Fenn Swordfish REVIEW

I used to have an Evo, but I was never really comfortable in it, especially with its primary stability. I found it slightly twitchy, but I suspect that I was maybe too light for the ski at 78kg. I believe paddlers at around 85kg to 100kg would find it much more comfortable.

I have also paddled the Swordfish briefly and found it very comfortable, and I believe at my weight the Swordfish have just the correct amount of volume, while the Evo's volume was maybe too much for me.

Thus, too be honest, the best way is to paddle the ski and determine for yourself if that is the ski for you.

rubberDuck, I understand what you are saying. I am also light at 76kg and have a very light weight construction Evo. To me the Evo almost has 3 levels of stability: a very twitchy primary, a much less twitchy primary and a very good secondary stability.
However to say that the Swordfish has the same ultimate level of stability as the Evo is a big statement. Don't get me wrong, I would love a faster 45cm ski with the same stability as a stable 19inch but that is a big ask. Regardless it looks like I might need to find a Swordfish to try. I take it that the Swordfish is easy to remount?... as having a physical disability this is probably the main factor for me.

I've just swapped from an EVO to the Swordfish & being a lighter paddler (69kgs) I find the Swordfish much better in the wind & have better control. I'm probably just moving from beginner to intermediate as far skill levels go & I found the speed & stability very similar & again for ME because I don't get blown around, feel I'm more stable in the Swordfish. Out in the seabreeze again & loving the surf.

What do you think it is about the Swordfish that makes it less vulnerable to wind.

I have only seen one on top of a car from a distance, so I have no idea of the boat yet.

I don't really know a lot about it, but I'd assume it's because the Swordfish is low volume in the front section. It's also narrower in the foot well then the EVO. The other day I had the opportunity to Paddle both ski's in the in same conditions one after the other, & getting back in the Evo it just felt too big for me! All I can say is definitely try it, everyone is different & it may not suit all, but for me it's perfect & I'm extremely happy. 3 others who demo'd my Swordfish all order one!

Coffephix,
Can you comment on how easy the Swordfish is to remount after a swim compared to the Evo?

Rightarmbad wrote: What do you think it is about the Swordfish that makes it less vulnerable to wind.

I have only seen one on top of a car from a distance, so I have no idea of the boat yet.

I would suggest its the height or lack of it in the case of the SF. The gunwales are pretty low and I have had the SF side by side with an elite, the nose is also a tad lower. I guess it must be this way to keep the contours of the boat.

It also has a bold ridge than runs from the nose to just behind the seat before it fades and blends into a flat spot. This would help with the tracking of the boat.

This boat it pretty impressive for the amount of stability you get. Its not beginner stability, however it will give the experienced intermediate and sold platform to get some experience in the runs.

Like I said in previous post, be honest with yourself. If you find yourself brace more than a few times per 100 meters in open water it probably worth rolling back to an SF or even an EVO.

Hi there, I find it similar to the Evo to remount. I went for a swim last week going side on to 1 to 1.5m sea breeze waves! I got back in on my first attempt, that was the first time I'd come out of it. Getting back in fairly easy has given me more confidence. Cheers

Now you might be surprised that I gave (sold) my carbon swordfish. There were no carbon swordfish in stock and she wanted one straight away so I bought myself a fibreglass. She got on the Carbon Swordy and took off like a rocket and paddled for two hours riding small swell. She then practiced remounting and had no problems. Now I can offer a comparison between the Carbon and the Fibreglass construction which may help some people... The promoted weight of the fibreglass is 13.5 but it's more like 14kg so there's 2kg difference between the carbon and fibreglass swordfish ski's I've owned. On the water there's almost no difference in forward speed, wave catching, and turning. Off the water, after 200 meters on my shoulder there's heaps of difference. In certain conditions the two constructions are very different. In big winds (20kn and over) the glass ski is so easy to play in and doesn't bounce around at all. The carbon loves to pop, I think this is called "corky" and I miss that because I got used to that instant feedback and more playful nature of the carbon .. other than that, the difference is minimal. From a standing start, for the first ten strokes maybe there's a measurable difference in acceleration but I couldn't see it. Now, the big question... I moved from Elite ski to Swordfish so I'd choose the Carbon for sure... but if I was moving the other way, from beginner to intermediate ski.. say from an Epic V8 to Fenn XT to Swordfish or V10 Sport I'd choose the Fibreglass. It's all just an opinion.

I swapped from a mako6 to a swordfish when they first arrived. Also i'm an experienced immediate paddler.

I found the mako6 a great boat however it did, for me anyway, have a broaching tendency in bigger seas. I also struggled somewhat into the wind, iM a poor windward paddler.

Anyway, forvthe first couple of goes I struggled to get comfortable, numb feet, sore back, lactated quads etc, with the same set up as my mako. I then started to consider that this boat wasn't for me. I tried a mates v10 sport and found it vey comfortable and I could paddle it aggressively as well, something I couldn't do all the time in the 6.

Anyway to cut a long story short, I persisted with the SW and now I love it. I removed all the rubber pads I had been using, now just have one very thing liner set back and slightly up the backrest. Legs a little longer.

I find the boat incredibly maneuverable, very stable, light (compared to the 6) and slippery, ie in rough and smooth the hull doesn't seem to offer ressistance, unlike the sport that I feel you have to drag through flat water.

Additionally the SW is very lively in open water, unlike the Sport that tends to track a line with more determination. The lively SW allows me to hunt along the chop for a steer face very easily.

So my message, don't try a boat once and make up your mind, you really do need a couple of paddles to grow into the boat and get comfortable.

The SW is a great boat for me.

Neil

Hello.
I am 199cm tall and paddle a Fenn Elite. Are Swordfish just as well to long people? Has nothing to go on at length now.
Is Swordfish wider in the seat? The elite is a bit too tight.

Greeting Rino

I am a solid intermediate paddler. I paddle an Epic V10L on the Harbour and on mild ocean days. I switch to the Epic V10 Sport when things pick up outside. A mid-pack racer. You get the picture.

I recently had a chance to paddle my mate’s Swordfish on a couple of good downwind runs. I like the boat a lot and it met my expectations. Looking at the specs, the Swordfish is the same length as the V10S, but narrower. So, it would appear to slot in between the V10L and V10S, and that is exactly how it paddled to me. Slightly less stable than the V10S and slightly faster in almost all conditions.

How much do I like the Swordfish? I bought one. As my paddling has progressed, I have begun to notice that even on fun ocean days, the V10S has more stability than I probably need. But, the V10L is still too squirrely out there for me and I don’t enjoy the day.

This is not an indictment of the V10S, which I think is a great boat and has served me well for a long time. The Swordfish is just the logical next step for me for ocean paddling. Perhaps the best way to say it is that in my opinion the V10S is a novice to intermediate boat, and the Swordish is an intermediate boat. I have seen plenty of very new paddlers have fun in the ocean on a V10S. I think many of those paddlers would find the Swordfish a handful. Also, in really big conditions, I don’t think there would be anything in it between the V10S and the Swordfish.

One other thing I like about the Swordfish is that it fit me well as a smaller paddler (173cm, 64kgs). What I don’t like is the shark fin rudder. Does anybody like that design? I don’t understand why Fenn stays with it.

Seat and leg room - can someone compare these with the current Epic V10 or V10 Sport (with the narrower seat)? Or to the Think Evo II?

Kocho -

The Swordfish seat is narrower than the V10S seat and similar to the V10. The new V10S seat (called the Z seat) narrows deep in the bucket, but overall width of the seat is pretty much unchanged. The result is a good one - the Z seat will still accommodate BIG paddlers, but smaller paddlers are also well served because their butt locks in lower down. Uh, hopefully that makes some sense. Now, while Epic achieved a good result, if you are on the small side I think the Swordfish will fit better - overall a narrower bucket.

Not sure on leg room, but I can check and come back to you if somebody else does not reply first. In any event, I think you would have to be very tall or short not to fit the Swordfish.

Thanks for the note! I paddle the V10 Sport and fit well enough in it. But the V10 seat, being a bit narrower on top, feels like a better match for me as I do have some room in the upper areas of the V10 Sport as I don't have "soft matter" to fill that up. I'm not small at 6'4" and while I'm not terribly heavy, I guess my bone structure precludes me from some of the narrow seat options out there (e.g., the Think Evo II fits me but is on the verge of too narrow with anything but the thinnest of shorts and I am too wide in the butt for other "narrow" seat options out there.

One thing I've come to value in all these discussions about which ski and when is the dealer who sells it. I think this is an important consideration as well. There are some brands of ski that really perform briliantly but I wouldn't buy one of those just because of after sales attitude. The stories in Australia about some suppliers are just awful. In contrast Fenn and Think suppliers are amazing from In my experience, always giving support and backup .. Like you expect from BMW or Mercedes... I believe that counts for heaps... As well as how your bum fits in the seat.

I agree in part with your observation, however I'm not going to paddle a substandard boat just because I get good service from the seller, and vice versa.

I think you will find that the new narrow bucket V10 sport is simply a V12 bucket.
It has little flatter bottom and a slight flare towards the top of the bucket compared to a V10.

Pretty close RAB. I have both skis and the narrow (Z) bucket V10 sport was shaped off the V12 bucket with the flatter bottom and more vertical shape to the rear over the wider bucket V10 Sport and standard V10. However the Z bucket, whilst being the narrower of the two options is still slightly wider than both the V12 and the standard V10.

Rightarmbad wrote: I think you will find that the new narrow bucket V10 sport is simply a V12 bucket.
It has little flatter bottom and a slight flare towards the top of the bucket compared to a V10.

Unfortunately (for me), the current narrower V10 Sport's bucket is not the same as the V10. I have not spent much time in the V12 so you might be right, but my memory from a year ago is that the V12 is narrower seat upper than the V10 Sport. The V10 Sport is wider at the top, and there is more width in the legs area too. I have compared the three and it is pretty clear that the V10 feels more snug than the V10 Sport for me. The V12 also has shorter leg room and I can't fit in it comfortably because of this (hence why I have not paddled the V12 much).

I was curious how the Swordfish compares...