fenn

I finally got my hands on a demo Fennix Swordfish S this weekend and did two Miller's Runs in succession to see if I could feel any difference in handling between the 2018 Swordfish S and the new Fennix model.  Conditions were challenging: False Bay was covered in whitecaps, whipped by a combination of a 25-30kt southeaster and small, confused seas.  The result?  I definitely want to spend more time in this boat.

My opposition surged past me on the last lap of the Seadog race in Fish Hoek. In desperation, I steered to hook onto his side wash… To my surprise the XT S accelerated instantly, and I sat there with little effort riding the wash for the rest of the leg.

Why the new boat? "The demand initially came from Europe," said Travis Smith of Fenn Kayaks. "They wanted something suited more to flatter conditions and short, wind chop."

In what may be a world first...  we bring you photographs of the latest Fenn surfski - the Fenn SURGE. The boat was delivered to Cape Town today; local paddler Mark Keeling was the recipient and took delivery at Fish Hoek this evening.  Surfski.info was there to capture some images...

As I shot down the face of the run, spray flying, I spotted the next dip in the water over to one side. A touch of the rudder pedal, a slight lean and the surfski turned towards it; through the dip and a neat curve in the other direction and I'd shot around the shoulder of the wave, accelerating again onto the next run. A crazy thought ricocheted around my brain: What was it that produced this feeling of extreme pleasure? Adrenalin? Endorphins? Dopamine? All three? Whatever it was, the feeling of playing with a new boat definitely added to it.

I had the good fortune to paddle the latest Fenn creation last weekend – the Mako Elite Slim Line (SL).  I’d heard that the boat was tippier than the Elite and I was curious to see how I’d handle it.

Sam Dawson was catching waves in his Fenn Mako XT at a favourite spot near South Sound, Grand Cayman.  Suddenly his world turned upside down - literally.  “I got caught by a wave and flipped off,'' Dawson said. “The wave took the surf ski away from me - I assumed never to be seen again.”

There’s a whole crop of new and updated surfskis from around the world.  Here’s a round-up of just some of them.

When I lost my beloved carbon Fenn Mako6 at the end of a disastrous downwind, I took the opportunity to order a new carbon Mako Elite from Keith Fenn.  Hearing of my dire ski-less condition he delivered a new one very rapidly and I've been paddling it for the last couple of months.

Most of us know the sadness and despair of breaking a ski, and usually the pieces are consigned to a dumpster.   But when Dale "T-bone King" Lippstreu smashed his new Fenn Mako Elite Double recently at the end of a downwind paddle, he met the challenge full on.