NELO 560M Review

Ah... POLITICS !$@#%^!
I probably shouldn't say this, but what would we become if we couldn't express our very own opinion?

So, here it is:
There are a lot of very similar surfskis out there, and I understand builders not wanting to take too many chances. On the other hand, I think that companies like OSS and Nelo have done a great job at thinking outside the box.

Keep up the great work, show us more photos, and get a ski out in France (it is the center of Europe ahahahah).

photofr,

a guess about lenght and material?


scontent.ftxl1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/1...38145696249120_o.jpg

That would be the new model that Nelo is working on, but they are working on finalizing it. It won't be long before the product is launched.

Perhaps 5.05 meters to 5.3 meters in length.
Not composite, but very resistant (poly or similar).
Width: perhaps 52 to 55 cm
Weight: Now... that one surprised me... but I am allowed to say is that it may also REALLY surprise you.

That would be the new model that Nelo is working on, but they are working on finalizing it. It won't be long before the product is launched.

Perhaps 5.05 meters to 5.3 meters in length.
Not composite, but very resistant (poly or similar).
Width: perhaps 52 to 55 cm
Weight: Now... that one surprised me... but I am allowed to say is that it may also REALLY surprise you.

let me guess, the weight would "blow me away"
Whatever, I would have guessed it's the 510cm PE ski, 19kg (real 19kg fully rigged, then ? you mean not the 21kg that weigh 24kg as my V7 lol)

blowmoulded PE would be cool instead of rotomoulded PE as it's tougher, together with Vajda's thermoformed superstiff ABS ski,
you'd have have it all to choose from as a customer. However, thinwalled with a modified PE copo/blend and the shorter length would allow for a lighter ski. I'd like sub 52cm. Not wider than the Vajda/Think/Pyranha woul be good.


e.g. as in, however, machine+mould expensive and the bucket shape of a surfski (draw ratio) might would prohibit it anyway. Prijon took a once in a lifetime chance to aquire the machine those days.

looks rotomoulded though ... (if not a 520 with a hatch lol)

The thing that I can tell you for sure (right now) is:
What ever the weight, you can count on me to tell you what I see on my digital scale, WHEN I see the boat.
Nelo's concept is clearly different: still the somewhat narrow front end, still the wider rear-end for stability, and still the "look" of the current models, but in "plastic".

Cool, that is nice, but I fail to grasp why that concep is different
from the Nitro/Octane, the Raptor and the V7, the PRS, etc. ...?

Didn't the others also take their composite "shape concept" and transfer it +/- to a mould for plastic moulding (with the obligatory adaptions for the molding process)? It is clear that the Nelo ski hulls have a different concept than the other boats, but I would have expected it to be used in the plastic version, as in "brand specific PE model"

Whatever, this is a PE boat I am surely looking forward to. Hope it has a river-rudder version.

I am not sure if that's what you meant, but I feel that there are clear benefits to having a larger volume bow , but a somewhat lower volume bow have more pros than cons. Nelo has chosen to reduce the surface area of the bow, and that works well (obviously for me) but seemingly works fabulously well for heavier riders as well.

The same concept is adopted on Nelo's "plastic" skis: that makes them different. I am however uncertain as to why others are still making "plastic" skis that have huge bow volume. You will have to ask them.

Ah ok, I just meant the transfer of brand specific shape concepts to a PE model i.g., which is what I would have expected anyway (V8 to V7, Eze to Nitro, Hawx 52 to Raptor, 520/560 to 510 PE,etc).

Reg. the lower volume bows, that is esp. what I like about the Nelo skis amoung other things, here I mean not only reg. upper and lower surface area (needle nose vs. bulky nose), but also from the side (reg. wind). However, sidewind issues are less for a "heavier" PE boat, imo.

btw. I would have thought that the PRS or Fury (Spirit) also had a "comparably" low volume nose?

Very true: when boat builders make a "plastic" surfski, it's pretty much a new model. For instance, There's a 520 with a carbon sandwich construction, a 520 with a kevlar sandwich construction, and perhaps there should be a 520 with a "plastic" construction.

Your inquiry makes sense to me, but I guess no one is doing it this way... YET.

Perhaps because they can't use the same mold for the "plastic" construction, so might as well build something "slightly different", but I don't know: because I've never built a plastic boat.

IMO, compared to a composite shape, one could manufacture "the same shape" with a roto-, blow- or thermoform mould using the associated processes. These moulds (except for the thermoform mould) are expensive though compared to composite moulds and you need the corresponding machines. All three mould netshapes for thermoplastics would differ a bit from a composite mould in that they have to take into account the different shrinkage characteristics of the different processes and materials used > how to do that is normally well known these days and simulated via CAD/CAM. These processes deliver products for many industries that are often way more sophisticated than surfskis/kajaks when it comes to keep/achieve designed dimensions. In my opinion, for thermoplastics, thermoforming (Raptor) should be capable to deliver the most light weight skis paired with using highly stiff and impact resistant materials with best wall thickness control.

So why would one differ from the composite shapes when going thermoplastic?
For example, what I have read here, it was assumed that the V7 was made shorter than the V8 for weight reasons. Also, a more than double the weight for a tupperware vs. a composite could also mean than one would have to refine the hull shape to not have a completely detoriated behavior on the water compared to the underlying composite shape concept. For example, shorter also means more manouverable for a heavy boat, e.g. 510 PE vs. 520 FRP, V7 PE vs V8 FRP, etc. >> Just my thoughts.

All the thermoplastic models below seem to have gotten a shape refinement and are not
simple copies of a FRP-model (OK, except for the Spirit Fury maybe) IMO,
however, all carry a brand specified shape DNA or share
distinct shape concepts of the FRP models they relate to, imo:

FRP: Vajda Hawx 52, 553.5cm, 51.8cm, 15/11.5/9.5kg
TP: Vajda Raptor, 535cm, 53cm, 19.5 kg (I can confirm it), thermoformed ABS
A dealer said: "The Raptor is based on Vajda's hugely successful Hawx 52 shape."
In my opinion: "Ahem not really, look at the nose and chines"

FRP: Think Eze, 520cm, 51cm, 15.5/12.5/10.5kg
TP: Think Nitro / Piranha Octane, 518cm, 53cm, 20.8kg, rotomolded PE
A dealer said "Coming from the Eze, the Nitro ...".
Really?

FRP: Epic V8, 548cm, 54cm, 17.5/16/12.5/9.4kg
TP: Epic V7, 520cm, 54cm, a dealer's website says 23.7kg (fits as mine is 24kg)
A dealer said "Plastic version of the V8"
In my opinion, "No it's not simply that, despite all similarities".

FRP: Nelo 520, 520cm, 52cm 10.5/11.5/14.5kg
TP: Nelo 510, 510cm (I'd guess so), width?, 19kg (one will see), rotomolded PE (I'd guess so)
One will see.

However:
FRP: Spirit Fury, 566cm, 47 cm, 11kg
TP: Spirit Fury, 570cm, 47cm, molded weight 17.6kg (elite version), 19kg, rotomolded PE
First there was the PE Version, then they made a FRP Version, I think. Anyone can confirm that?

...

Hi! I'm new at this site, but a few years of surfski paddling experience... I'll probably buy a nelo 560 in the next months but there's a doubt...i'm a 1'80 cm tall paddler, weighting arround 75 kg so...560 or 560m?, that's the question... A few months ago i tested the 560 but at this weight range i guess myself if a 560m would be better or not in downwind conditions...thanks!!

Hi...im new at this site.. Wha about riding a 560m, weighting arround 75 kg on 1 meter swell or so...does it needs more volume in that conditions or bigger?? Maybe better a 560 as an all round boat?? I know that the M would be a great boat for a flatwater/harbour scenario , but i would like to choose the right ski...i currently paddle a v10l 1G that i love, but it's time for changes.

I really appreciate any help you can provide.

75 kilos: you can go with either.
1.80 meters in length, you can also choose either.
1+ meter swells, you can also go with either.

The best question to ask is: how wide are your hips?
If you have very large hips, I would choose a 560.
Since you are only 75 kilos for 1.8 meters, I am going to guess that your hips are HUGE, and I would choose a 560M - even with 1+ meter swells.

You are going to have a wet ride, but surprisingly similar to a V10L 2nd Generation that I can comment on.

As a bonus, both Nelo come standard with a wave deflector which works great in minimizing water in your cockpit.

Hi Ludovic!! Thanks for your help! I'm at 34" hips width, aswell as leg lenght..so what do you think?? When i demoed the 560L, it was plenty of room for my hips and lenght as big boys like the big "O" paddle it, but i was a nice paddle as i'm used to feel "contactless" with my v10L 1st generation despite of being a low volume ski, and i felt that boat narrower than the epic. Does any body else feel the same?? Maybe neoprene pants and that cheesecake changed my perception that day?

I totally agree about the "contactless" feel of the V10L, it took me some getting used to, and then I was fine with the V10L. In that respect, the 560L feels just like the 560L.

The 560M could fit you: I am saying this because I know of several people with average or somewhat wider hips that were pleasantly surprised on the 560M (couple of them couldn't even fit into the Spark).

But again: you could be on the border line with a thick wetsuit, so I feel you should try it.

Just a general question Lodovic, but what would compel someone to buy a NELO over another brand of ski?

First and foremost, I would have to say composite experience (building kayaks and canoes since the late 70's.

The second reason: a shape that has been tested and APPROVED by Oscar Chalupsky - and let me just say that he's picky.

Other reasons include the fact that most skis built in the last say 15 years are quite long. Nelo skis are the close-cousins of skis that have been PROVEN to work very well in the Molokai or on any huge downwind: they are in the under 5.8 meter range.

Note: acceleration of shorter ski is faster, and when paddling downwind, all I do is Accelerations.

Other aspects that may compel someone into buying a Nelo: You are going to be part of the Ocean, not shielded from it with huge sidewalls, or huge bow volume that most people don't really need.

Personally, the strength of the skis. I have used mine, abused it in crazy conditions, surfed it... and watched Oscar slam his ski 10 feet away from me: I then proceeded to look for any sign of fatigue or pressure crack.

Not all skis are created equal; there are still 2 or 3 other companies out there making fine quality skis.