Spirit racing ski for short light person?

Hi all
I'm considering getting a second hand plastic Spirit Racing ski for my daughter, cause it's cheap. Cause who knows if she will use it much

Had one for my girls, ended up selling it and getting a Knysna Guppy ski as it was light, stable and pretty fast due to the really light weight.

The Spirit racing ski can be picked up cheap where we are (around $600)and are bulletproof so will last forever if looked after, but they are also heavy, so hard for smaller ladies and girls to lift and handle off the water.

They are suited to shorter people due to leg length.

They can be good for river uses with a trailing rudder and some are used in races like the Avon Descent so they are pretty tough.

If you can get one cheap, give it a go as you can always on-sell it without losing any money.

Otherwise keep an eye out for a Knysna Jester or Guppy ski. She will enjoy paddling those much more.

I just sold a PRS570 that I was keeping for my son and wife to use. Fine for my wife in the water but impossible for her to handle out of the water. My son found it too difficult to handle in the water due to the weight and size of the bucket, but balance wise, he was close to being comfortable with it and could paddle it on the flat when we got him going. He paddles OC's so has good balance and water skills (for a 10 y.o.)

AR, I was looking to replace the PRS570 with a Jester or Guppy for my son. Is the Guppy something that my wife could use as well - she is only 165cm and paddles about twice a year.

Spudnut72 wrote: Is the Guppy something that my wife could use as well - she is only 165cm and paddles about twice a year.

I would have no hesitation pointing anyone towards them for light/short paddlers with no experience.

My then 14 y/o daughter completed a 6km paddle as part of an adventure race in really windy/choppy conditions where many others were falling out and my wife (also about 165cm) used the same boat the next year and got through the race too with little or no training in the boat.

I would mention though that for younger paddlers (say under 10) you need to be careful with the guppy, as for some strange reason it is quite high under the knees which can restrict smaller kids getting their feet to the footplate.

Hi AR
Thanks for your reply.
Im considering the Spirit because its cheap $500 or maybe less.
I don't know how much it will get used so don't want to waste too much.
My daughter has short legs of about 75cm inseam and only weight 60kg.

Do you think she would fit OK and still have clearance over the hump?

Cheers
Gnome

Hi Gnome,

Spirit Racing Ski was my first ski. Thanks to adjustable foot pedals, everybody can use this skis. As a plastic ski, its heavy but indestructible.However, I see them (I might be wrong)as fitness or touring ski. Also this is a good craft for family holidays and camping. This is a quite stable ski but I found it hard to get them into top speed. Would have been better with single foot well.

Jester is a great beginner/recreational ski. Very stable and fun. Again a compromise on speed.

Hope this helps.