After seeing the then called V12M on YouTube right after the Gorge Downwind Champs race I called Dave Amodio of Kayakinvestors.com in Houston Tx and ordered one. The V11 came in early October and I drove to Houston to pick it up and test it. Dave also had a new V12 in the same Ultra lay up to paddle, and purchase instead of the V11 if I so desired. And a good friend brought his new Nelo 560.
I 1st naturally paddled the V11. After getting in the bucket I was immediately surprised at the initial stability. It was very solid, no twitchiness whatsoever. The stability is very comparable to the Stellar SES that I use to own. I quickly got it up to speed and was immediately impressed with the glide & speed. And the ultimate stability was very good, especially for a UHP ski. I had the 4" race rudder on it and it turned much easier than the V12. A quick note on the V12. It seemed more stable than the V11, yet it did not turn as well. And it was at least 4 lbs heavier in the same lay up. A great ski though with very good top in speed.
Next up the Nelo 560, which I had previously paddled a few times before. The 560 stability was very comparable to the V11 along with the speed. (Another paddler thought the 560 was more stable). I did think the glide was not quite on par with the V11.
I came away very impressed with all 3 skis. You could not go wrong with any of them. The more I paddle the V11 the more I'm glad I bought it!
