Epic V10 Surfski | OCPaddler.com

from the yahoo surfski group:

"Here's my skinny on the V10. It's worth noting that I had an absolutely
disastrous race on the V10 crossing the channel. Though I paddled the preceding week along Oahu in quite big and sloppy seas -- lots of refracted waves off Portlock -- and though I got more and more used to the funky water, on race day

I was simply overmatched in the confused swells in the channel -- many of
which featured 20 foot faces with surface waves going hither and yon...so don't judge the boat by my performance. I really thought it a first class ski.

Comfort: It's the most comfortable ski I've paddle -- heaps easier to sit
in for long periods of time than my Fenn.
The movable footbrace: a great feature; it's easy to move and makes it a ski you and I could own easily.
Speed: It's fast. I can't say that it's faster than the Fenn because I've
not time trailed on flat water. Dean Gardiner and Nathan Baggaley fought
Oscar and Herman to a virtually draw in the relay race in Kauai on a Fenn so I'd say the jury is still out. My sense is that it surfs steeper stuff better
than the Fenn -- not a factor in the east but relevant in HI waters.
Surfing: The best boat I've ever been in; no question. Ask Mark Sandvold about this.
Stability: as I said, it's more stable than the Fenn for sure. I was able
to paddle it all week along the wall at Portlock and Makapu without
swimming. I wasn't able to crank like I can in modest chop back home but I noted how much more stable it was than my Fenn...which is why I figured if the channel was sort of mellow I could go well. It wasn't and I couldn't handle the conditions and swam a lot and was like a human rotisserie trying to remount the ski. That's me not the ski.
Overall: I really am impressed with the boat and the other South African
guys that I spoke to loved it in the runs. Greg Barton, who is brilliant in
any boat, said he noticed the difference most in the last hour of the race --
a time when his stability is compromised by fatigue -- and that is a plus for
real marathon racers. But with the adjustable foot pedals and added
stability it's a great ski for us mere mortals and one you can grow into for
years to come."

JG

#1 Wed, 06/22/2005 - 5:35pm

It sounds like you had a great time at Molokai. I Look forward to competing in it myself someday.

Dave

#2 Sat, 06/25/2005 - 2:46pm

oh, sorry, that post wasn't from me..I just reposted a message that Joe Glickman wrote to another forum. It's the only real review I've found so far of the boat.

#3 Sun, 06/26/2005 - 6:17am

See [url]www.surfski.info[/url] for a full review of the V10, here's the intro....

Two things become immediately apparent when taking to the water in a V10. The first is comfort – it has by far and away the best seat of any ski that I have paddled and it seems to suit a lot of backsides because I have heard this comment from just about everyone who has tried a V10.

The second is the reassuring stability of the ski with a very good balance between primary and secondary stability. In my experience primary stability can be a bit of a liability in rough conditions but there is a “sweet spot” and the V10 seems to have found it.

#4 Fri, 12/16/2005 - 9:57am

The boat sounds good from reviews, but for the same layup is it really worth paying $1000 more than comparable boats? If the V10 was priced comparably to the Fenns and other skis from OceanPaddleSports than it would be the hot ticket. At 1000$ more I am not so sure.

#5 Fri, 12/16/2005 - 11:58am

I own a Huki S1-R and regularly paddle the S1-X too. I paddled a V-10 this weekend in confused waves caused by high winds and opposing current and swells. The boat is comfortable to paddle. The seat feels higher than the Huki's, reducing the primary stability. Secondary stability is good. Unfortunately, I was using all of that stability to keep moving. A top ski paddler will be happy padding this boat. If you have less experience, it may be too tippy except in relatively flat water.

Later, I paddled the same water in the X and was a happy paddler again. You can't be fast if you can't paddle the boat!

The Hukis are really great boats. Once again I was reminded what good quality products Jude produces. The V-10 that the local shop received was a "blem." Along the sides of the boat, there are many gaps where epoxy hasn't fully impregnated the cloth. After a 2 hour paddle, I poured between 1/2 to 1 liter of water out of the drain. The rudder post is very soft, resulting in a bent rudder at the slightest provocation.

[quote="jaquesa"]See [url]www.surfski.info[/url] for a full review of the V10, here's the intro....

Two things become immediately apparent when taking to the water in a V10. The first is comfort – it has by far and away the best seat of any ski that I have paddled and it seems to suit a lot of backsides because I have heard this comment from just about everyone who has tried a V10.

The second is the reassuring stability of the ski with a very good balance between primary and secondary stability. In my experience primary stability can be a bit of a liability in rough conditions but there is a “sweet spot” and the V10 seems to have found it.[/quote]

#6 Mon, 12/19/2005 - 7:59am