Does Anyone Make a Short Fast Surfski?

Dear Folks,

I have owned several kayaks (Eddyline Nighthawk, Necky Eliza, Dagger Alchemy) and I have never felt the sense of "speed" in any of the above mentioned kayaks. I paddle inland lakes (Michigan) mostly for fitness, usually two hours at a time and primarily in a straight line. I can't store a surfski that is 17 plus feet long. I am looking for that sense of "exhilaration" as I paddle. So what do you kind folks suggest? Thanks in advance to all who respond.

Dave

Huki S1A and Nelo 560 ski surfskis are both about 18' 4" long and are super tippy. I don't know of anything shorter that is potentially re-mountable. Keystone Kayaks has a review on the 560 ski and Jude, owner of Huki, does a pretty good job of describing his S1A. If you get one of these don't make a fool of yourself by trying it out in front of other people because you will go swimming unless you have K1 kayak experience. If you persevere you will learn to paddle either on flat to mildy choppy water. Very experienced paddlers do paddle and race the 560 in big ocean conditions. The 560 ski will accommodate a 6' 3" paddler if they have a pretty skinny butt. I'm not sure about the S1A.

I would suggest an Epic V6. It is 16' long and plenty fast for what it is. I know it is two feet shorter than a V8 but I don't think it gives up very much in comparison. I did several races this year and had a very hard time shaking a local guy who paddles a V6. Plus it is pretty versatile by having hatches and a kick up rudder as standard.

I forgot about the V6. That's a good suggestion.
Being an older(70), novice, fairly weak, skinny and slow paddler I found myself barely being able to keep up with a guy in a V6 and I was in my V14. In the hands of a competent paddler the V14 is undoubtedly a lot faster than the V6 but just a little more muscle power makes a bigger difference than a faster hull.

I paddle a Think Eze. It is 17' long and 20" wide. I am a recreational paddler in Canada turned to surf skis because I don't fit in most conventional kayaks (6'5" tall, 175 lbs). Kocho has posted an excellent walk-through video recently:
www.surfski.info/forum/24-think-kayaks-e...ink-eze-reviews.html
Think kayaks are readily available in Canada. Kocho might know where to find them in the United States...

I am relatively new to the sport but I can say that the Think Eze is faster than, say, a 24"-wide plastic sea kayak (and much lighter, too!)

Hope you enjoy whatever you find!

I got my Eze from Chris at North Coast Kayaks in Maine. I don't have numbers, but I feel it is about a fast as it gets for a ski that still maintains some semblance of sea kayak stability. It looks like it is based off the Think Fit kayak/ski hybrid. It is different than a V6, so both are worth a try for fit and feel for the paddler. The Alchemy is fun but way too slow if you want to go fast - does not reward extra effort with extra speed (it plows water over say about 5mph). The Eze feels linear - the more power you put, the faster it goes, just like the longer and skinnier skis do. Plus more body rotation, so better for fitness paddling than a more restrictive sea kayak. Same with the V6, and I can't tell which is faster/more efficient at a given speed as they have different strengths and weaknesses, so it just might that one is better in some cases while the other is better in over situations.

The 17 feet long Tide Race Pace 17 would be a short-ish and fast kayak alternative, as is the QCC 10 and QCC 600. A lot depends on your size and weight if these would work for you...

Edit: forgot to mention that there are also plastic wild water kayak like the Cobra Viper (gave me quite a race against my Epic V10 Sport a few years back) and Wave Hopper (forgot who makes that) that are very fast on flat water too for their length of about 14-15' and their composite counterparts that are very light. Also, on a budget, the Pyranha Speeder is quite zippy too. The Prijon Barracuda plastic is also quite fast, but I hear can be a handful in conditions.

In Europe there is a short under 18', forgot exactly how short) ski, looking like another nice rough water alternative if you have access to that market. Sorry, forgot the brand, but there are a few YouTube videos of it...

Thanks again to everyone who has responded. I really appreciate it. I'll begin to study the choices mentioned above.

Dave

I am not trying to be a joker or hijack this thread with a foolish response, but I firmly believe that the person who can design a two piece surfski will revolutionize this sport.

Imagine all of the apartment dwellers and others who will not consider giving these beautiful craft a chance because they know they will never be able to store one, much less transport it?

Just stumbled across this during an internet search: K1 Marino SurfSki 565 made by Kape of Hungary
www.kabaikayak.hu/index.php?option=com_c...rticle&id=79&lang=en

Roughly 18'6" long and 17.7" wide (5.65m X 45cm).
It looks like an over-stern rudder is possible.

There is also a sea kayak version called just the K1 Marino 565, formerly known as the Kape Rapido I believe:
www.kabaikayak.hu/index.php?option=com_c...rticle&id=43&lang=en

globalsurfski.com/2013/10/03/genesi-new-surfski-from-allwave/

this is what you want. 17 feet exactly.


www.neloski.eu/boat/viper_55_ski/

There's your boat for sure. It will be pretty fast, pretty stable and if you buy it in Nelo's "E" construction it will be light. It should work pretty well for a wide variety of conditions.

foundwood wrote: I am not trying to be a joker or hijack this thread with a foolish response, but I firmly believe that the person who can design a two piece surfski will revolutionize this sport.

Like this? www.dd3.com.au/3-piece-surf-ski/

Thanks again for the great suggestions. So....if most of my paddling is for fitness and I just have access to inland lakes (no real chance to "surf"), and I like to paddle in rougher, choppy water, which of the surfskis listed above make the "short list"?

I look forward to your responses.


Dave

If you're stuck on 17' the Nelo Viper 55 looks like the only ski on your short list and since Nelos are very high quality, well designed boats it's an easy decision if you can verify your fit in the cockpit before plunking your cash down.

Like 1xsculler said the list is pretty short if your length is limited to 17'. The Think Eze and Allwave Genesi are also exactly 17' long. The Think Eze is about 1.6" narrower than the Nelo Viper 55 (Eze is 20" wide and Nelo Viper 55 is about 21.6" wide). The Allwave Genesi is about 20.5" wide. There might be other 17' skis but I haven't seen a 17' ski narrower than 20". The Epic V6 is 16' long and 23" wide.

Always try before you buy. I'd be happy to let you try my Think Eze if you ever are in the greater Toronto area; (you mentioned Lake Michigan - I've had fun paddling the Eze on Lake Huron in small chop).

My husband got the Nelo Viper 55 Ski. It's an extremely ergonomic boat, with a feel much like a K-1 trainer. I've paddled it, and it's a really nice boat. The bucket is shallow and wide. Unless you are really heavy, you'll fit in this boat. Very stable, but not a slow or sluggish boat at all. Low hump, with your butt quite a bit higher than your heels. It's a perfect fitness boat.

Dear Acroreef,

What I would suggest is to buy a nice thick boat cover and "store" your boat on your roof. Then you could broaden your choices of boat that is good for you....maybe a epic Epic V10 sport or a Huki S1-R, Fenn Mako XT all great boats, good for transitioning from sea kayaks ( the Huki S1-R is surprisingly stable for its width). Yes all these boats are longer than what you wanted, but they will work well as surf skis. You'll be ready for the water and probably paddle more....when the water thaws in the spring!

Just a thought!

regarding the nelo ski
it being 17 feet, does it surf swells well?
is it competitive in a race with a huki S1R or another longer ski?
i am asking because i have thought about buying one for a long time, but have never seen one up close.