Top 50 skinniest boats (or Helping RAB Pick a Ski)

(I`ll try an attach this in a tidy Word file too)





The Skinniest skis in Order

This is a reference for the skinniest skis on the market. It also works as a rough guide for comparative speed and tippiness of boats. And yes, for the pedantic, here are some of the caveats :
There is no reference to the lay-ups available, it is a comparison assuming each one to be the same.
Waterline does make a difference, so this table is ordered by narrowness with length used to separate skis of equal width (yes, I realize a longer ski of equal width could probably be slightly heavier – you`ll just have to live with that one!)
Yes, the waterlength could also help one ski to beat a narrower, but shorter, ski. I can live with that discrepancy.
Profile shape and rocker is completely ignored .
Water conditions and physique of any particular paddler type is equally ignored.
So, like I said, this is a quick and rough reference table (not the beginning of a never ending Surfski.info thread in search of that elusive super-light, skinny-as-my-arse-but-stable-as-a-barge-when-paddling-in-a-typhoon ski of your wet dreams!)
Yes, the above facts do blur the distinctions between elite and intermediate skis and hamper where to draw the line, but then this variety is something we should celebrate and be happy that somewhere out there, is the ski for you! (Although, my research shows only the Fenn Swordfish to have a dedicated beer holder )

Manufacturer Name of Ski Width Length
Scofits Ayahavela SSR 41 633
Steller SES 41.6 620
Think Uno / Uno Max 42 648
DD3 Envy 42 645
Kayak Sipre Sea Vortex 42 645
Nelo M/XL 42 640
Elio Mazu Pro I 42 627
Fenn Elite SL 42.5 640
Allwave CX 42.8 640
Zed Tech Dominator 43 658
Manufacturer Name of Ski Width Length

Think Legend 43 643
Fenn Elite 43 640
DD3 Turbo 43 640
Knysna Genius 40 43 640
Knysna Genius 20 43 628
Epic V10 43.4 650
Red7 Surf70 43.5 660
DD3 XLR8 43.5 655
Epic V12 43.5 640
Kayak Centre Eos 43.6 660
Custom Kayaks Bullet ?? 640
Stellar SEL 44 655
DD3 Albatross 44 648
Kayak Sipre Sea Vortex + 44 642
Fenn Mako 6 44 640
Nelo XXL 44 640
Carbonology Atom 44 595
Stellar SE 44.5 655
Nelo Vintage 45 640
Fenn Swordfish 45 610
Zed Tech Griffin ++ 45 590
Custom Kayaks Focus 46 642
Custom Kayaks Synergy 46 642
Knysna BLU 46 620
Chalupski Oscar/Hummel 46 560
Scofits Ayahavela SSS 46.5 598
DD3 Australis 46.5 580
Manufacturer Name of Ski Width Length

Custom Kayaks Icon 47
Zed Tech Dominator XL 47 620
Carbonology Vault 47 595
Fenn XT 47.5 600
DD3 Magnum
Think Evo II 48 625
Stellar SR 48 584
Knysna CLK 48 580
Kayak Sipre Marlin 48 578
Custom Kayaks Horizon 48 560
Epic V10 Sport 48.3 610
Carbonology Zest 49.5 595
Think Eze 51 520
Epic V8 55.9 550

List compiled by Owen on Okinawa, February, 2012.
Of course, some info above may be incorrect or missing. New skis will continue to be made too. Therefore, apologies in advance for any mistakes I`ve made and feel free to contact me with any information that should be adjusted or added:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I forgot to mention Spec Skis. Good for beginners to intermediates on the flat and still great for experienced paddlers in big stuff and surf. For the uninitiated, spec skis have to be wider than 49cm and no longer than 580ish (19" x 19`), or thereabouts. They also have to weigh at least 18kg.

And if we are going to draw lines for elite/intermediate/beginner boats, can I suggest the following rough guide:

Elite - anything under 45cm width
Intermediate - 45 - 49cm width
Beginner - anything over 50cm width.

With the caveat that those paddlers in those categories, on those boats, feel comfortable in most ocean conditions.

thanks Owen for compiling this and with the attachment. Somebody should make a spread sheet with all the available layups with weights for all the manufacturers. I don't see the Huki models. They make an excellent ski as well. Just think a few years ago we did not have all these choices. Options are great and competition among manufacturers raises the standard for the industry. Thanks again!! Wesley Echols, SurfskiRacing and Stellar

Thats a great list thanks Owen, I find I'm often searching the net looking for specs on one ski or another, now I have most of the information right here for comparison. Good work!

Cheers guys. The Huki`s definitely should be there, but they only use feet and inches on their website and I was too tired to convert them!
Owen

Great list, Owen. Its good to see the full spectrum at one time.

I recognise the big caveats you've attached to the generalised comment on width v stability. With the hull shape being such a large determinant on stability, a stability ranking would diverge a reasonable amount from the ranking purely on width.

The interesting point may be that where the stability is materially better (or worse) than width ranking, the design of the hull shape is clearly pretty good (or pretty bad).

v10 sport 48.3cm

There you go RAB, Tony h has got you sussed already!

Poor old RAB will need counselling if he sees this list.
I think RAB has a dilemma. He has a fixed and functional v10, one of the best allround ski's ever made. What do you replace it with? Nothing on the list jumps out and says "this ski is sooo much better than a v10". Some will be faster in the flat, but not by much. Some will be better downwind, but not by much. Most of the elite skis will be less stable. The more stable skis aren't as fast. I don't think racing is RAB's thing so all out performance isn't critical. Why change and what do you change to? A vault or a Swordfish are more fun to paddle in tricky conditions, but I don't think they have the wind and chop that some places have where he paddles. So why change.
My advice .... a super elite v10. 8kg. Always one on geartrade.

Hey Owen, won't you please send me the original spreadsheet? I'll post a proper article on it, nicely formatted and all...
Thanks!

Ah, call me blind or stupid. Just noticed that you attached a word doc

You can also add the GENiUS BLU from Knysna Racing to the intemediate catergory.
Length = 6250mm, width = 465mm

Hi Steel,

The BLU is already on there, but the measurements are slightly different. As with most of the boats on this list, I referred to their respective makers` websites for their vital stats. But you may have quite rightly spotted another caveat, in that we have to assume the makers do measure their boats correctly. If a `fatter` boat beats a skinny boat, then maybe we have to check the measurements between them ourselves.

Here`s a link to the Knysna Genius BLU page:
www.knysnaracingkayaks.com/surfskis-s1/genius-blu

Owen

I'm probably at guess, 4 weeks from a new one, so pretty good timing.
My new one will be carbon or whatever weighs in the lightest, so a new Epic is out of the question because of the ridiculous pricing here.
I simply refuse to entertain paying $6000 for a bloody boat when the competition retails at $4200 or lower.
And suspect that there will be a lot of future purchasers with the same reasoning.

I do see a good condition V10 elite on geartrade and not too much of a drive, but it is overpriced for a secondhand boat.

Gotta say, that now my back issues are resolved, the handling quirks I didn't like in the V10, have all but disappeared now that my hips are free to move.
The weight of the performance layup is continually embarrassed by my carbon paddling mates though.

Ah, what to do?
I am enjoying my V10 more and more, even if I did take a swim today.

And I will start racing now that I am injury free and can guarantee to turn up at the start line and get my moneys worth as well as not being a burden on the rescue people on race duty.

Nothing worse than paying entry only to find that you cannot move your back on raceday and are faced with a decision of racing crap and being a liability or simply wasting my money and not paddling.

This list is great as a point of reference but as already mentioned there are always complications in making assumptions on stability vs width and speed. I have been for the last few months paddling heavily a Stellar SEL 44cm width and I would have to honestly say its stability is very close to many of the skis I have extensively paddled on with a width of 48cm and its speed is definately in the 'elite' ski range.

I think I just found my next ski. But will the SEL feel like a big ski like the V10L does for me? Coming from an SES.

Vajda Orca 42 - 650
Vajda Oscar 53 - 559

Greg, trying to give more insight on the SEL for you. I did not find the V10L too big, only in the seat which I padded out. My inseam is 29.5 inches, very short. I say the above because the SEL is a long ski and the footwell space is large if you are a short guy like me. So it may "feel" big when you look over the footplate and see all that space. Visually you may be thinking this. I know I did. However, once I paddled it, raced it, puts some padding in it for a personalized fit, I really enjoy it. I am super confident in it in all conditions. The stability is truly outstanding and its speed is comparable to the any other elite ski, certainly in conditions. With the low gunwales, it is very easy to remount, another big plus. I get my Ultra SEL(22lbs) in a few weeks and will see how it compares to my SEL Excel in Time trials and races. In the longer races over 2 hours and in rough conditions, this will be my boat of choice. It is so stable, I have yet to use anything but the 4 inch rudder. There will be 2 SEL's in this years Molokai along with 2 SES's I think.

Thank you Wesley, it seems we are about the same size. I don't mind the cockpit space in the SES, it gives me room for my water bladder. Thats incredible you get by with the 4" rudder, I use one on my SES in flat water but thats the only time. Sounds like I really need to get a paddle in one. Lucky I'm off for 3-4 days paddling so I don't do anything rash like rush out and buy one tomorrow. Only issue is the resale value on ski's here is not good, only just sold my very little used V10L after a few months trying and took a big hit money wise. Others have been trying to sell their unwanted ski's for a lot longer.