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[Email from reader Justin O'Sullivan] Re your article on copyright in Surfski design, I've attached a short article by John Winter from http://www.greenlandpaddle.com/ on innovation in kayak design which I think you may find interesting. In summary, his view, albeit based on kayak design, is that key design elements for the hull have remained much the same for many centuries and lists only 5 changes that can be considered truly innovative.

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On a recent trip to Europe I was amazed to see no fewer than three copied surfskis offered for sale.  There were copies (with minor deck modifications) of the Epic V10, the Fenn Mako6 and the Fenn XT.  When I asked about the skis, I was told that it was "almost normal in Europe" and that the manufacturers concerned regularly copied K1s and had simply extended their operations to include skis. 

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Imagine that little Johnny hands his essay in to his university lecturer.  "I've copied someone else's paper," he says, "but it's ok, I've only used 70% of it and I've improved some of the details."  "It's a great piece of work," he adds, "the original had very good reviews."

Unlikely?  This appears to be exactly what Damien Daley has done with his "70%" copy of the V10, the "XLR8 Odyssey" surf ski.