Surfski Knowledge Base

duncanhowat
11/10/10 #9611

Well here it is, close to mid nov, dark, cold,( but more wind)not very many post's,so I'm wondering , seeing that a lot of people are getting a least 2 boats, a 17“ and a 19”, which boat is overall, fastest in serious conditions, and which is best overall. Conditions would be :flat water:just white caps;3-4' waves (wind, it's all we get here) and 6-8' Gorge stuff. And then rebound nasties.Seems like we have experience in the Fenn XT Huiki R and Epic Sport, (fat boy) and the Think Evo. Of course the lay up and overall weight will have a bearing also. I've paddled the R a little and the sport lot. The Think Evo once and never in the Fenn. So this winter I'll try to sort it out and check in later. DJ, I need to paddle one of your Fenn's and someone's R.I can say this about my lightweight sport, catches waves like crazy ,quicker than my V10 to jump on small waves. Stable as a rock except when suprised by a quartering wave from the rear.But overall in tough water I'm faster in the sport. But thats just me ,old and mid-pack with 3 years in and out of the saddle.

Duncan

kathleen petereit
11/11/10 #9613

Duncan,

This spring Jude is coming out with a new Huki S1R. Same stable hull but with slightly less freeboard and the deck will be like the Huki Special's.

Kathleen

Reivers Dustin
11/11/10 #9614

I believe he is adjusting the rudder and seat position forward also, similar to what was done going from the S1-X to the Special. This couple of inches changed the way the boat behaves on waves way out of proportion to the small adjustments that were made.

For myself, working the Special downwind is much more fun than the X. I'm not sure if or why the rudder position matters (lever-arm of turning force relative to the boat's apparent center of moment?) But a lot of you K-1 and canoe guys are hyper-tuned up on boat trim. Down-wave trim is a big deal and maybe not the same as flat water trim.

I suspect that the Sport, Evo, R boats match up pretty close. The Fenn XT is a departure and might stand out one way or another.

I think these more general purpose boats are neater than the cat's pajamas.

rd

dnjacobson79
11/11/10 #9615

Good post, I like the discussion regarding phat boats. I've been impressed with the New XT design, especially like the fact the rudder has been moved forward six inches for better traction while surfing. I'm doing a little experiment next year and will race the carbon XT in the big sloppy races, stick to the Elite for everything else. Taking the 36lb glass XT out in the 'really big days' has been great thus far, and honestly the only time I notice the weight is unloading the boat at Wildcat Cove, once it hits the water it's my big day race car.

After the Athens Olympics, slalom kayak length regulations decreased by one meter and racers around the world tested different length hulls. Slalom kayaking is a completely different sport and the race time these days is about 90 seconds depending on the venue, but surprisingly everyone got faster in shorter boats - even the really big racers.
It seems like the math on hull design for a flatwater boat is far simpler than a surf ski, which in my mind is a combination of flatwater, endurance, and 'whitewater' performance factors. When you're 90 minutes into a race and having to deal with swell and wind from the side, maybe a stable hull to work from is the ticket? The closes I got to the lead pack in California this past summer was shaking Mocke's hand at the start, so maybe it's time for this Whatcom paddler to go phat….

Do I see a 'Whatcom Paddler Phat Boy Experiment' in the future for surfski.info??
-DJ

Larry <lbussing@…>
11/11/10 #9616

I saw an experiment one time where you set up a short course and raced your boat. Then you turned around and race a different boat. etc. At the end you add up all the times on the person and boat. Now you know who's fastest and which boat is. sort of. It'd be a kick to try it on sloppy water in front of Boulevard Park. Larry B.

Larry Goolsby
11/11/10 #9618

Duncan…..One of these days when it's bumpy on the bay, we'll have to swap your Fat Boy for my R. I've never paddled a Sport. Could be interesting.
LG

gdcinbc <gdcinbc@…>

11/13/10 #9630

I've owned both an Evo and V10 Sport. I'd have to say in the flat to mellow stuff, the Evo is slightly faster (to me). For some reason i have found it surfed waves a bit better and just feels like it goes thru the water a bit smoother. When it gets choppy/sloppy i go faster in the Sport, (balance is not my strength!).
BUT, with the above stated, these two boats are so close overall that it really is up to the paddler to make the difference.
my 2 cents
Gary (Vancouver)