Which surf ski

There is no easy, perfect way to compare skis with so many variables. That obviously has not stopped me. I am not searching for perfection, just on water, real experience, in the conditions that are available to me with my GPS, Heart Rate monitor, time trial data, training partners, race partners, races, mix conditions, and a sensitivity for the performance of skis. I am also fortunate that I can fit in virtually every ski comfortably so I am not restricted by bucket size as some paddlers are.

There are 4 graphs. The first one represents 27 surfskis in all categories of skis: Novice, Intermediate, advance intermediate, and high performance skis HPS. The second chart is the most current HPS reviewed skis, plus a few others for a reference point. The 3rd chart is the 1st Generation skis high performance skis. Finally the 4th chart are the intermediate skis.

Obviously I have 2 more full years of data since but I had already tabulated the numbers as you can see below. I also have numerous GPS time trial data on my videos and within each review. You can see how consistent I have been over the years. I have logged the below stats for my 4 main time trial courses, hours rounded off:. Yes, you are correct, hull shape below seam is the same. The main difference is the deck volume is larger in SE and has 1 inch wider catch than the slimmed downed SEL.

Thanks for updating your charts. Are you planning an evaluation of the Fenn Swordfish anytime soon? Bob, Chris and I will be reviewing the Mohican. I have owned 3, Chris has 2 and has paddled his extensively over the past 2.

So we should have it up in the next month. Thanks for the chart update trying SEL out this weekend if all goes well with the organisation.

How about a Nelo Large? Ever tried one of those? Obviously the Name is a draw card, Afford one, not likely. Keep dreams going though. I tried the Nelos last year. They have nothing over the the other skis on the market. However, improvements have been made on the versions to correct this, but I have not demo one of these.

Thanks for updating the chart Wesley. He says their length is more suited to the wave length where I paddle. The 33lb legend significantly slower than the 27lb kevlar, 25lb carbon. Let me know once you paddle the Vault, and Evo 2 what you think. Your chart is really helpful Absolutely new to ski paddling so jumped into an Epic V8 because I am a big fella and feeling the need to change skis after only a couple of weeks.

Where would the V8 sit on your speed and stability axis lines compared to the Sellar SR Ay info much appreciated. Tony, do take these charts with a grain of salt. For a larger and heavier paddler many of these skis stack-up differently than they do for Wesley. So try for yourself.

Speed is another misconseption — while there is definitely a good deal of it in the ski, the paddler matters a lot more. On bumps he swims though and I laugh and manage to hang-in with the fast skis -;. I think, coming from a V8, you will find a V10 Sport right-up your alley, so to speak.

You may challenge yourself and skip the intermediate skis and go to the elite ones, but only if you plan on really persevering and avoiding really rough stuff for a while.

Tony, glad you found the Chart helpful. The V8 would be the most stable of any ski on the chart by far. The SR is the most stable in the intermediate class of skis. The speed of the SR is charted.

The V8 would be the most stable and the slowest of the boats on my chart. It is also the layup I personally would probably purchase. Judging from the speed difference between the two Epic V10S models you have listed- the Performance and the Ultra- it would seem that there is a very good possibility that the Stellar SR, in an Advantage build, would end up being the second slowest ski of all of the beginners skis.

Also, the Advantage layup is about 7 pounds heavier then the Excel. Would that extra weight significanlty add up to slightly more stability? Russ, All good observations and questions. Weight difference in skis like any other piece of equipment: Lighter is faster. You rarely ever see any of the Elite paddlers in the heavier layups of any brand they paddle because they have no stability issues. So if you have the skill level, lighter is faster.

Their goal is speed and to win races. I always ask paddlers what is your GOAL? I gave a lesson last week to a 6 month surfski paddler and his goal is to be competitive in the local races so he at some point will be buying a lighter ski.

In the group of paddlers I train and race with, my goal is to win, so I paddled the lightest ski for my skill level. Another paddler I know bought an SR Advantage a year ago. I tried to get him to buy the Excel layup knowing he was competitive. Now a year later, he wishes he had bought the excel layup because he would now place a few places higher in the rankings. Heavy skis are noticably more stable and 7lbs is HUGE in surfskis.

My rule of thumb that I have mentioned for years, is 4lbs is the threshold for skis. Under 4lbs difference not so much. Remember the perfect weight for a ski is lbs for racing, training, fitness etc. The caveat is if you need more stability due to your skill level or the conditions you primarly paddle in than a lb ski maybe appropiate. Anything over 32lbs is Heavy! So yes I have paddled the SR advantage. When I do my reviews, it is better to review the lighter ultra to mid weight Excel skis, so paddlers get a true sense of the speed since weight has such a negative impact on speed.

In comparing the intermediate skis evo,sport,swordfish,XT,SR,S1R, the speed differences are not quite as great because most every one does not have stability issues in these boats this is the whole point so they can paddled at full efficiency contrast that to the HPS high performance skis where stability is a concern and correlates to speed for all but the skilled paddlers in ocean conditions.

So yes I would rate the SR marginally slower than the other boats in this class due to design since it is by far the most stable of these class of intermediate boats as mentioned above. The V8,18S,Eze, are in the novice class of skis. Lastly, while my extensive data is helpful, it is a guide and if nothing else is a reference point for discussion. Keep in mind that my skill level and my weight lbs is relative to all my reviews.

Some boats are more stable with heavier paddlers. Hope this helps. Try as many skis as you can before you buy and fit is key as well. Thanks very much for taking the time to give such a detailed response and advice.

It is genuinely appreciated. Wesley, Thank you for the charts, they are awesome. I am a beginner and live on the west coast. Please advise. Eddie, no way twice as fast. The XT is one of the oldest designs skis with some updates.

The S1R has a new design which if an improvement over the previous model, should be an excellent option as well. My reviews were based on the older XT and S1R models. The SR is the most stable of the intermediate class of skis. I just had my new Ultra SR 22lbs out last night in downwind 12mph 1ft waves with new moon tide, with 4 inch rudder on one of my short Time trial courses and I average 7.

Not bad for a 19ft by 19in ski. Stellar has been out for 3 years now. The paddlers in Australia have alot of experience with the Stellars and the paddlers in Durban, South Africa are paddling Stellars now since they are there as well now. Stellar has worldwide distribution. Also more info in the forums on Surfski. Your job is incredible!! Thank you. Glad u enjoy the chart comparison. At some point when I purchase an Uno Max I will add to chart.

All the time and work done on this site by Chris, Mark, and contributors is in addition to our paid professional jobs. A light weight high performance ski with a flat water rudder is more stable,very versatile, and fast for all types of paddling. I used to paddle a Think FIT and was a lot more comfortable on it. Are you planning to test a Think EZE anytime? Thanks Pierre. How does one interpret the speed numbers?

They can be all be found on the the individual manufacturers site. You are correct in looking at the chart that the SEL is faster than the Sport and as stable. What you are missing is the fit component. All this skis fit differently. The sport will fit virtually everyone in all weights while the SEL design up to roughly. As far as the rating scale: you need to paddle a few skis so you have a baseline or reference point and the chart will have more significance to you. The biggest difference in speed is between the two classes of ski: High performance and Stable, now since the chart was done we have a novice class made up of the Stellar 18S, V8,and Eze.

The chart is a guide based on my extensive time trialing,racing and ownership. For the most part it has been confirmed by others paddlers worldwide. I assigned the value based on all my GPS date, race data, time trialing, and comparison to other paddlers I train with over the past 9 years. My wife sold her Fit to a friend and we bought her the SR a little over a year ago.

The SR has slighly less stability than the Fit, but more than the Evo. Most paddlers who are comfortable in the Fit find the SR an easy transition, and the SR is a noticably faster boat than the Fit. The Eze is an interesting boat. The cockpit is quite snug for bigger people — very reminiscent of the SES cockpit.

I can fit both the SES and Eze, but both are tight on me at the hips — not boats I would want to paddle for more than an hour at the most. I happened to find your comment today only but I still very much appreciate. Hi, I currently paddle a Stellar SE. I am very happy with its build quality and with its flat water performance.

It is a much better ski than I am a paddler. I have been racing on flat water and finishing fairly well but middle of the pack.

I want to race open water but I find mysely struggling at the back. I would persist in the rough stuff if not for the seat. I am wide across the hips and need a seat pad to fit.

Its not comfy after an hour or two. How much time will these skis lose over say 6 miles for the average paddler? The SR has a wider seat so I am guessing it will fit you without a pad to lift you up for width. In comparable layups the V10sport and SR are comparable in speed with edge going to sport but not by much.

The SR however, is extremely stable and much more so than sport. So if you are struggling in SE in the back of the pack, then you will move up in the pack in the SR in conditions. The SR is a wonderful rough water boat for even guys like myself. If you were equally competent in both SR and SE, the SE would be about seconds per mile faster in comparable layups and rudders. Especially in stability primary and secondary, comfort and speed in flat and in rough water.

I wonder why there is not any review of the Dominator XL because seems a very interesting surfski, produced in Portugal with a very awesome quality. Somebody says that the Zedtech Dominator XL is similar to the V10 supposing for the measures but I do not think the shape of the hull is exactly equal, consequently must be more than one difference in between the two boats.

Some of the less well know brands are country specific and even regional within country if shipping is costly or distibution is not set up by the manufacturer. So the Zedtech is not available in USA therefore not too much info is known about it.

Did you try posting in surfski. I think I did read something about it months or years ago. These companies really should just send you skis to demo since you do such a good and thorough job of it and then you can put them in your garage sale so we can get great buys on them. Everybody will sell more surf skis in this country so long as you and your buddies keep churning the pot with more and more info. I also have a Think Evo, and got the V8 for some longer river races.

I have done time trials and several short 5k 3. My fastes 5 mile time trial time was at a 6. My fastest 5k time in the V8 was at a 6.

I have also recently test paddled the new redesigned Epic V10 Sport and held a 6. The V10 Sport has much better initial stability than the Evo in my opinion. I really like the Evo, but I love the new V10 Sport. How are you feeling about the V10 sport now? Wesley, Thanks for up-dating your chart and for your recent comments. The information you provide is invaluable and, from my limited experience with several of the skis on your chart, I would say your comparisons are spot on.

Keep up the good work. Thanks for the updated detail. Following your past advice I purchased a Stellar SR Advantage ; loved it and 12 months later updated to the Excel layup. A few of my mates have the Epic, but my inclination is to stick with Stellar. As your chart shows very little between them in performance, my choice remains a dilemma. Wesley, how would you compare the Huki S1-XL to the new V10 in terms of primary and secondary stability? S1xl has significant secondary stability, has the best steering, very narrow catch, faster, with excellent cockpit and surfs great though Initial stability is less.

Bucket will fit virtually everyone. Both good boats but handling much different and much different feel. If u paddled a huki u know what I mean. Roger Swinney and his badly damaged surfski. Hill and Laird win in Close Racing in Perth.

Aside from getting to train with their heroes, the nippers walked away with lucky draw prizes to remind of a cracking day at the beach. Credits: Alese Watson Photography. Cory "Chill" Hill aka Mr. Consistent cruises home to win the first of two Sunset Series Races. The Snapper Run - Downwind in Perth. I could only laugh in reply — the runs were so clean, the water so clear, so warm, this truly is paddling paradise.

Approaching the bridge at the start of the Snapper Run. Latest Forum Topics. When is a ski unrepairable? Video of the week Video of the Week - Sharon Armstrong Surfski Schools Top Rated.

With so many choices and paddling conditions it is not easy locking one down. Hi Mark! Just wondering how is it that Think Zen and Carbonology Boost can be in the same group being the latest 35 cms longer. Would you say they are equivalent stability and speed wise? Thank you very much for your work. Great job, I live in Brazil and here we do not have representatives from all factories, so I can only understand the comparison, referring to EPIC surfski whose representative is very active in Brazil.

Hi Mark, I've whitewater kayaked for a number of years but now that I live alongside a beautiful flat tidal river I would really like to get into paddling a ski daily for fitness.

A guy at the river let me have a crack at his V10 Sport and boy was it a different beast! I learnt the hard way about stability and tipped it 3 times before limping back to shore! For me the stability was a big problem I am a novice after all. I loved the Epic surfski but would appreciate your advice on what ski I should be starting out on?

I don't intend to venture into ocean paddling at this stage and just want a ski that is stable, relatively quick, very light, easy to paddle, and of course, looks cool because we all know that's important : My research has been steering me towards the Epic V8 with its extra width but I am not sure if there is an equal or better option for a keen novice? I'm a slim 81kg and cm Thank you Steve. It's the ski that opened up the sport and has been a proven success for new paddlers.

We're occasionally asked if the Audax is just a surfski with a sea kayak deck, usually followed by our explanation that you can't ju Wednesday, 22 April Which Surfski for Me? Carbonology Cruze Exceptionally well made, stable, reassuring, well priced and light.

Probably as good a combination of qualities for either a new ski paddler seeking more stability, or a more experienced paddler looking to enjoy the ocean free of anxiety. Length cm. Width 53cm. Weight See Below. The category of elite is probably the smallest, these paddlers have generally been around for quite a while.

They need the least amount of information as they are fairly set on what they like and what works for them but in saying that they will still need to test paddle a boat as they can get a feel for what they like and if the boat they are after fulfils those needs. The reason to go with a professional opinion is that they will give you options and honest feedback in set up and choosing a boat that ultimately gets you ticking all the positive points mentioned above.

The most common factor is layup and what is right for you and what will give you ultimate performance. To go the lightest layup of ski or not. The biggest tip I will give you for these questions is that you must weigh up where you store the ski, are you racing, and do you have difficulty in getting the ski of the car? By weighing these factors up will make it easy for you in choosing the layup option. Also, storage of the ski will help in your decision such as if you leave your ski on the roof of your car or not or if you leave your ski under cover or not.

After that, factors to consider here are in the Epic layup are for the elite surf ski.