Okay List Em!!! Your past and present boats???

For a bit of fun I thought it would be interesting for people to list thier current boat(s) and what they have had in the past! Also what past or current use you put them too
I'll start it off.

Present

Epic V10L (Glass) - ocean racing, adventure racing
Spirit Race Ski (Plastic) - inland/river adventure racing, surf play boat
Perception Double kayak (plastic) - fishing/exploring with kids

Past

Epic V10 Sport (Glass) - Ocean and Adventure racing
Finn Affinity (Plastic) - my introduction to Adventure racing boat
MI 415 kayak (plastic) - Avon decent boat for 2 years

Only 3 years of paddling so not much for me...but here ya go:

Present:
Huki S1-X Special - 3rd ski, Amazing ski, fast and catches waves like magic.

Past:
Fenn Millenium: 1st ski, after about 2 months said "no way can I paddle this comfortably in the ocean" a little too narrow for a beginner paddler.

Huki S1-R : 2nd Ski, Super stable ski that catches waves great and goes downwind very well.

I'm addicted to this sport, paddle 5-6 days a week in the ocean, wish there were more Ski paddlers in the Mid-Atlantic area, only about 5 of us here in the Virginia Beach area, we have Ocean & a huge Bay (Chesapeake Bay), shame for it to go to waste.

Aloha,
-Rich

This will bring back memories - even if it`s only for me!

Past:
Uk surfskis Ocean Razor - first own boat in 1985
Oscar Ski in Kevlar 1987
Matching double Oscar ski in Kevlar 1989
2nd hand Ocean Razor from Kevin Rowlands that won the Welsh and British ski champs four times
Hammerhead 1993
Ocean Razor in blue and yellow - the razor came equipped with a big mushroom shaped thing in the middle of the seat called a `tree`, designed by Gruff Lucas in Wales, and designed so that you could hang on in almost any wipeout. Made jump starting very risky business with the family jewels in full flight!
Ocean Razor in blue and orange
Kirton Kayaks Cleaver K1 - old faithful
Pratt ski from 30 years ago, a bright yellow banana boat - donated by North Steyne SLSC in Sydney and taken to use in Okinawa, Japan
Gaisford Mark 3 - another one in Japan, courtesy of Perranporth`s Milky Byatt
Original, or copy of original, Fenn Mako in carbon. Only had it for a year before Mark Ressel led me out through the surf in North Devon and landing after a nice launch the ski cracked open right around the bottom!
and 7 waveskis for surfing!

Present:
Currently still using the 15 year old Gaisford until I can figure a cheap way to get a modern ocean ski down to Okinawa. Until then I`ll just keep test-riding the best toys at the races!

I`ve given up trying to upload a photo as I don`t know how to make it less than 800 whatevers, so here`s a link to a photo on my facebook instead:

www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=247129&id...422559&ref=fbx_album

Owen

2002:
started paddling with a 2nd hand Brian's Kayaks Wedge. First race ever was from Buffels Bay to Simonstown.
6 months later: Brian's Kayak's Molokai that I paddled in the 2004 Cape Town World Cup from Hout Bay to Oceana... Dean Gardiner won that one.
Then I bought a Custom Kayaks Icon that I paddled for 18 months.
Then I bought one of the first Fenn Mako6s
Lots of other boats in between - Red7, Synergy, V10, V10Sport, all paddled for various lengths of time.
Finally Fenn Mako Elite.

Current boats: Mako Elite and Green7

2001 - Fenn Mako - Semi Destroyed at Westbrook on a big day...
2004 - Fenn Mako Millenium ex Cape Town World Cup used by one of the internationals. Also semi destroyed at Westbrook on a big day...
2008 - Red 7 Pro 70
2010 - Carbonology Atom - AWESOME.COM

I've been paddling about 4 years now.

First boat a QCC 700sea kayak only lasted about 3 months, next a Thunderbolt X, then a V10 sport performance, then a V12 performance and now a V12 Elite. The Elite might be alittle fragile for a guy like me in the waters I use it in. It's sure nice looking though. Chaz

ok - this will make you laugh

25 years ago my 1st boat was a 7 ft 6 Raider Plastic Roto mould ( wave rider ) surf ski with quick release belt - this think went off in the waves, but the stand ups didnt like them in the line so were shunned Australia wide. Pity as it was a full thruster set up and I surfed bells and all the big spots, went off.......

Now

Gibbons and Epic - still ride the waves like I rode the raider which is why I could have bought another ski on my repair bills alone over the past few years.

Cheers

Maybe not what you were thinking but...perception dancer, prijon hurricane, riot showtime, riot 007, riot disco, outrigger connection arrow II, hurricane oc1, and hayden surfski. Sadly, like the poster before me, I paddle as if they were made of plastic and have learned some expensive and painful lessons.

Started with waveskis 30 yrs ago had a Raider, surfed up and down NSW coast, now have a Wavemaster Pro classic.
In pasted had Horizon 580 sea kayak, Dorado ski. Now have Epic V10s and a Sladecraft Flash.
Like a few here started on waveski's.

Cheers enjoy your paddling

Also started on a wave ski many years ago.
1st wave ski was a hollow Shane 8ft tri fin in 1985, followed by a sucession of Cain custom skis and a few Wavemasters with the last being a 7ft 6in 6kg custom epoxy wood veneer layup.

1st real ski was a Spectrum club ski about 3 years ago. 6 months later a V10 performance which I sold about 6 months later to buy a V10L ultra.

Current skis are, V12 Ultra (1st preference) a V10 Sport Ultra and I still have the V10L ultra.

Starting a collection has been fun.
The hardest part is picking which one for the conditions on the day.

Pete wrote:

ok - this will make you laugh

25 years ago my 1st boat was a 7 ft 6 Raider Plastic Roto mould ( wave rider ) surf ski with quick release belt - this think went off in the waves, but the stand ups didnt like them in the line so were shunned Australia wide. Pity as it was a full thruster set up and I surfed bells and all the big spots, went off.......

Wow I'd forgotten all about that bit of my past. In 1989, a then 19 year old sailor, new to his home port of Western Australia bought a Raider plastic roto moulded waverider, strapped it to the roof of my 79' Holden Gemini wagon and headed where they told me was the best surf "Margaret river". Slept in my wagon overnight then the next morning headed down to the rivermouth. Funny the waves dont look so big looking down at the them from the lookout at sunrise.

Wetty on, jumped on the ski, and paddled the 300 metres or so out to the reef break, no paddle leash, no helmet, no booties and no @&^%$ idea

Stayed to the outer edges of the break getting my confidence slowly moving closer to the inner break zone, when after a failed attempt to catch a wave I turned around to see the horizon rising before me.

(Queue the jaws music). My heart went straight into my throat, this monster was still about 100 metres out but it was plainly obvious by the way all the surfers were paddling like crazy towards it that this was not a wave to be meddled with. I followed suit, paddling like crazy to try to cheat death.

As it approached it went eerily quiet

I knew it was line ball if I'd make it or not and as I paddled up the face I tried not to guess the size, but the saddistic part of me wanted to judge if so if by some miracle I wasnt consumed by this beast I'd could brag about the tale, like all fishing stories the size changes depending on how many ales I've had before telling this story but as I'm sitting in a cafe drinking earl grey you'll have to believe that I estimated it to be around 3.5 metres.

As I reached the crest I plunged the paddle in for one last final pull over the top......but something was wrong, the paddle moved too easily back, I looked to the side and realised I was still on the crest but was suspended in the air with my paddle breaking through the lip of the wave and had moved out over the wave and was about to be dropped into a terrifying ride not of my choice.

Instinctively I let go of my paddle and wrapped my arms over my head curling up into a ball. It felt like it took for ever to fall, I tried to time when to take my breath of air and then wham, I was in the machine, tossed and turned I then realised I would get spat out sooner if I undid the belt and parted with the ski, so I did.

Of course somehow I managed to surface coughing and spluttering and expecting the hordes to come running, swimming, paddling to see if I was okay......nope, no-one was, the surfers were queing up for the next wave, not an eye was on me....WHAT I had just cheated death!

I saw my paddle just a few metres away, and was able to swim over to it, now where was my ski?

As I peered towards the coast some 200 metres away I could see my ski sitting on the other side of the reef near the beach.

So began the journey back to land. Now this is wear the fun really started, after about a 30 metre shallow swims over rocks and reef I had to try to walk over 100 metres of more rock and reef while breakers were washing over it, with no booties on

Once ashore I was beaten, battered, bruised, cut, grazed, but grinning from ear to ear for the experience.

I called it a day went into town, bought a Gath surf helmet, leg leash, paddle leash and booties.

That evening in the pub I played pool with some of the guys that were surfing that day, rather than give me a hard time for being a "goat boater" the then nickname for us, they were truly congratulatory for the gutsy/crazy effort for this Victorian who had never wave skiid to go out and take on what the margaret river break had to offer.

After that I surfed around WA for the next few months until I went away on overseas deployment and found other sports to fill my time never going back to wave skiing again.

Thanks for that trip down memory lane

Here are the boats I've owned along the way in my paddling career:

Old Town Discovery 169 canoe (it would hold two adults plus our 4 kids - with snap-in seats)
Perception Captiva
Current Designs Sirocco
Epic 18 Endurance fiberglass
QCC 700XL carbon/Kevlar
Victory 12' boat for the kids
WSBS Thunderbolt (carbon/Kevlar weave)
Wenonah Sundowner Kevlar canoe
Hobie Oasis tandem pedal kayak
Wenonah J-190 Kevlar C-1 racing canoe
Think fit fiberglass (my wife's boat)
Think Evo fiberglass
Think Legend Kevlar
Epic V10L Ultra

We still have the Think Fit, WSBS Thunderbolt, and Epic V10L (just sold the Hobie). Now we're looking at possibly an Outrigger Connection Stingray 2 or Huki V2-X OC-2 as our next "marriage" boat (I want something fast; my wife wants something comfortable and stable - this seems like a good compromise).