New and old Fenn, elite spark comparison

I just picked up a new Fenn Elite Spark, Phoenix S from Bruce Gibson ant Venture Sport in Boca Raton, Florida and took it out this morning for the first time in some light micro bump and wind chop in the basin.

I have an older spark that I picked up a few months ago to ease my transition from the ski I previously had which was a Carbonology Vault. My older spark is, i think from around 2015. I started on Surfski four years ago on an older fan XT mako. I then went to the Vault and then then had a short stint with the new 2022 Swordfish S. Just as a side note, I thought the swordfish had too much volume for my weight, and I felt quarky in it, although it surfed like a feather, and seem to just wanna go and almost anything. I think in retrospect, it may have been good to hold onto the SF for big conditions.

My first impressions are the new Spark is that it’s a different boat from the older non Fennix S models in a subtle way, but also profound way. From the initial impression and outset the new boat is seemingly more stable.
The new ski is a full carbon vacuum, and the older one is a carbon hybrid by the way.

I consider myself an intermediate level skier, jumping into the elite world in a low volume boat because my weight is about 155 pounds.

I’ll have more impressions of the boat when I take it out in bigger conditions especially downwind conditions, but for now here are my initial thoughts. Also, I took some dimensions and photos for your review.

Keep in mind that these are not perfect dimensions or weights and are an approximation. It’s hard to measure and weigh the ski exactly.

Spark Surfski comparison

The new carbon vacuum is
- 1.2 pound lighter at 24.7 pounds. I thought it would be lighter, oh well and I’ll live with that.
- Bucket is 1/4 inch deeper and I think that adds to the overall stability.
- 1/8 inch narrower at 16.5 inches. A little bit more snug which I like because I like to feel the boat around me as if I’m wearing it.
- Rudder is 2.25 inches further forward from stern
- Hump is 3/4 of an inch lower to top of rails. This is really great and makes a huge difference in the leg drive. The new foot brace can be a little bit further forward, adding to the stability because my knees are lower and I could still get enough leg drive to transfer power to the boat.
- .5 inch deeper well at the foot brace. I think this two adds disability because my body weight even though my feet don’t weigh a lot at my feet obviously, but I am transferring power to the boat at a lower center gravity location.
- Front of cockpit is 3 1/2 inches more forward at 90” from bow. I think all this does is make the cockpit longer for taller paddlers, but maybe it also enhances surfing characteristics. I’m not sure yet.
- Cockpit is 1 inch longer.
- .5 inches deeper as measured from bottom of boat to top of boat in front of cockpit. This gives more volume in the nose and I think that’s why the boat feels a little bit more floaty than the old one. I’m assuming this also would give it more surf ability, and less pearling tendency on swell. We shall sea (see), pun intended.
- .25 inch deeper in back of taper at the nose. Again, it seems like there’s more volume in the nose.
- About .5 inch narrower at the nose graphic. The surprise me that they made it narrower, but I could’ve measured wrong.

I’ll have more impressions and post it after I take it out in different types of conditions

That is great a great write up, thank you!

Great info for us lighter paddlers. Marketing doesn't seem to be Fenn's strong suit. You'd think they would be keen to create some buzz when they they make an upgrade to their skis. Did you try or consider any Epic skis ?

Paddle an old glass Spark but have a new Carbon one on order. Getting excited now!

I used the Epic V9 Gen 2,or it may have been a gen 3 in Hawaii and it was super stable especially on the surf. Had so much fun with that boat. I did not have to think about balance at all.

Yes, I think the changes are worth it. I am still going to keep my order Spark for now and use it for more flat water conditions.

I found this old post when looking for information on the Fennix Spark S. I see from a more recent post that you have sold your Fennix Spark, but still have the old Spark, correct? I'd like to know why you decided to keep the old one over the new. I'm familiar with the old Elite Spark, as I used to own one. I found it quite stable, but didn't love the bucket. Alhtough I'd probably like the bucket better now as I am thinner and I think it would fit me well. I'm currently considering the new version, as the bucket has changed and the hump has been lowered. I am very light at 115 lbs, and have great balance. I paddled a Fenn Elite Slimline for several years and liked it, even though it was big for me. Anyway, I find lots of reviews of the Spark from when someone just bought one, but It would probably be more useful to know why someone lets one go.

-Mel

I liked the new Spark, but then for some reason, I was having some trouble with my balance, and I'm not sure why. I have been undergoing a metamorphosis in my paddling technique and the transition to the correct method. In this process, I lost stability, which I will regain, but it will take time. A friend expressed interest in buying it from me, and so I sold it to her, essentially surrendering to that. I wanted to sell the old Spark, too, but no one would buy it, which I am now glad about because I kind of like it. I'll explain more on that later.

Additionally, even though I liked the Fenix Spark, I felt that it was too wide for me in the seat. I like the old Spark because it fits my narrow hips better and feels more like I am a part of the ski. I think Fenn made the new Spak wider in the bucket to accommodate wider hips, especially the girls. Another girl paddler who had also gotten a new Spark tried my old Spark, and she felt it was too snug in it.

I also got a new CUDA and I like it. It has a little more volume than the Spark, and it is more stable. Additionally, I think they flattened out the bottom a bit and made the shape less oval under the bucket, which also contributes to its stability. It is also about 1/4" wider than the Spark. Still the same issue with the wider bucket, so I put some closed-cell neoprene pads on each side, and that seems to do the trick of making me more connected and centered on the ski.

Also, Fenn, in their great wisdom, put a little bump in the middle of the bucket, between the cheeks, not sure why they did that, but if you don't have the exact correct posture, this can rub the tailbone—just something to think about. For those with a lot of natural padding down-under, this is not an issue; however, for me, augmentation is necessary, and I have come up with all kinds of creative solutions.

I still like having my old Spark for Flat-Water work, and it's nice to get into something so comfortable. I love the old Spark seat; they just had it dialed in before the factory fire. The two things I dislike about the old Spark are the high hump under the knees, which inhibits good le drive without having the knees in your face, and the tail seems to be too far aft. When surfing, the rudder appears to come out of the water, and I lose some directional control. If Fenn took the old Spark and pulled the rudder a few inches forward and lowered the hump, it would be a great ski. They could make it even better if they also flattened out the bottom slightly, as they did with the CUDA. What do I know? I'm sure no one from Fenn is listening anyway. Why they messed with the seat and added those mid-ridge baffles baffles me; it adds nothing to the ski, in my opinion.

The new Spark is a great boat if your stability is excellent; so, go for it.

Thanks for the reply, it's very helpful. That bump in the middle of the bucket, is that just on the Cuda? I can imagine that being problematic for me. I'm a little concerned about the seat width in the new Spark. When I had my old Spark, it was pretty snug, but I was heavier then. Currently the best fitting bucket I have is on a Nelo Viper 46 ski, which is 36 cm, and it is plenty roomy. I have another ski with a 38 cm bucket and I'm probably going to have to add some padding, as I'm shifting around in it. Stability-wise, compared to the old Spark, is the new one similar, or a little less stable?

I measured the seat width of the CUDA, and it is about 1/4" less than the old Spark. I've attached some photos of what I did with CUDA to help me stay more centered. The blue cushion serves as a reminder to maintain a forward posture with a positive angle and avoid letting my back come into contact with the boat. I had a misconception for a long time about leg drive, that I had to make contact with the back of the bucket, but what I have learned is to lean forward instead, keep the foot strap tight and maintain that connection with the footbrace in both pushing my foot into the footbrace and simultaneously pulling back with the opposite foot with the top of my foot against the foot brace strap. The small cushion in the back is not intended for leaning against, but rather to make contact with the back of the boat softer; it's a gentle reminder not to touch the back of the ship. By the way, the CUDA, unlike the new or old Spark for that matter, has a slope in the back of the seat, and every bit of it is needed for surfing short big short bumps. Once employed, that slope helps one lean back and keeps the nose from pearling. Without it, the nose pearls a lot as compared to other skis with more nose volume, like the Swordfish. Even the new Spark has more nose volume, so it does not need that slope. Therefore, the foam I am using is very soft and allows it to easily compress when I lean back after catching those shorter wavelength waves. The foam on the sides helps keep me centered and more connected to the boat.