V10 - V10L stability

My buddy got a new V10L a couple of weeks ago and I have a regular V10. I noticed when I've paddled his boat that it seems just a tiny little bit twitchy compared to mine. My understanding is that the hulls are the same and the cockpit seat is just a little forward in the V10L. The only possible reason I can think of for the tippiness is that the V10 has more weight on the deck forward of the cockpit because it has so much volume and maybe this extra mass resists overturning more than the flatter deck of the V10L. Has anyone else noticed this?

Since my friend got a regular V10L, I think I see a V10L Ultra in my future. Unless of course I win the V10Elite!!! ;D

Regarding the V10L, I have had the V10L ultra for about 10months and don't seem to have any twitchiness. I also inserted a Butt pad for comfort and this raises the seat by a few mm. Perhaps the twitchiness is associated with the slight seat and deck changes. As you become more familiar with the boat I'm sure you would settle down in it.

Cheers

Martin

Haven't tried the L yet but the rudder is also moved farther forward, which might increase the effect of the rudder which can cause the boat to tilt.

Are you all using the L in big surfing conditions? I bury the bow of my V10S up past the red stripe often enough to really appreciate the extra buoyancy. Aggressive upwind conditions are another story. The added windage can be a handful, and when pearling into an oncoming wave the bow can pop up so strongly that the stern buries and the boat see-saws front to rear.

I have paddled both a V10 and V10L extensively in preparations for Molokai in the last year. When I first switched from the V10 to the V10L my first impression was the same, that it was a little more twitchy. However this feeling dissapeared very quickly. I believe this is a result of the seat being a little further forward. This changes the place of the "hump" underneath your knees (this has moved relatively back under your legs on the V10L). It does not make the V10L more unstable, it just slightly changes the feedback you get through contact of your legs with the surfski; different from what you are used to if you paddle a V10. If you start of on a V10L you would not notice the difference.

Regarding what sea conditions I use the V10 L ultra in, it has been varied. I have been in some angry seas as well as placid conditions. I found that I occationally broach, but this has nothing to do with the boat, just the paddler. With my 74 kgs I find the L has enough buoyancy.

Martin

I have both a standard (resin infusion as opposed to hand lay-up) V10 and a V10L so I have had quite a bit of experience paddling both. Contrary to the comments above I found the ?L? quite a bit more twitchy when I first started paddling it. I however soon got used to it but the interesting thing is that every time I paddle the standard for a while I go through the same adjustment.

I do not believe that the reduced weight of the ski has much of an effect on its twitchiness because the moment of inertia in a ski is very small in relation to the rolling forces induced by the paddler. Intuitively it also seems unlikely to me that the changed seat position could account for the difference but I am unable to produce a logical argument to refute the suggestion.

My explanation for the difference in stability is that it the ?L? is a lot stiffer. Anybody who has tried to load a glass ski supported between 2 trestles will have been surprised by the large amount of deflection. Such deflection serves to raise the centre of buoyancy of the ski and this has pretty much the same effect as lowering the seat. Anybody who has experimented with seat heights in a K1 will be aware of the huge difference this makes.

This explanation is supported by another bit of experience. Rob has both glass and carbon Mako6?s but reports very little difference in the stability of the skis. The huge amount of rocker in a Mako6 is perhaps it's defining feature and most probably is a large factor contributing to its stability. The fact that the Mako6 is ?pre-deflected? could explain why changes in stiffness do not affect it stability as much.

The most interesting question is of course whether the lighter skis are faster and, if so, by how much. Given that Rob and I have both types of skis and race together regularly we could quite easily build a performance comparison data base but up to now neither of us has been prepared to prejudice racing results by switching to standard skis on occasion. As you will gather both of us a firmly convinced the lighter stiffer skis are faster.