nordic kayaks squall

As you can guess from my user name I'm new to the black art of surfski'ing. I was hoping to get feedback from anyone out there who paddles a Nordic kayaks squall!
I bought my 1st ski in Oct 2013 a epicv8 in club spec as a way to keep fit after continual knee injuries acquired during 20 years of triathlon.
I was persuaded to upgrade after about 9 months to "something a bit faster" or should that be "a lot tip pier".
River & lake use in the squall is fine but on the sea especially going across any kind of swell I find it very difficult to keep my balance. If have recently started to use a Swiss ball to hopefully improve my balance.
I've briefly paddled a V10sport & found it more stable than my squall,also paddled a fenn blue Finn which felt as stable as the V8!
Have I made the step up too soon? Any advice/comments gratefully accepted.

Look for a ski you're most comfortable in for a large cross section of conditions you plan to paddle in unless you can afford to buy 2 skis

I used to paddle an Epic V12 but found it too tippy in mixed conditions or 3-4m swell. Dropped back to a new Epic V10 as I predominately paddle 50-60km per week open ocean & can now comfortable paddle in most conditions but have sacrificed a little bit of speed on the flat.

Other skis you might want to test:

Think Evo II
Vajda Hawx 46
FENN Swordfish
Stellar SEI
Epic new V10 (or V10L if you're under 80kgs)

Goodluck

Cheers for the reply portmanm.
Its a tricky balance(no pun intended )as i have limied time to paddle due to work/young family.The initial idea was just to use the ski as a fitness tool, but have found it quite addictive!!
I would love to own multiple ski's but finances/storage are the 2 main issues.
Looks like i'm gonna have to stick at it.
If anyone is interested i will post a brief review of the NK squall albeit from a beginers point of view as i have yet to see 1 anywhere.
Looking forward to a cold wet autumn/winter here in the UK.

Hi Topswimmer! If you've been paddling for 9 months you aren't that new. The Nordic Squall is a beauty. You should be able to cope with it soon. It is described as a beginner ski. What size rudder do you have?

I currently have what they call the "all round"rudder. Not quite as big as the Epic surf rudder i had on the V8.
Iwas a bit surprised when they advertised it as a beginners ski as i found it a world away from the V8/Bluefinn in terms of stability.
As i said before i will just have to keep plugging away.
Cheers Rod

You might find the 'surf rudder' from Nordic gives you better control and stability in waves. But if there is a lot of weed there then may be get a weed deflector too

I paddled a Squall in Stockholm last week. Will try to resubmit my piece tomorrow as half of it disappeared!

It would be great to hear anyone's thoughts on the NK Squall. They seem to be elusive in North America, yet the 5.8m (19 ft) length makes it a candidate for someone with a small garage...

Hi KWHATMOUGH
i RECENTLY bought the NK Squall & from what ive discovered so far:
Very light for the price mine is the C spec heaviest spec & weighs in at 14-14.5 kg quite a bit less than the V10sport!
Very similar footbaord to the Epics, Anderson bailer which seems to work as well as the Epic great leash point again ala Epic
Semi covered rudder yoke so a quick inspection can be made prior to setting out.seat/bucket not too deep & remounts as easy as my V8 (although i've had plenty of practice)on the flat i reckon its about 1km/hr faster than my V8 but probably no different yet in the ocean as im still getting to grips with it.Well made (hand-made)Not sure about distribution in the US but good for smaller garage/ shipping container!

Topswimmer, looks like a really great ski. I'm jealous! I would stick with it. My guess is you'll be enjoying it in no time. If you haven't already, I suggest attending a paddle clinic. I recommend trying the surf rudder also.
Good luck!

Just a few pictures of my NK Squall.

The 'similarity' to Epic outfitting is more than just that, a great deal of the outfitting is either a direct copy or comes from our moulds (Epic's) sold by our suppliers without our consent.
Nordic Kayaks have their boats made by Peisheng Boat Co in Quandao Hu (1000 islands Lake) this is less than 100km from the Epic factory.

Fuyang Guy wrote: The 'similarity' to Epic outfitting is more than just that, a great deal of the outfitting is either a direct copy or comes from our moulds (Epic's) sold by our suppliers without our consent.
Nordic Kayaks have their boats made by Peisheng Boat Co in Quandao Hu (1000 islands Lake) this is less than 100km from the Epic factory.

Please dont let this turn into another Epic - V - Flying Eagle - V Stellar saga.

sorry you guys I didn't mean to open old wounds. Was just trying to give people an idea of what it was like.
Copy writing etc is for professional folk to deal with & whole different subject in all sports & other facets of every day life. Great to see though that people are passionate about a sport I'm just learning about.

Topswimmer, you need not apologise. I'm the one who was out of line, you were, as you said, discussing your boat.

AR, you too are correct, this is not the place.

Sorry, I am usually able to keep myself in check.

Hi Topswimmer, where are you based? I'm in Paisley, and pretty much the only surfski paddler around here,there is a Scottish Surfski group on Facebook, who are mostly based on the East Coast, Dunbar,Edinburgh, with others scattered around.The two people who run the group,Kevin and Lizzelle, are both Nk owners and I believe they are now the rep's for Scotland and Northern England. If your up this way you should look them up,they are quite keen racers and I believe they also do some open water swimming in Dunbar.

Stuart

Hi baldy old troll.
I'm in Lancashire so quite a way away!
I know KeV & Lizelle &they have both been very helpful/encouraging since I started surfski'ing it was KeV who talked me into upgrading (I've still not forgiven him)

Hi baldy old troll.
I'm in Lancashire so quite a way away!
I know KeV & Lizelle &they have both been very helpful/encouraging since I started surfski'ing it was KeV who talked me into upgrading (I've still not forgiven him)

I was going to tell you about the Paddle show in Perth,as Rough Water Gear are going to be there, but it's a bit of a mission from Lancashire, ahh well, maybe see you on the water some day.

Oh,talking about Lizzelle, she's in 7th place overall and first female after day one of the Glasgow-Edinburgh race.

Stuart.