve. As Haley says, "exponentially."

Cheers LPB, really handy tips super helpful for mentoring others, reinforcing what we know as paddlers anyway (haha mostly having learned through way of pain, school of Hard Knocks). Also great teaching when they hear same thing from different sources.

Thanks Watto.

In person coaching is what changed it all for me. Nothing compares to one on one advice from an expert.

Here's the guy that Laird and the boys checked in with when they started foiling then Sup'ing Tahiti.

Raimana is a living legend, the Godfather of Teahupoo.

youtube.com/shorts/SkwPbkgsHSU?si=WW56qEI-_QKRTGtK

youtube.com/shorts/myKU_2o6cL8?si=4KVzT4j9Fqrfvhc4

Seen shorter version on FB - amazing. And your kid too - haha how gorgeous is that!
Speaking of kids, pic attached may seem no big deal but I so love it! Have plenty of closer shots of son Simon paddling however took this the other day from 600 metres away (measured it on Google Earth) coming into Hillarys' Marina with a mate he was mentoring, out of shot. Neither knew I was there snapping pics!



What's gratifying is I taught him to paddle (he was a natural anyway haha despite what I taught him). If I hold my form like that when nobody's watching I'd be very happy! For what it's worth he's got a nice isosceles triangle going there pretty much from top hand down to water and across to paddle out from the boat, leg drive and rotation too. Sweet.

waverider wrote:

The gen1 V10 is too much of a boat for the majority of paddlers in rough water. Even if you can keep it upright you will struggle to keep up any kind of technique. Obviously you have a reasonable sense of balance to be entry level and stay upright on it, even in the flat. But what is your technique like? Have you learned to paddle properly yet or are you just Lilly dipping along? Performance doesnt pick up until you have developed performance like paddling.

^This cannot be understated.

The gen 1 V-10 was too much boat for me in flat water or rough water. I wasted years wobbling around in tippy skis.
The only thing I got good at was remounting. It was fun, but not smart.

I have plenty of video of myself on flat water - in the V-10S - going thru the motions of "proper" technique. But it was NOT fluid, natural and comfortable. After a few years I was - and still am - saying "I wish I had started in a V-8."

Here's an in depth article explaining what waverider is talking about.

orjansskidskola.wordpress.com/2024/05/29/stability-in-surfski/