2020 nelo surfskis

Since my last post regarding the new Nelo 550 I had only one opportunity to paddle the ski on the ocean in Downwind conditions. The waves were quite small and I was able to get on the waves with little effort. Due to the superb manouverability of the ski it was easy to link the waves. In this respect the 550 performs better than my previous skis.   
I have to add that I am by no means an expert downwind paddler. So far I have paddled approx. 1000 kilometers with the 550 on a small inland lake trying to chase boat wakes which can also be quite exciting sometimes! The waves here are pretty small but the water can get very choppy due to heavy boat traffic. Nevertheless the boat feels very stable and I haven´t fallen in until now. A few things I don´t like: 1. There is not much room for my size 12 feet. Barefoot in the summer season it´s not a problem but with Neopren boots on it will be really tight. 2. There is no bottle holder and also no room to put a drinking bottle where you can reach it. 3. The leaking DeBrito Bailer! I know we had this issue before on the forum and its not a particular Nelo problem. Apart from these minor issues I am very happy with the overall performance of the ski.
   
   

Hi MVE,
Cool on your 550 experience!   I also have size 12 feet and have been using scuba diving neoprene socks of different thickness (2 and 5mm) for my Nelo and other tight footwell boats.    Find the soft soles let my feet fit fine
H2ODYSSEY Ultra Sock Fin Bootie 

And when real cold, these are super comfortable:
Ripcurl Flashbomb 7mm Round Toe Booties 

Chris

Thanks Chris,
I just ordered the more flexible Neopren Footstrap from my Nelo Dealer. There should be more room for my feet with that strap. In the wintertime I mostly wear my Typhoon Drysuit with attached Latex-socks.

I replace the leaking gasket at the beginning of the summer with a piece of neoprene and have not had any further issues with leaks.  There was a template posted in the earlier discussion.  Took less than 5 minutes to change it.

I did the same with my gasket and used the template to cut a piece of neoprene but the result wasn´t any better.
I am considering to use a piece of closed cell foam instead. Here it´s available under the name Evazote. 

Echappell: " For me....basically same top speed as previous 560 but much more stable."

The previous Nelo 560 (I do not speak of the very first model, but the one that came out when Oscar joined) had a pretty bad speed-stability ratio. I experienced it myself as a short-time owner of the boat, and I was so struck by this mismatch that I went to roughly reproduce the hull's features in a kayak design software. The results for drag and stability absolutely confirmed my butt feeling. No clue how the new one looks like ... is it more rounded, with more stability elements above the waterline? 

Very little testing or reviews of the new Nelo’s ? 

Which Nelo model is classified as low intermediate, with comparable stability (and speed) to XT S/V10Sport/six/SR?  520 or 540? What about next level up, SF S/V10/evo/SEI?  540 or 550?  If 520 falls below XT, etc, would it be comparable to bluefin/V8? I assume prior and current models stay in same stability category, though improvements may have been made?  Nelo skis are so short I cannot get an obvious stability comparison by stats alone.  Thanks

Haven't paddled the 2020 Nelo skis but in my opinion having paddled it extensively the 520 is their low intermediate ski. The stats have lead many people (who haven't paddled it) to classify it as a beginner ski. Although a beginner can certainly manage it in calm to moderate conditions; it is not as stable as the Bluefin which I have paddled very extensively and still use for the occasional gale force downwinder.

I just posted my review of the Nelo 540L on my site for those interested. SurfskiRacing.com

Looking forward to a review from someone on the New Nelo 550
 

Hi,

Does anybody know the bucket width of the ML and the L models? I am 72k, 38cm hip wide and I am in doubt which one would fit me best. I am about to order a 540 and, unfortunately, trying before buying is not an option in my location.

Thanks

I now have paddled the 550L WWR where I live in Newport, RI, USA a few times(30 miles) now with the standard Nelo rudder, a 6 inch, 25 Degree DK rudder, and 7 inch 35 degree in flat water, small downwind, rough water, time trialed it, and paddled with my buddies who were paddling Evo, and V10 on 9.5 mile downwind, hard tempo pace this weekend. So very stable ski with comparable speed within the range of intermediate of skis. It is SO different from the 1st generation in terms of stability. It has a semi-relaxed bucket that is very comfortable and has an excellent layback position when going downwind. I am really enjoying paddling it. More to come in my upcoming review on SurfskiRacing.com in a month.  Safe to see I am very pleased with this ski. It is a vast improvement over the 1st gen that was one of the least stable in conditions to now one of the most stable in a crowded field of excellent intermediate skis.  

How do you compare this new to the new 540?

Malvina - are you in the Malvinas? that would make it very hard to demo skis. 

I am 180cm and 73-75 kg and my hips are 38-39 cm across. I have a 550L. I have a friend who is my same weight and similar height who has the 550ML. I fit just fine in either ski. I prefer a snugger bucket, and so the ML is a better bucket for me. I pad the 550L bucket a bit where the knees contact just for better control. We both agree that on flat water the ML is a better boat at our weight. It feels more planted and faster. I have not actually measured the speeds rigorously but it feels like it accelerates better.  The L is looser in primary stability on the flat at our weight, and has a ton of volume above water so it gets pushed around by side winds a lot more. When my friends who are 85-95 kg paddle the 550L on the flat, it sits much better in the water.  Downwind the 550L surfs very well. I have only gone downwind 3 times in it, and only once in good conditions, so I don't feel I really have it figured out but it shows a lot of promise. I have not tried the ML downwind. It is possible that the increased volume of the L is an asset in big conditions for lighter paddlers, but I am not sure if that is the case. Hope that helps. I have never seen a 540 but maybe the buckets and volumes are similar to the 550. 

Hi Zach.

No, Malvina is just my dog name, named after the red haired goddess (which she is ).  I live in the beautiful Cabo de Gata, in Spain south east coast. Conditions here are great for surfski but unfortunately the sport hasn´t picked up yet in this isolated region and the few SS dealers that operate in Spain are far away. 

Thanks so much for your answer. Very precise and from someone my size. Exactly what I needed. ML it is.

Best,

Juan

Hi Juan,
It surprises me that surfski isn't bigger in your region of Spain. 

I was on a geology field trip during my undergraduate days in 2015 and got to see a good section of the coast.

Our base was on the coast at Mojácar, a little to the north of you I believe and the conditions always looked fantastic for a downwind by the time we returned to our accommodation in the evening. We were there around May and spent most of our time in the Tabernas Basin. Some days were unbearable, far too hot for us British. 

I believe we also had a day trip around the Almeria area and I distinctly remember being on the edge of a cliff and looking out and just seeing perfect runs going directly parallel with the coast. Must have been around 20 knots of wind and a few feet of swell. I've always wanted to go back with a SS and do some routes along that section of coast. It looked like it would be fairly easy to launch and land on most beaches and plenty of places to choose from depending on how long you wanted the route to be. 

Happy paddling,

Jordan 

Hi Jordan.

I agree, this could be surfski paradise. I live about 40 miles south of Mojacar, near the tip of the Cape, and most days we get strong winds from either side. Runs can be very good and you can paddle all year round with very little extra clothing, even in winter. Beaches vary from sandy / easy to launch and land to rocky and very dangerous. You have to choose well. Despite the great conditions, mine are the only surfskis I have seen in the 7 years I have been living in the area. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I have ever met anyone here who knew what surfski was. 

I think that a main problem for expanding this beautiful sport outside of the english speaking countries is that, unless you speak english as a second language, surfski has close to zero visibility in other languages (at least in Spanish) even in internet.  I found about the sport years ago thanks to Surfski.info (immensely grateful to Robin for this great effort) and get all the info I need (technique, reviews, advice, etc.) in english websites, videos and books. Not an easy solution to this other than to wait for the new generation to be more diligent than their parents in learning “globish”. 

Anyway, glad that you enjoyed this part of the world and I would be very happy to help you with logistics, etc. if you decide to visit again. 

Best, Juan

Agree with Zach. At this point, I only have the 550L 2g WWR and only sat in ML. I wanted the extra volume for ocean paddling but similar to Zack can fit comfortably in either. I also will put calf pads in for another contact point. The steering is very precise so it requires a light touch on the pedals so getting used to that and the "feel" downwind. 
As far as comparison to 540L WWR, As you would expect 540 is more stable and not as fast since wider, but has excellent glide and has comparative speed with the other skis of similar widths of not a little better in my opinion. Looking forward to getting the SCS(lighter) layup in all models, 540, 550, 560.   I have not timed trialed 540 back to back with 550, so I will do that for my 550L review. 540L It has a more shallow bucket and less volume approaching the bow deck and footwell. 

Hi, I can't compare it to other 560s, but for personal reasons since June 2019 I haven't paddled more than 15 times, according to my Garmin Conect. Today with the intention of resuming the sport, I have released a 560 manufactured June 2021, in Cartagena - Mediterraneo, with a normal day with a bit of rebound, approaching 1 m from the vertical cliffs and piers, at no time have I felt uncomfortable or unstable, it has been 10 km dry and in the end strenuous due to my current form. I am happy with the purchase, I think it will be good for small downwinds or flat seas. For big game I will take out the Elite S