Looking to step up to some type of beginning surf ski yak. Been sea yakking for years and I have the need for speed. Any recommendations for a budget minded yakker?? Thanks.
Dave in Knoxville
entry level skis
HI. we’ve been through this quite a bit- try searching the forums a little. In a nutshell- there are pretty much three entry level surfskis. The Fenn Mako XT is a very nice boat, very stable, but definitely ocean capable and faster than almost any kayak. The Futura 2 is also an entry level ski- I had one for several years. The newer versions are supposed to be better than the one I had. I had fun with it and it got me ready for more advanced boats. There is a used on on the board- check the classifieds. There is also a new Epic V10 Sport- supposed to be a bit faster than the XT, but that may just be marketing talk. The next step up is probably a Mark 1 from CustomKayaks. I have paddled one for several years. Very nice boat. Mine is seriously beat up now but I still use it pretty much every week. There is actually a 4th entry level now that I think about it- the Huki S1R. I don’t know much about it.
Andrew
not speaking from much experience
except I paddled a Futura 16,19 a few times,then ten yrs later paddled a Futura 19 again. It feels a lot more stable than some sea kayaks.