How to choose a ski

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8 years 4 months ago #26589 by drjay9051
Prior post asked for comparison between Epic V8 and Fenn Bluefin S.

In short i need a more stable ski for bigger conditions. i am not comfortable in my V10sport or Stellar Sr in rougher water and want to go out in these conditions as well as on calm days.

Obviously fit must be correct. looks like I have following choices:
Bluefin S, V8, V8 Pro, Nelo 520, Think Ace.

Problem is the only ski locally (2 hours away) is the Epic line. I really don't want to drive 5 or 6 hours to demo a ski.

Having wide hips Im not sure about fit in the Nelo, Fenn or Think.

Has anybody ever bought a ski without a test paddle? is that an unwise move? If I were thin not a big issue.

Do any of you know how bucket size compares on these skis mentioned above?

i have seen lots of nice reviews and threads here but nobody seems to mention bucket aside from needing padding in the larger ones.

What is a wide hip paddler to do?

For reference my 1st edition SR fits perfectly as does my 1st edition V10Sport. I sat in 2nd edition V10 a couple years back and slight pinching.

Maybe if i add a pad and raise up a bit no pinch but again no local ski to demo save the Epic line.

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8 years 4 months ago #26590 by red_pepper
Replied by red_pepper on topic How to choose a ski
Have you considered the Stellar S18S? Great stability in big conditions, good speed, and a wider cockpit that should fit you well.

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8 years 4 months ago #26592 by drjay9051
Replied by drjay9051 on topic How to choose a ski
Considered S18S but not a fan of the hatch

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8 years 4 months ago #26599 by Kayaker Greg
Replied by Kayaker Greg on topic How to choose a ski
Definitely you need to at least sit in the ski you intend to buy. For all intents I was the perfect size for a Fenn Spark, 5'8" and 66kg but lucky for me the Fenn importer said come down to the beach and try it first. While I was heavier than I am now when I tried it the distance between my upper femurs where they attach to the pelvis was never going to change whatever my weight and it was about 5mm too tight and was never going to be comfortable for me so it would have been an expensive mistake assuming I was going to fit and to buy untried. I learned my lesson and highly recommend you do not buy untried.

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8 years 4 months ago #26600 by Ranga
Replied by Ranga on topic How to choose a ski
One good rule of thumb is to buy a ski that you can offload easily if you have a problem. For instance the V8, sells really well and you cannot get one second hand, which implies they are never sold or snatched up very quickly if sold.
There also cannot be that many one size paddlers out there with the V8 being one of the most popular skis around, it fits a multitude of different sized paddlers, you will not be disappointed. It is very fast, stable and well built and anyone in your family can paddle it. Just one caveat if you do let them paddle it don`t blame me if you have to get another!

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8 years 4 months ago #26601 by photofr
Replied by photofr on topic How to choose a ski
Since I moved to France about 3 years ago, I have bought 7 skis without trying them first. However, this is not something I recommend at all.

If you have narrow hips like me, you will almost always be disappointed when you find that nearly all skis are designed for super wide hips. After all, it makes sense: I just had to pad the cockpit. That wasn't pleasant, but it's actually rather easy (even if it adds more than a pound of pads and glue).

If you have wider hips, you have to be very careful: if you future ski is pinching you, you will simply not paddle.

It's that simple.

So, if you have wide hips, and if you are unable to try a ski, you are way better off going to a more stable ski that's a tiny bit slower that you can try for FIT, rather that even thinking about a ski you cannot try and may or may not fit into.

Ludovic
(Brittany, France)

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