Legend, Epic V10, Mako6 or Mako Elite??

I'm in the market for a new ski but I'm not sure which way to go.

I currently paddle a Millenium about 5-6 times a week on the ocean. I'm leaning towards a Legend - I think it's really well thought out and very well made. I've also paddled the Mako6 and the Epic and to be honest couldn't see that there was that much difference between the three except that they are more stable than the Millenium. The Epic and Fenn seem a little behind the Legend in terms of build quality and finish.

Any thoughts or updated reviews would be most welcome.

Steve

I paddled a carbon Millenium for 2+ years, enjoyed it, but to be fair, I could not plant the paddle hard in a biggish seas due to stability issues, even when a good number of my paddling buddies thought I had the stability fairly waxed...

Swapped to a Mako6 (also carbon) 6+ weeks ago, and am much more stable, and have increased my speed (in arguably a slightly slower boat than my Millenium) by being able to take a more aggressive forward stroke.

Haven't paddled a Legend, but I have paddled the Fenn Elite; very nice ski, with more stability that a Millenium, but similar lack of rocker, etc - a fast boat with more stability than a Millenium.

Fenn builds 'dry' boats i.m.o. - now on my 3rd boat and never had one take on water, yet, and the finish on my boat is good to very good.
Cheers
Chris G.

When I compared Legend with V10L, I would have like some additional information/feedback on how the Legend handled downwind conditions and I would have liked to see how it performed in some of the big races.

I know that the best paddlers are sponsored and that they would win (almost) independent of which surfski they used - and this must be a tough problem for a small company like Think Kayaks, however I would like to see the? hard chine? design of the Legend proven in a race.

I have not paddled the Legend, but everyone that I have spoken with describes it as being a bit slower (on flat water) than the other boats. This is reasonable since the chines will inevitably increase the surface area of the boat at realistic flat water speeds.

I previously owned a Mako6, but I bought a Huki S1X Special and sold the 6. I did some repeated testing on the speed differences and I was not able to detect that either boat was faster. One of the main advantages of the Huki is a better strength vs. weight ratio--particularly if you want a boat that can take a hit (my rock solid river layup boat is ~29 lbs). If you want light weight, the standard carbon/kevlar layup from Huki is going to be lighter than Mako can get. Also, I really like the custom options (storage hatch, etc).

I have briefly paddled the Mako Elite and I was really impressed. Obviously, I did not do a scientific test, but the Elite felt very different from my memories of the Mako6--and I liked the differences. It felt more stable and it seemed to have a smoother glide to it. I admit that this might be purely psychological, but in all honesty, I was not expecting to feel any significant difference.

So from my perspective the top boats to choose from are the Huki S1X Special and the Mako Elite--neither of which are on your list.

Thanks Guys

I agree that there seems to be some conception that the Legend is slower in flat water but as you rightly point out there doesn't seem to be any scientific or anecdotal evidence to back this up. I am in Australia and would definately consider the Fenn Elite as well as the Huki but I am yet to set eyes on let alone paddle either.

Maybe it's time for another review of the top skis.

The Legend was used to win the final Fishmans Beach race here in Sydney a few months ago. In absolutely flat conditions.



Madgus, best thing would be to jump on all 3 skis you are considering, and get the one that feels best. It's not good for any manufacturer to have people on their skis who are not 100% happy with them, paddle all 3 and you will be able to make the decision about what suits you best.


If you need help getting a demo of a Legend, just let me know.



Cheers.