How good are Stellar skis

I should start this comment by saying that I am not an elite paddler, nor I am I marine architect and I dont work for anybody associated with Stellar.

I am a mate of Dicko's for, for all my sins, and I am the bloke he called "Big Al". The reason for this that is that I weigh a spritely 118kg (nearly all muscle). I cant even get my backside into most V10's and the only time I was ever successful I literally had to fall out to extract myself at the end of the paddle.

I have paddled a Stellar and I can say that the seat is comfortable for me and the boat is more stable than the V10 I was able to paddle.

My point is that unless the seat design was done by the same guy who did the Tardis (Dr Who for those to young to remember) I cant see how it came out of the same mould and if it is indeed nore stable, then how can it be a direct rip of an epic design?

I should also say that the ski paddled well in a difficult short Swan River chop driven by 35kmh + winds

Wally wrote:

Hi,
I will never buy one due to one significant flaw!
Regards
Wally

What is the flaw you have seen on the Stellar

Boyan wrote:

I see no reason to worry about boats that look a bit like ours but on the inside are very very different. Boyan

Have you seen the inside of a Stellar

Many paddlers would be interested to know those answers if there is a safety issue.......otherwise its just further contamination of the original "rumour".

Hi,
I decided not to take part in this discussion anymore because it is clear that it is just a marketing tool fed by unanimous users associated to the brand and a number genuine personalities tricked to take part because of their passion for the sport. At this stage I think that it is best for the paddlers to go out and test the crafts and find the differences themselves. We are opening a test center in Bulgaria in 2-3 months time where you will be able to try our full line of surfski models and some of our sea kayaks. All of you reading this are welcome to visit and have a nice holiday while testing our surfskis. I will gladly answer any of your questions regarding Epic Kayaks products and our test center. You could write to me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I will be able to arrange boat test for you in Spain, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Slovenja, Serbia, Hungary, UK, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, France, Austria or any other place in Europe depending on my traveling schedule.
We are working non stop to improve our products and customer support and we value our customers.




Best Regards
Boyan

Boyan wrote:

Hi,
I decided not to take part in this discussion anymore because it is clear that it is just a marketing tool fed by unanimous users associated to the brand and a number genuine personalities tricked to take part because of their passion for the sport.
Best Regards
Boyan

Boyan i have no association to the brand and definately have'nt been "tricked" to take part in the public discussion here. Afterall it was yr statement and i just wanted clarification, as no doubt many others readers would to. I did'nt think it would be that hard question since you seemed well informed on the subject.

Boyan wrote:

Hi,I decided not to take part in this discussion anymore because it is clear that it is just a marketing tool fed by unanimous users associated to the brand and a number genuine personalities tricked to take part because of their passion for the sport.

Just for the record I have no affiliation with any surf ski manufacturer, and happen to be a mate of big AL and Dicko. I also have very fond memories of a Skyes single skull and can't see why they couldn't make a surf ski if they put their mind to it.
Aussies believe in letting people have a go.

Hi Superted (I am sorry it sounds weird to address you like that ),

I do have some insight information from both parties which would be very interesting to hear but whatever I say will be viewed as biased opinion therefore the best thing to do is to leave things as they are and just offer you information on Epic Kayaks development. There will always be someone to bring arguments into the table that sound reasonable when people don't know the bigger picture. I am sorry, and now I will probably get accused that I speculate but I'd rather have that then further promote (indirectly) products from another brand.

We are in a highly saturated kayak marked with new brands emerging every year and my main objective right now is to help the development of the sport and it's total market share. That will benefit everyone and you as an end user will certainly have more manufacturers to choose from. Only in Europe there have been 6-7 new surfski manufacturers just in 2009 and some of them brought out 2-3 surfski designs. Some boats come cheap and some others more expensive the same as any other product in the world . I have had one observation though, I have had customers who owned a different brand and later switched to Epic but I still haven't had Epic owners switch to another brand. This makes me think that while we are not perfect we must be doing something right.

Best regards
Boyan

Hi SlowPoke
I also believe in letting people have a go therefore I am letting go.
Take Care
Boyan

I have to agree with Drapes based on my experience paddling a loaner Stellar Elite (SE) on a couple of occasions last weekend, totaling about 30 miles. I am a novice mid packer, paddling a V10 Sport and a V10 which are great skis. Problem I have with the V10 is the bucket is too small if I wear anything more than Lycra shorts, so it sits in the rack once October rolls around here in the Northeast USA. (No way to fit in the V12 bucket and leg length too short). I'm 94kgs (207lbs), 193cm (6'4" ), 90cm inseam (35.5" ) but have wide hips, and the Stellar bucket fits me very well with thin neoprene or dry suit with polypropylene underneath. I also have 3 cm of adjustability left in the footplate which will help when I go to my heaviest winter paddling boots.

The SE is definitely more stable for me then the V10 in the 2-3 foot waves (chop for most of you guys) I've been paddling lately. Sure fit has something to do with this, but the Stellar is noticeably wider above the water line then the V10 so assume this is assisting with the excellent secondary stability I have been experiencing. Unfortunately since I can not fit in any other 17inch skis, I will have to rely on others to comment on how the Stellar compares to the other HP skis. The SE so far has been an excellent combination of both speed and stability for me, and very pleased that I've found a 17inch ski that fits so well.

Chris

Well I have obviously been tricked - I bought a Stellar ski.
It's stable, fast, comfortable and cheap. I cant believe that I'm such a sucker.

Hey Drapes or anyone else who has tried or bought one.

How is the Stellar ski working out?

Greg

Greg

I have been paddling mine for for a few months now and I love it. You may need to tie a knot in the rudder cable behind the footplate as the self adjusting rudder cables tend to slip a little (they may have fixed that by now) but otherwise it is well built and a joy to paddle.

Hi Greg, I have had my SE Excel for about a month now and have been really impressed. I originally paddled a Fenn Millenium before moving to a Fenn Elite and was really concerned that I may have been making a big mistake. Thankfully that hasn't been the case.

The build qualtiy is second to none, it certainly leaves the Elite for dead. The footplate is also the best I have come across, its incredibly stiff and enables full foot pressure without the risk of turning the rudder. The rudder also seems to want to self centre which is a nice feature as once you have made a turn you can just remove the pressure from the pedal and the ski straightens back up. The seating position is also a big improvement over my Elite as you seem to sit up a bit straighter and use your legs more.

On flat water the ski doesn't feel as fast as the elite did but the GPS shows similar speeds, I thing this may be something to do with the boats incredible stability - it doesn't feel fast because it is so stable. Downwind was the biggest supprise though as I think this is what the SE's seems to do best. It weird to describe but it seems to pick up the runs a bit earlier that the fenn did and when it does it seems to want to plane. I put this down to the beam of the boat and how far it is carried. A mate and I compared the Fenn Elite and the SE taking diameters all the way along the hulls and whilst the SE is only 1 cm wider it carries this width for longer. The width begins around the pedals and continues past the seat. This seems to create a mid section that wants to lift up and glide when on a run. It also means that the catch is wider than the Elite but I seem to have gotten used to that fairly quickly. Downwind the boat turns well and hardly nose dives at all probably due to the increase in volume in the bow over the Fenn Elite, this increase does mean that in side winds the boat does seem to be a bit more effected but still is manageable. I also find that its easier to paddle up and over the run in front and its a lot more stable at that critical point just before you finally drop down on to the run.

Overall I think its an awesome boat that been extremely well made and is very competitive. My only gripe is that I find the seat a bit uncomfortable but I have solved this with a seat pad so its all good.

Oh and comparisons with Epics are ridiculous from what I can see. Having paddled a V10 a few times I can't imagine how anyone that has seen the SE could say its a copy, they are that different both to look at and to paddle that all the comments to the contrary are a bit of a joke.

It's a pity Wesley became a dealer for Stellar before doing a proper review, would love to see it charted on his speed versus stability graph against other boats he has had.

I reckon I have narrowed my boat search down to V10L, Legend and Mako 6, but will try to paddle the Elite before making a decision.

I noticed that the original specs quoted for the SES on Wesleys first glimpse reveiw were for taller/heavier paddlers, the specs on thier site now have brought the height and weight of the paddler down so that it really is just for small people?

I agree about wesley's review. The se and ses are different boats. The ses is the low volume model. I paddle most days with a group of veteran class paddlers in v10 sport, v10, v12, red7pro and a couple of stellars. I think in a straight sprint that the stellar gives very little to the other boats. When it's lumpy he always looks happier than I do. I have no vested interest in the boat other than watching a mate who in the past 3 years has owned, in order, an XT, mako 6, v10sport, honcho something or other, synergy and now the stellar, paddle better and faster.

So, reading between the lines.....the Stellar is slightly slower than V10, but faster than the V10 sport or XT type of boat, and has better secondary stability then the V10, V12?


Judging from your friends boat choice, he went to the V10 sport from the Mako6 as he couldnt make the speed of the Mako6 work for him due to the instability?


Only commented on the SES as I have been told that the V10L would probably suit my size and type of paddling (across chop, not a lot of downwind) better than the V10.

I suspect the stellar may well be faster than the v10 which is why Wesley's comparison would have been nice. The mate who paddles the v10 is 15years younger and a better paddler so it's hard to tell. I can match him for speed over a short distance but can't sustain it. The mate in the stellar is slower than me in a sprint but is carrying a bit extra ballast. I suspect if he was at his fighting weight he would be very competitive. The mate in the v12 sold his v10 cos he was having trouble downwind. Directional stability was a problem. Every time we went under the jetty here, he ran into it. The v12 is noticably faster and he finds it more stable than the v10. We tend to paddle in sheltered waters with a 15-20 knot seabreeze. Into the wind he is quicker, downwind maybe not as big a change.
The mate who paddles the v10 was paddling a sport and to be honest he was quick in the sport, especially when it was lumpy.
The change in boat hasn't seen a quantum change in speed...yet.
You really need to test boats next to a mate who gives you a run for your money and then judge your performance against them.
When you paddle using a gps sometimes there's wind or current or waves etc, so comparing speed is hard. If you're paddling next to a mate and you flog him in a new boat...buy it.
Hope that adds to the confusion. Email Wesley and ask his opinion.

Dicko wrote:

Email Wesley and ask his opinion.

Took your advice and I did, and he got back to me quickly with a very detailed response

I wont go into details here as he is more than capable of spruiking about the boat.

The last part of his email I will repeat as I'm sure many of you like myself will be eagerly awaiting it.

"I will put both SE and SES on the stability chart in June once I time trialed them and paddled both more to see where they fall in relationship to the other skis."

I have the week off next week so I will be out in ernest to paddle as many skis as possible and have my next ski by the end of the week.

Got to paddle the Stellar Elite Advantage model (14.5kg) in Dunsborough over Easter. Ty from Perth Paddlesports www.perthpaddlesports.com.au/ kindly took one down south with him and I happened to be holidaying in Busselton so we met up in Dunsborough on a windy morning to try her out.

My first impressions were much the same as has been said in reveiws, the boat (which was in white) has a quality look about it, nice finish and the fixings are all quality.

I liked the double foot strap and velcro adjustment for each, the addition of the third foot plate brace at the bottom makes it very secure. One issue with the footplate may arise if you have small feet as the footplate is quite high and the rudder pedals are a long way from the bottom.

Once on the water the next thing that felt strange (after coming from an Epic) was the higher foot position relative to the seat, does make you feel like you are hunched further forward but that didnt put me off at all and I soon enough forgot about it.

In the flat the boats stability felt very similar to my Sport, very reassuring

The high surrounding hills protected the water until I got about 200 metres off shore, here a very small chop sprang up but it was mainly the wind that bothered me, this is where the high volume bow becomes noticeable, I felt like I was having to steer into the wind to keep direction. Going up and downwind the boat feels very planted and again, very stable, come to think of it, it was stable all round, it was just the high volume bow that had me bothered at the wind it was catching.

Unfortunately I didnt take my GPS with me so I couldnt judge speed, but if someone told me it was on par with a V10 I'd believe them and give it the thumbs up as it appears to be a well built, comfortable, stable boat.

Will I buy one well, for a brand trying to break into the market I think they are asking too much, with some more runs on the board at events and exposure through sponsorship of events and athletes they will become a force to be reckoned with, but for me "Joe mid packer", I will most likely stay with a brand that I know will retain resale value when it comes time to trade up again

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Um wasn't the question a question about how good the actual Stellar skis were?

Cut the rest of the crap and talk about the ski. I have paddled both Epics and Stellars. They are nothing alike. What I can say though is that the Stellars are certainly worth a try. I find them way more stable and quicker than others in the same category and now they have come out with a SEL which I think will blow people away.

Stellars are seriously good quality and fantastic adding a little more stability without reducing speed. Great work whoever is designing them. My answer would be try it and stop listening to those who haven't.