Epic V8 Tourer

I just noticed there is a V8 tourer which is a narrower V8 with two hatches.
www.epickayaks.com/v8tourer
It might become my next surfski as I am paddling longer distances now and was even considering getting a fast sea kayak.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length: 18’ (5.48 m)
Width: 20.8” (52.8 cm)
Depth: 13.8” (35 cm)
Capacity: 320 lbs. (145 kg)
Hatch volumes: Front – 22.4 gallons (85 liters); Rear – 20.3 gallons (77 liters)
Paddler Fit: 5’0” to 6’7” (1.52m to 2.0m)

I think that is the boat that dougal glaisher used to set his epic round-mainland great britain record, although the specs seem a little different.

dougalsepicadventure.com/all-about-my-boat-epic-v8-gt/

Seems like a great ski for long distance adventure races like the Everglades Challenge. I was trying to figure how to do a long distance race in my v10 with dry bags lashed to the deck.

Dougal's V8 was a version made in Britain by Kirton, the "V8 GT" kirtonkayaks.co.uk/products/v8-gt/
Presumably GT denotes "Grand Touring" or suchlike, and is not the very lightweight GT construction ("Gimme Turbo"?) that Epic did at one time.

Kirton claim 17kg, which seems light by the time you add hatches (which will require reinforced rims plus hatch, all of which add weight).

I wouldn't want a superlight construction for a loaded boat. Too much chance of breaking when going over waves.

I don't know, to me a loaded surfski is kind of a weird concept. In terms of livability over long distance I would prefer an fsk, having a useable front deck is a pretty big deal. Unless this ski is significantly faster loaded.
For unloaded use, I'd rather be in a ski that is 26-27 lb not 35-39 lb range.

It will interesting to see if this becomes a jack of all trades and master of non. While useful for actual loaded touring, Most owners are likely to actually use it in that format for a small percentage of the time. Outside of that is it going to be compromised against a "sports" ski? As you know we can all get a little fussy about compromised performance.

With a decent load will it have the balanced handling of a full sea kayak, and hence not meet the needs of a full on expedition paddler. It will be interesting to see how sales go

A bit like the K1T, good on paper but neither one nor the other. For most K1 paddlers that is too buoyant being based on the larger than average XXL legacy, For a surfski its not buoyant enough for other than flattish water. Thats is it cant go where a V12 can. So only really advantage is its less boat to manhandle.

The majority of time hybrid type boats are not being used in situations where this function is required, so end up being good intentions misplaced, hence they end up up being luxury supplementary skis for when the occasion requires rather than the daily ride. I am sure it will be perfect for some people, but enough to keep it viable. Time will tell i guess.

I kinda get it. If you go the FSK route like the epic 18x then you still have the sit in cockpit. If you like the idea of an open kayak then the v8 touring might fill a small niche. I still have a beautiful full carbon sea kayak that I Hang on to “just in case” I end up doing an extended adventure race. My Epic v10 g3 has done every thing I’ve asked of it and more. The only thing it doesn’t have is storage. Which I don’t need 99.9% of the time.

It would be interesting to see a comparison review by someone who regularly uses a loaded fast sea kayak against this with the same payload, to check the pros and cons in different conditions. It could be that this benefits the most with lighter loads rather than as a heavy hauler.

Also a performance review of it against a regular v8 or v10 sport running empty

There are a substantial number of paddlers who don't have a reliable roll. (multi-world-champion Ivan Lawler being one. Few serious racers can roll reliably)
I'm confident in my ability to remount a ski, even in rough water.
I'm not confident in my ability to remount and pump out a kayak in rough water.

We know that there are only small differences in speed between an intermediate ski and a very fast ski. Enough that it really matters in a race, but not for churning through the miles.

The main advantage a sit in kayak has over a ski is that they are much warmer.

Weight-wise, I think the V8 tourer wins. The Pace 18 weighs 21.5-24kg

mrcharly wrote:

There are a substantial number of paddlers who don't have a reliable roll. (multi-world-champion Ivan Lawler being one. Few serious racers can roll reliably)
I'm confident in my ability to remount a ski, even in rough water.

Point taken, but.
I personally am more confident in my ability to stay upright in my sea kayaks in a variety of conditions. I can brace, edge, etc in any of my sea kayaks well well beyond what I could possibly do in my "stable" ski. But it's a specific skill set I am constantly working on, not something that I am remotely able to develop or use in my ski.