Epic v10S vs EOS665 (Zeplin)

Could anyone who has paddled both skis share their experiences, pros and cons about these two boats?

I am interested in this thread as well, due to my size these are the 2 obvious choices and the only 2 full size boats that seem to accomodate bigger paddlers.
My experience so far is that there are more Epics available.
I would love to try the zeplin as that is what my gut tells me will work but being far from the manufacturer I am unable to arrange any sort of test paddle and no one in my club paddles one.

I also would prefer to buy second hand and that adds to the dilemma as there don't seem to be any around.

Well Moll, we are on the same page. I have not being able to locate any Zeplin in the US, let alone finding one to demo it. My only reference are reviews, comments and hopefully someone who could shed some light in this thread.

stellar SE is also good for the larger sized gentleman. Good price, lighter, faster and easier to find.

The Stellar SE or the SR depending on your skill level are appropiate choices if you need more width in the bucket,you need a different shape bucket, you need more room forward of the cockpit to the footwell including the footplate, for a more relaxed fit, comfortable fit. Fit is personal but if you are bigger guy worth consideration.

Check with ocean paddle sports in Costa Mesa, CA. They had one as of last year anyway.

Hi,
I have just gone through this issue being 6'3" and 115kgs.

I ended up with a Stellar Se (Excel) and am very happy with it.
My paddling ability is hard to judge but i do race SLSA Spec skis in masters carnivals so have some degree of balance however the SE is about 10 times more stable than my spec ski.

I believe its alot faster than the v10 sport but it is slightly tipper. One of the things I have found is the secondary stability is quite good.

Cheers

Interestingly, I found the flat water top speed of the Stellar SE to be higher than the Think Uno max and the Stellar's stable mate the SES.

Very uncontrolled, very dodgy, very limited time testing, but something to think about until I hear more quality comparisons made.

It is interesting to see how the thread diversified in more options. I had my mind centered in just two models, the V10S and the Zeplin and maybe was too close-minded about that, but see some suggestions towards Stellar. If they are done by Flying Eagle in China, I may have an ethical dilema, just like I had with Honcho Guevara just for displaying the name of a mass murderer. I do love having feedbacks about everything on the market out there...and may have to open my mind a little bit. Isn't it for the best sport in the world after all?

I've had quite a bit of time on both these two.

Although my GPS speeds are nearly identical in cruising and sustained pace, the V10 Sport was able to achieve a higher speed in a 100m sprint so for a quicker paddler I would give the nod to the V10 Sport.
Both are supremely stable, but I would definitely give the nod to the Zeplin here. I can't imagine it ever tipping over. Even a total beginner would be confident in this after 20 minutes.
In chop you are going to get wet in the Sport, with water coming over the sides and front easily. The EOS665 will stay dry, in fact the Sport always has about an inch of water around your ankles unless you are really on the gas. The Eos empties totally after only a couple of strokes and stays incredibly dry.
For catching runners, both are excellent and very stable, but the V10 Sport nose dives readily and the footwell is constantly filling with water as it comes over the front on every single wave (big or small). Even with the drainage of a RED7, the Sport wouldn't be able to empty quick enough. Fun in summer, but slower and very cold in winter. The EOS on the other hand is supremely dry and much faster downwind as I can just keep powering along without an extra 15kg of water on board.

My mate bought the V10 Sport and I ended up purchasing an EOS665. Bottom line is he doesn't like going out when it's rough whereas I do. I actually have a V10 (not sport - for down wind races) as well, but the 665 is much more fun. I also prefer the EOS for multisport races as I'm already tired by the time i get to the paddle leg. The V10 Sport would be just as good here though.

Disclaimer here is that I'm 100kg. For someone 65 to 75kg, I think the EOS would be way to big for you as it has a lot of volume and may get blown around too easily.
If you're over 85kg, I would highly recommend the EOS665
75 to 85kg it would be too close to call and would probably come down to dealer back up in your area.

Hope this helps

Thank you Peter! I could not ask for a better feedback. Looks like the Zeplin is closer to what I am looking for. The challenge will be to find one relatively affordable in the US east coast. I am a little bit under 85 kg, so a gallon of water by the foor plate may do the trick.
Thanks again!
Cheers,
Andres

You're in luck. There's one for sale on www.surfskiracing.com, to my knowledge, the only one on the East coast. I believe it's been paddled maybe twice, and owned by a guy who keeps his boats so pristine, you could eat off of them. :)

That would be me...or that would be I??

Yes, I have a Zeplin up in Connecticut for sale...hardly used and yes, as "Trilobyte" says, it is on surfskiracing.com classifieds. Feel free to contact me at slovrien at comcast dot net if you want pictures.

Regarding how it paddles - it seems WAY more steady than a Huki S1-R and equal to or slightly steadier than a Stellar SR. I know cause I have had both! As to a V10 Sport - tons steadier than that one for sure. As to comparisons though, I haven't paddled either ski enough to tell you very much. However, if anyone out there has a JKK or Ruhaine they want to swap - I am open to that too!!

By the way - I am 6' 2" tall, 35" inseam, 187lbs and it fits great!!

Intersting what you say about the SE being way more stable than your spec ski.
Happy as a pig in S##t on my spec amongst the surf but have trouble iwth broaching amongst deflected waves near cliffs and narrow passes and bars. On the look out for an intermediate ski for longer and faster paddles.
Unfortunately most vendors are located near flat water so need areally crap day to testdrve

Mye heart still wants the EOS but due to what I could find in the market ended up with an EVO, not that I am complaining but fortunately I have lost 12Kg over the last 6 weeks so closer to the spec weight limits.

hudE,
My comment should be put into context as my spec ski is (or was as I broke it in two a couple of weeks ago)an OZflyte Maxx. These spec skis' don't even have a round hull let alone a flat section. They have a definate V through the whole hull. They are extremely fast but also VERY tippy as a result.
Its what you get used to!!
Compared to the OZflyte my Stellar SE is very stable.

Cheers

Bit of bubble bursting here.

V shaped hulls are not as tippy as round hulls!

They are not sitting on land, but in the water.
When a round hull rolls there is no extra hull placed under the paddler that is now heading off to one side.

When V shaped hull rolls, there is a large amount of new hull introduced underneath the paddler therefore trying to prevent him hitting the drink.

A V shaped hull is very stable but has an increased wetted area compared to a round shaped hull.


To make some stability, you can slightly flatten the bottom of the round hull and this creates an area of extra volume on either side of the centre line that gives stability as the boat rolls and it tries to submerge this extra volume.
This type of hull shaping tends to give it's stability early on and feels quite stable just off middle, or in other words, it's primary stability will feel quite strong.

The other way to make a round hull stable is to do like a V12 and run a very rounded bottom centre for the boat to run quick on, but then flare the boat just outside of the running area to give stability as it rolls away from centre.
This tends to feel like a very strong secondary stability with not much primary stability as it is mostly runing on a pure circle.
Very small wetted area, so fast, not much primary stability, but stability when it matters most as the boat rolls.

A strong V shape hull throughout the full length of the boat would simply be too slow.

You will probably find that your spec boat has a high seat making it feel tippier than it really is.

I own both a V10s and a Zeplin. I am 6ft7in and 115kg, and a mid pack paddler. The V10s had to be modified to fit my leg length, the Zeplin fit perfectly as standard and in fact the footplate can still go further forward.

My personal experience is that the V10s is faster on the flat and the Zeplin is faster downwind. However I will add a disclaimer that my Zeplin now weighs 20kg plus (been busted a few times) and my V10s weighs just 13.5kg. The V10s definitely nose dives in big downwind conditions where as it is just not possible to push the massive Zeplin nose under the water. Both boats have excellent tracking and turning abilities (get the elliptical rudder!) and both are good downwind boats. The Zeplin is definitely more stable and is the boat I reach for when the conditions get very hairy! But then again I've used the V10s for a 50kt downwind...

Some points to consider. The Zeplin is manufactured with both a wide and narrow seat option. The narrow seat option also has the seat moved slightly forward to accomodate a lighter paddler. I just fit into the wide seat but a number of smaller (85kg - 95kg) paddlers have complained about sliding around in the wide seat and prefer the narrow seat.

My next boat WILL be another Zeplin, maybe in carbon this time...

Regards
Jean.

How do the seats compare b/w the Zeplin and the V10 Sport and the V10 (not sport)? I gather leg length is longer on the Zeplin (good for me as I max out the Epics). Are the sides of the seat more vertical on the Z compared to V10 Sport (the newer, narrower seat version of the Sport)?

Thanks!

peterpav wrote: I've had quite a bit of time on both these two.