100 mile Epic v10g3 mini review

Hope someone who is considering moving up a boat will find this helpful. I know I appreciated as much info as I could find.

I began  my surfski adventure in August of 2018 with a performance lay up Epic v8pro. I  paddled a few races in the fall of 2018 and was hooked. I raced a few more times in the spring of 2019, before a torn rotator cuff sidelined me for most of the summer. I paddled a few races in the fall of 2019 including my first open ocean race in North Carolina. I started training hard in February 2020 as soon as the ice was gone, then Covid hit in March and the racing season was cancelled. Luckily, I was still able to paddle and logged over 1300 miles during the pandemic. Although racing was cancelled I thought it would be a good time to master a faster/skinnier boat. I spent the summer paddling every day and searching for a new ski. Unfortunately, I was kept striking out until an opportunity fell into my lap this fall. I guy in the midwest bought a v10g3 which was a bit much for him. He wanted to trade my v8pr for his v10. About a month ago we made the trade and I've logged just over 100 miles in the v10g3 in the ultra layup. 

So far here are my impressions. Take them for what they are worth (maybe nothing). 
The v10 has a much rounder hull shape and moves around more under the paddler than the v8pro. The v8p was ridiculously stable and a great ski for insuring confidence and learning the forward stroke. The new v10 isn't unstable, but it requires my attention. I've only fallen out once, so I guess that's a good thing. (Water is about 50 degrees now). 
The lighter layup makes moving around on land easier, but I do miss the carry handles. The ultra layup does seem much more fragile than the performance layup. I haven't damaged anything yet, but I'm super careful with it.

On the water the v10 accelerates much faster. I'm sure this is due to the lighter layup and skinnier profile. I've had it out in everything from glass smooth to 25mph wind driven waves. It handles side chop and oncoming waves well. I've noticed when going downwind less water coming over the bow and into the cockpit, but also more water coming over the slightly lower gunwales. My speed isn't noticeably faster than my v8p, but I'm sure when I race it will be. My cruising speed so far seems to be about 6mph. As others have mentioned, this isn't super fast, but the effort required to paddle 6mph vs the v8p is reduced. 

I don't have any other brands to compare it to, but for me ( a beginner to intermediate paddler) the Epic v10g3 seems like a great boat. Well made, fast, and respectably stable. 

It's a great boat the v10g3. Stability is a relative thing. I moved from a Fenn Elite ( which I never fell out of, which was a good thing because it was a bastard to remount) to the v10. It felt so planted on the water. I could adjust my paddle, do up my legrope etc, sitting in the boat.
Now I've moved to an NK storm 61, which doesn't have as much primary stability as the v10 but a lot of secondary stability. It is similar speed on flat water, but catches and holds runs more easily, especially the smaller organised bumps I tend to paddle in.
A lot of people will tell you to go for a more stable boat and they're probably right, but the challenge of having a good paddle in a tippier boat is what makes a paddle interesting. I have 2 boats, a Zeplin and the NK. The Zeplin is rock solid and in a more messy ocean is faster than the NK, but it feels like I'm cheating when I get back. The excitement isn't the same, the challenge isn't the same. Enjoy your new boat. 

Hi EP, sent you a PM.