Too soon for a second ski ??

I have only been on surf ski for about 2 months. Epic V10 Sport (wide bucket).

As I am sure I'm addicted I'm considering a second ski. My choices are limited due to wide hips. The narrow bucket V10 Sport pinched my hips. Reason for second ski is to just have a variety in feel when I paddle.I believe all skis feel a bit different so I thought that a different ski may be an aid to improvement. Am I making a mistake? I suppose one could argue that I am a beginner so why spend the money.

2 questions:

1. Should I wait on the second ski till I'm more proficient?
2. If not too soon for a second ski i am considering the following:
either an older model Fenn XT with I believe has dual footwells or a Fenn Tarpon spec ski.

I know the Tarpon weighs a ton but I like the look of the hammerhead and I'm thinking it would be pretty stable for me. Don't know if it is more or less stable than the XT.

As I understand it the Tarpon is made for surf so if I venture into the ocean I need not be as concerned as I would be with my Kevlar Epic. Of course at my level a trip into the surf may be short lived.

I believe the above skis both have a wide bucket. Both have similar dimensions so how do they compare performance wise?

I'm a bit conflicted here and appreciate any opinions from experienced paddlers.

Thanks

Drjay

My thoughts are, have you put any money into getting some technical assistance with your paddling technique? If you have, go ahead, get yourself another ski, if you haven't, get your priority's sorted and get some coaching, its money well spent.

I own both these ski's but had the XT first and have since got the Sport. For me in the flat I feel no difference in stability. In choppy conditions the XT is a bit more stable. The Sport is faster in all conditions and lighter. In my opinion there would be no point in adding an XT or a Tarpon to the fleet unless you are needing a bit more stability. Even then its marginal. Just paddle Lots!

Apparently I am able to order a Swordfish with a wider bucket !! This would clearly be a step up. I'm looking at this option as well since the Tarpon really is not much different in skill level from the V10 Sport

Of course I have no idea of how long to get the Swordfish.

Wouldn't it be great if you could rent a surf ski for a month or so. You could try it out in the conditions that you normally paddle and in the different conditions you normally get.

It would be better than the one hour demo paddle on flat water that you generally get. It would take a lot of guesswork out of buying a new ski.

Probably wouldnt be cheap, but I'd rather spend a few hundred dollars over a couple of months to find the right ski.

You could then easily compare your existing v10s with the other skis out there.

The equation for working out whether you need another toy is simple:
Number of current toys + 1 = Number really required.

Experience has also taught me to keep them all white and hide some at friends houses

Failing that find some people to paddle with and try and do it as often as possible - enjoy

If you buy second hand and look after the ski you won't lose that much money if you sell it 6-12 months down the track. Go for it!

Hello Doc, been awhile since we last had a gab. For what it's worth..

The problems with the Epic V10 Sport lies in the Paddler not the Ski, like you I too am new to this, like you I too bought the Sport, like you I battled, in fact was thinking of adding it to a Dive Site that is a tad boring.

I left it alone for a month..read, watched video's, got a Swiss Ball, ran, lost weight and got back in the Ski last week.

Did my first 1hr and 5 min, fell off once, my fault, not concentrating, looking around ejoying, and before I knew it I was off.

First time too that after a half hour I had not Hip Flexor hassles as in the past, found the only problem was that my Right hand felt a tad sensative, but expected.

Distance traveled 7.8km ave speed 7.6 Max speed 10.8km...I am chuffed and the Ski has been given another life...

My advice is to stick with the Sport, it is us, not the ski that is the hassle.

RAB, suggestion of shortening my paddle was a great help, made me feel more stable, and I think I now have the leg lenght sorted.

So NO...you don't need anther ski...drop me a line and let me know how you get on...take care

Raymond.

Hey Rookie, another formula for number of toys to own is S-1 where S equals the number of toys you have before she who must be obeyed moves out / cuts off finances.