Latest Surfski News

Tuesday, 17 October 2023 07:11
“What the bloody hell are you doing here?” I thought to myself a few moments after launching on the brand new V10 4G for the first time. It was getting dark; it was raining; the squalls were lifting sheets of spray off the water… directly offshore. What WAS I thinking? The answer is that I’m a sucker for new toys – and if I get my hands on one, I HAVE to play with it. Damn the weather, full speed ahead… Since then I’ve paddled the boat many more times, in much pleasanter weather. Here’s what I think of this,…
Thursday, 08 June 2023 12:42
East London, South Africa: Angus Warren watched helplessly as the shark’s teeth crunched through the hull of his surfski. “It seemed to go on and on,” he says, “pushing and chomping. I was thinking, why is it not working out that it isn’t food? “I can’t tell how long it took, but I had enough time to shout a couple of times to the others.” The next thing he knew, he was in the water…
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Thursday, 27 April 2023 18:42
CAPE TOWN - Hank McGregor and Josh Fenn convincingly claimed back their Prescient Freedom Paddle title on Thursday in a dramatic race marked by tough conditions and a rain-delayed start.  Conditions were extremely tough - a brisk northwester blowing spray from the big confused chop into the paddlers' faces as they headed out to the island.  Huge breaking surf on the far side of the island ensured a wide line but the wind dropped as the fleet started on the journey back to the finish, making it that much more difficult and energy sapping to catch the runs.  
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Tuesday, 25 April 2023 11:50
Last Friday, however, I paddled with Dawid on a windless autumn evening in Cape Town. Cruising from Fish Hoek to Muizenberg, we paddled together, stopping at all the coves to surf a few waves. In short, the operative word was "fun". This was a different Dawid - off duty - and, well, I've never paddled with anyone so noisy before. Whistling, singing, shouting to folks on shore - yahooing as he caught a wave. Heading home at dusk we crept up behind a group of seals lazing on the surface. Dawid began barking like a five-year-old paid by the bark...until…
Thursday, 09 February 2023 07:39
A look back - aaaaargh! A mountain. Let it go through... A smaller one, with a glimpse of something massive lurking further out to sea. Catch it, catch it! Sprint, sprint, you’re on it, here’s the break zone, keep going, keep going, the roar from behind and the sudden acceleration as a massive foamy caught up to me, keep it straight, keep it straight... Phew. Arrived. Panting. Stop the watch. ok. Made it. Empty the boat, pick it up to prevent it knocking you down. Done.
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Saturday, 26 November 2022 17:16
The South Africans cleaned up today at the most prestigious surfski race in Australia – arguably the most prestigious race in the world - taking five out of the top six places and the entire podium at the Shaw and Partners “The Doctor” in Perth. Defending women’s champion, Kiwi Danielle McKenzie won the women’s trophy.
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Saturday, 19 November 2022 13:01
Gold Coast paddler, Cory Hill, took first scalp in the five-event ocean ski racing series, the Shaw and Partners WA Race Week, winning the inaugural race today, the 24km Fenn West Coast Downwinder from Fremantle, just south of Perth, to Sorrento Beach. In fine conditions with a 16 knot SSW wind courtesy of the famed Fremantle Doctor, the start off Port Beach was intense with the top paddlers in a terse battle to make the first break.   But it was 33-year-old Hill – the 4-times DOCTOR champ who relishes the Perth conditions – who was able to shake the field…
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Tuesday, 16 March 2021 13:54
It’s not easy to catch a rolling, runaway single ski in 30kt of gusting wind – and as they attempted to grab it, Alex and his doubles partner lost their balance and fell into the water. By the time they’d remounted, the single ski was gone – blown away by the strengthening near-gale. They turned and paddled back upwind to find their buddy.
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Wednesday, 03 March 2021 12:08
Accident reports are easy to write when the story ends happily, but this one didn’t and it’s with a very heavy heart that I’m writing this, with a view to learning what we can from it.
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Wednesday, 15 July 2020 09:13
When the NSRI found Duncan MacDonald, he was approximately 6km off Smitswinkel Bay, drifting rapidly further offshore. Gale-force squalls whipped sheets of spray off the waves, reducing visibility almost to nothing. What Happened? Given the small size of the surfski community, there’s always intense interest whenever there’s a rescue. What happened? What did they do wrong? What can we learn from it? Clearly there are lessons to be learnt from any mishap – so here’s a description of what happened, shared with the permission and cooperation of the folks involved in the hope that we might all learn from this…
Friday, 24 April 2020 11:41
Durban – As the continued coronavirus lockdown grips the country, Canoeing South Africa will host a 24 hour Canoeing4COVID-19 event this weekend as a way to raise funds for members of the broader paddling community that have been badly affected by the lockdown.
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Wednesday, 11 March 2020 14:35
“Hey, Rob! Help!” The shouts penetrated the sound of the howling wind and crashing waves – and even through the noise it was obvious from the tone of his voice that something was seriously wrong. I turned and headed back upwind.
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Tuesday, 03 March 2020 14:43
Many paddlers use Personal Locator Beacons, or tracker apps like SafeTrx on their mobile phones. But handheld VHF radios are also a great choice to consider – especially when they’re DSC-capable like the Standard Horizon HX870E.
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Monday, 24 February 2020 12:01
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.
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Thursday, 26 December 2019 10:30
The shark smashed like a freight train into Roger Swinney’s surfski in an explosion of noise and spray, knocking him off into the water.  “I managed to get back on the ski,” he said, “but I fell off again and as I remounted the second time, I saw the swirl and tips of the shark’s fins. “I didn’t see it clearly, but from the force of it and the movement in the water, it looked big!”
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First Looks: Knysna Kayaks' Robberg Express

Saturday, 01 April 2006 16:15 | Written by 
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ImageTowards the end of 2005 a distinctly different ski made its appearance in Hout Bay in the hands of Tom Thring, and it made an immediate positive difference to his race results… Knysna Kayaks, the ski’s manufacturer, is known more for their river craft, but they seem to have scored a hit with this design.

It’s been a long time in the making. The design was started in the late 1980’s by the late Daniel Conradie but was shelved when he died. Hubby Sandberg took it on and the final result is the culmination of years of iterative prototyping and testing.

 

What’s different about it?

“I wanted to achieve a user friendly ski,” said Hubby, “comfortable, but at the same time manoeuvrable and quick on waves. Our design philosophy was to keep the paddler’s body weight as far forward as possible with more volume in the nose.” 

Knysna Kayaks Robberg Express Surf Ski 

Luckily it didn’t turn out as ugly as I thought it would!”

The seat is positioned some 8” further forward than any other ski. The extra volume gives the ski its characteristic bulged nose and its performance going downwind.

 Robberg Express Surf Ski - on wave

The cockpit has a single foot well and the rudder pedals are fully adjustable (although Knysna Kayaks will build you a made-to-measure ski if required). For Hubby the seat is an important part of the design. “Your feet are positioned lower than your bum,” he said, “this is the first ski that I can use for river training.

The back of the seat is cut away “which reduces the chances of hurting your back if you get taken out by a big wave”. Hubby said that they’re aware that the cockpit is very wet; the next version (there is only one mould at present) will see the rails raised by about 50mm.

 Knysna Kayaks Robberg Express Surf Ski - Cockpit

The photo shows how the ski narrows at the entry point, in front of the cockpit. The pads on either side of the seat were added by Tom Thring.  "I put foam on the sides of the seat to prevent my bum sliding from side to side," said Tom, "This makes a huge difference to stability and works better than wax. If you glue something smooth to the foam (I use the top slice of the expanded PE cake which they usually throw away) it doesn't prevent hip rotation".

The hull is flat under the seat – and this, Hubby said, gives the ski its stability. Hubby didn’t use computers for the design which was, he said, inspired in part by nature. “Look at the shape of a dolphin,” he said, “and you’ll see that 2/3 of the volume is to the front of the animal.” Hence the design philosophy to break water as far forward as possible. The shape is similar to that of a tear drop or wing.

“The ski seems to be fast,” said Hubby, “Matt Carlisle has been winning the Masters category up in Durban.”

Knee straps are in development and will be an innovative optional extra. “I’m petrified of coming out on the sea,” said Hubby, “and the straps make it possible to Eskimo roll the ski.” Hubby sees a future where paddlers who can Eskimo roll under big surf will have a huge advantage over those who simply fall off.

User impressions: Tom Thring

“The worst thing about the ski,” says Tom, “is the low freeboard. In any kind of chop, the cockpit fills faster than it drains so you find yourself paddling with about 10kg of unwanted extra weight.” (The next version of the ski will see raised rails being added to the design, see above.)

On the other hand, the cockpit is comfortable. Tom also owns a Fenn Mako Millennium: “The Robberg Express cockpit is much better than the Fenn’s,” he said, “no rubbing near the coccyx and it allows rotation of the hips so my technique is more similar to my K1 technique. This has definitely improved my performance.”

In terms of quality of finish, “The ski hull is better than most skis but not perfect. The hull is well faired and symmetrical, and nicely polished, but there are some wrinkles in the gelcoat near the seams. They appear to have used basic composite materials and processes and (mostly) good craftsmanship.”

 Knysna Kayaks Robberg Express Surf Ski on wave

Tom confirmed that the ski takes off well downwind. “It responds well to a few hard strokes, to get onto a run for example. My Fenn Mako and the V10s are probably about the same speed but don’t feel as responsive.

I like the bow-down attitude – the bow doesn’t get deflected by wind and chop. It doesn’t purl when on runs at all because of the fat nose.”

The stability is good too: “The stability is better than the Fenn Mako & Millennium – about the same as an Epic V10.”

What doesn’t he like about the ski? Apart from the wet cockpit, Tom wasn’t enthralled with the level of service from Knysna Kayaks. “Delivery was about a month late,” Tom said, “and there were issues with leaks even with standard lay-up (about 17 kg). It was a little unfinished – I had to find my own bit of tube for the air vent. There was no cover on the rudder cavity - they recommended leaving it open, so it can be sorted out at sea if there is a problem. They have promised me one, as well as the foot rest which they left off after fixing a leak…and that was a few weeks ago…”

All in all though, Tom’s happy with the ski. “I’ll be experimenting with some foam to improve the freeboard. I was a little disappointed with service and the ski could be refined in several ways, but other than the freeboard/drainage they have got the basics right.”

Conclusion

It looks as though Knysna Kayaks have added something new to the smorgasbord of new surf skis from which paddlers can choose. The ski is fast and stable enough even for intermediate paddlers and, once the teething problems have been ironed out, it should compete well in the marketplace.

 Knysna Kayaks Robberg Express Surf Ski

For more information, see: http://www.knysnaracingkayaks.com/