Which ski ?

Hi - as a relatively new paddler (i've been borrowing a very tippy spec ski). I'm looking to buy a racing ski.

I've tried the V10 (OK on the flat but seemed a bit too tippy for the ocean based on my current skill level) and the V10 sport (very stable but seemed a bit slow). Also tested both Think Ski's and am keen on both the Evo and Legend.

Interested in your opinion wether a newby should move straight to the Legend /V10 or cut my teeth on the Evo or V10 sport until I crack it. I'm very comfortable of flat and estuary water but am concerned how long it would take to get the hang of a Legend or V10 out the back. Is the Legend considered more stable than the other high performance ski's

Any advise.

Tim

Smarter people might come in and correct my theory, but I would get the tippier/faster boat. If you are already comfortable in the flats, you are capable of paddling the faster boat. If you are going to be able to spend a lot of time in the boat, getting used to it shouldn't take a long time. I would just put on a drysuit and go find some big waves and plan on getting good at my remount, and get used to being in big waves. It shouldn't take too long. If you get the more stable boat, you will probably feel that it it too stable and slow even in large water within a few months.

Tim,
I agree in part with Shaun's advice. Go for the fastest ski you are comfortable in right away. If you can paddle it in the flat you are half way home. However your comfort leval is the most important thing. Also take into account the weather and water temp where you are. If it's warm water most of the time then it's not so bad spending a little more time in the drink while learning on a tippy ski. If it's a colder environment you might want to get comfortable on a more stable boat first and then move on to something faster. Even if you paddle in a wetsuit, it's no fun going into real cold water and hypothermia is a real safety concern. I disagree with Shaun as to heading right into big stuff. I don't know your water background but build up your rough water and surf skills slowly. Again, what are you comfortable in and then start moving out of your comfort zone. Time on the water in your boat is the only real solution. Your finances might play a role in this also, as in how many $3000 boats can I afford to buy. You might want to try a couple of the HUKI and FENN skis if you have access to them to compare stability. Good Luck

Hi Tim,


Now I would be on the other side of the argument from Shaun. I think that stability when you are learning the trade is of the utmost importance. How you paddle in the flat has very little bearing on how you will go learning to paddle in the swell in my opinion.

A lot of paddlers are obsessed with having the fastest ski available, but unless you can handle such a craft, you will actually go slower, wasting energy on staying upright rather then progressing. I see this all the time in the harbour in Sydney, guys paddling skis they are not able for.

When you are learning how to catch runs, read currents and tides and how to race, you want to be able to give 100% to each stroke. Very hard to do on a tippy ski. If you choose a beginner/intermediate ski your learning process will be far more enjoyable, if and when you feel the need for increased speed you can move to a tipper ski with the confidence in your own skill set.


Surf ski paddling, like any other water sport, has inherent dangers, you don't want to exacerbate those by using a craft which may put you in a more dangerous situation.


Quantum Kayaks is the Australian agent for Think Kayak craft, so I won't advise you on the merits of any skis, would be unfair on other manufacturers who might not have an opportunity to reply to you post.

What I would suggest you do is try as many skis as you can and choose the ski that feels right for you. At the end of the day, the fastest ski is the one that is upright!!


Best of luck with your choice and happy paddling,

Cheers.

strudders wrote:

Is the Legend considered more stable than the other high performance ski's

The Legend has really good secondary stability and is more stable then the V10 and Mako6.

Interested in your opinion wether a newby should move straight to the Legend /V10 or cut my teeth on the Evo or V10 sport until I crack it.

Strudders, I had the same dilemma when i started out. With hindsight I am now glad i started out on the EVO as my first ski.

Perhaps I should clarify my position. You seem to be a fairly competent paddler when you say that you feel good on the V10 in flatwater, but feel that it is just out of your comfort zone in large water. Am I reading this right? If I am, I stand by my recomendation. With a few weeks in the boat, you will be much more confident that you are when you first try it out.

To me, it sounds like you are able to paddle the boat in big water, but you don't feel really comfortable with it. I think that time in the boat, while working from smaller chop to larger water as you get more comfortable, shouldn't be too difficult for you. You will probably be faster in the more stable boat for a while, but it won't take a long time until you will wish that you had the faster boat.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm paddling in warm water (sydney) so am leaning to getting the slightly faster / tippier ski and then getting lots of time on the water.

Many thanks for the input.

Cheers Tim:)

I agree with Stew on this one.

Get a stable boat (Sport, Evo, XT etc), get comfortable and experianced in the big stuff (20knots) for a year or two then upgrade.

If you paddle out into the ocean and the wind picks up a little more then expected as a semi-beginner you could get into real trouble. After 4 or 5 falls you will become much weaker, slightly on edge and lose concentration, resulting in more falls. I've seen it happen from over confidence and it is not pretty.

I reckon you should go for a more stable ski, you will be able to confidentially go more places. If the ski is too tippy paddling past hectic headlands with side swell etc it slows you right down and negates any advantage from having a fast boat. As you're in Sydney, you also might want to check DD3's boats, I recently bought an Albatross from them and it's awesome - fast, light, stable and very competitively priced, my speed has increased dramtically since I've had it.

Cheers

Hi Tim,

I have recently paddled the V10 Sport back to back with my V10L in fairly flat ocean conditions and I agree that the Sport is slower but not by as much as you would think.

My garmin registered .2kph difference (at 11 to 11.5kph average) over the usual 10k training session.

In rougher and windier conditions the next weekend I paddled the sport again. I loved the stability and kept up with my usual markers that I paddle with on my V10L.

In my opinion unless you are experienced in the rough, the extra stabillity for ocean paddling is well worth the trade off for a little speed and with rougher conditions may be even faster. At least it is more fun and less hectic.

Adam

When I demo-ed a Mako Millenium a few years ago, I had no problems paddling in flat waters. Taking it out into real world conditions was a different story. Had I bought the Mako it would have been a complete disaster. I ended up with a V10 Sport, which except for the over-sized seat bucket, was for me the perfect platform for building up to the next level (V10, Mako Elite).

agree with AdamV10L but we tend to over-estimate our technique so i'm still using V10L instead of V10S.

Thanks for the advice guys,

I put the 2 ski's to the test and Stewart from Qantum Kayak's kindly took me out for a test run to see how I handled the chop off south head in the Legend. I survived but can now see the benefit of a more stable ski (for the enxt year at least). I'm now the proud owner of an Evo and had a great paddle yesterday.

Thanks again for the advice.

See you on the water.

Tim:)

Hey Tim

Very good choice of boat!
It's great that you got to test paddle a "stable" and a "tippy" boat in the chop. You'll have much more fun now and when you feel ready you'll be able to upgrade.

Cheers,
Peter.

i wish i have that luck to try more ski.
in Hong Kong you almost has no other choice but stick with the 2 major brands.

Hi,

I am a surf ski racer in Maine, USA.
Mostly I race on rivers and not often in the open ocean.
So far my fastest ski has been the Huki S1-X, and did not find the V-10L or T-Rex as fast.
Someone told me that the V-12 would be better and even faster than a K-1 in 7-12 mile races.
Grayson Bourne says that a K-1 is definitely faster than the V-12.
Then we have the SES and the Carbonology Atom.

Has anyone been able to try these skis for a proper comparison or heard from others which might be the fastest on mostly flat water on rivers, with some chop sometimes - for someone who is lean and muscular 152 pounds and 6' tall?

From what I understand, too high a volume boat for someone light, might be tippier and not as fast as a boat more suited to a paddler's weight?
More frictional hull resistance in the water, etc. with more surface area and considering also the paddlers's weight in a particular boat.
Maybe a V-12 is super fast for a guy who is 176 pounds or more, but not for someone 152. Not sure.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Tim

The atom is easily the fastest ski on the market.

@ your weight you would be hard pressed to beat the Atom. Good luck in finding your perfect boat!

@kajakman - the question is, how is your balance? At your height and weight, the Atom would be a no-brainer... IF you have the balance for it. It is considerably less stable than a "normal" ski, say a V10L.

I own an Atom, and am in South Carolina. If you happen to be coming this way, you are welcome to try it. Not for sale, no way, no how, because I love this ski.

I demo'd an Atom when checking out the Carbonology "Vault", ended up buying the Vault after coming off a V10L and wanting a tad more stability..

but I tell you, if the bank account was bigger I would also have an Atom for flat water races, it fly's! (and I have paddled the V12 and SES)

The other thing with the Atom is they make them in a multisport set-up so you can have switchable understern and trailing rudders on the same boat.