Richard, the manufacturers tend to make their beginner's skis stronger to deal with the inevitable mishaps that happen when you are learning. This results in some of them being very heavy. The mentor is lighter than a number of equivalent boats but still robust enough to put up with the abuse they get in our paddling school. Take a look at
www.surfski.co.za pic of the week from a few months back - there is a picture of one of our Mentors taking a nosedive into the sand. Only damage was a chip in the gelcoat!
