Epic V5 - vs recreational surf skis

Hi guys
I am a recreational paddler, someone who just likes going for a cruise and checking out the sights and also catching some waves/runners for a bit of fun. I have no interest in racing or anything like that, however I feel I would like a bit more performance that a 4.2m sit on top kayak. Plus I want something light to handle off the water...im talking 15kg tops. I was considering one of these:

paddlesports.capacitysports.com.au/shop/...-8m-recreational-ski

pullensurfskis.co/products/mk3-wave-ski?variant=42088870510833

And to be honest both of the above would probably suit me fairly well. Firstly do you think either one of these would be a considerable upgrade over a plastic sit on top? I don't mind the 3.8m length to be honest and the weight is 15kg for both.

The only other option I really see is moving to the Epic V5. Would it be a considerable performance upgrade over the two listed above? 

Anything else to add based on my comments above?

Thanks
Agent009

As always, it depends on what you want to do.  Do you want to exclusively surf breaking waves, carving the waves, like a surfer on a surfboard?  That is fantastic fun and requires a durable board like the listed wave skis. Those are wave skis meant exclusively for surfing, not cruising, long distance, sightseeing, down winding, ocean kayaking, etc.  You can do all those on a wave ski, but it would be very inefficient, tiring.  A V5 is much better for cruising, downwind surfing, sightseeing.  To get within your weight limit, you would have to a composite layup in the V5, which is durable to some degree, but surfing powerful breaking waves towards the beach may eventually result in damage.  A wave ski for surfing medium and large waves, a V5 for all else, including small rollers.

A typical paddle for me would be to paddle a distance in fairly calm water, paddle over the bar and then spend an hour or so mucking around in the waves/surf zone. And then paddle back and catch a few runners on the way back.

So, for my situation, two separate kayaks would be suited I'm sure. However, I can only use one. The Wavemaster 3.8m recreational ski looks good and is much cheaper, although I'm sure the V5 will be much better.

Have a look at my thread from last year:
www.surfski.info/forum/1-general/20228-c...-ski-under-4-5m.html

I ended up selling Enduro XTR  after couple of weeks and buying epic V5 rotomoulded. The v5 isn't really that heavy, it only weighs 20kg. You can always get a trolly as well. The v5 is just much faster and gives far more enjoyable experience. 

I'm actually planning to sell my V5 soon and buy Think Eze once a second hand become available I managed to find storage for a 5.2m surfksi. 

The V5 rotomoulded is 22kg....which is 3kg heavier than my current plastic kayak

Saying that, it's probably the best option for me. Just means I would have to get a trolley again. Is there a specific trolley which would fit into the hatch of the V5 (wheels and all)?

Does the rotomoulded version only come in the speckled grey colour? I thought I saw a video on here of a black and white rotomoulded v5?

Ski weight varies. 22KG is the maximum weight. Mine is about 20kg if i recall correctly. 
The new gen is speckled grey.  This is because of the feedback that Epic received about the previous generation complaining that the white colour not being uniformed. 

C-Tug trolly seem to be popular:
www.railblaza.com/c-tug/ 


 

BTW - If you're in the lower north shore (Sydney) then I'm happy to show you the boat. You can just message me here if you're keen to have a look. 

wave skis are for playing in the surf, For travelling any distance they would be a pain to paddle in a straight line

waverider wrote:

wave skis are for playing in the surf, For travelling any distance they would be a pain to paddle in a straight line

Yep I know that. But I can't paddle two kayaks at the same time

Hence why I was looking at the 3.8m Waverider Recreational ski as it's in the middle of a wave ski and V5.