Good kayak for the surf?

My old thread about building a surf kayak was archived so I will ask a new question…



What is a good kayak for small surf play? I mean, what kayak has a good hull design for surfing that I could use as a model? It won’t be anything huge (texas coast) but mostly for playing around.

Thanks in advance

Wow! Where To Start?
There are many options when it comes to paddle surfing.



To start with, there are a number of plastic SOT kayaks designed for surfing - the Wilderness Systems Kaos and the Cobra Strike come to mind. Then you have a class of paddle surf craft identified as Wave Skis…crafted along the same lines as a surf board but with indentations shaped into the deck for butt and feet. A couple of popular wave skis are the Australian Wave Master and the Infinity Mosquito. And finally, there are the surf-specific closed deck kayaks fashioned along the lines of white water kayaks. There are many options emerging in this group as new designs are being developed all the time. To name a couple of designer/manufacturers…PS Composites, Mega, Riot.



You might want to check into the http://www.BoaterTalk.com site, go to the Surf Zone forum and post your inquiry.

On those lines …
If you want a design that will catch and surf small waves you want some length to the boat, but length will mean less maneuverability. If you have a lot of choppy surf you don’t want a HP wave ski design. I think a good design for what you have in mind would be to copy the hull of Mike Johnson’s Mako Kayaks, the Aquarius is the best design so far in his series but you probably want a longer boat like the original Mako, it’s 9’6" and can catch any wave that is catchable. It tends to pearl though on steep walled up waves, so a smaller boat with more rocker (say like a Mega Maverick) would be better if you are going to surf very steep shorebreak. Confused? I’m not sure I was much help.

Start A "War"
with that quiry on BT. The usual egomaniacs will take over. The original poster would be left thinking, “What the…!?”



To the orignal poster, I suggest again that you look at Nick Schade’s prototype design. I am pretty sure that would on work on waves up to chest or head. After that, I am not sure if the rails are sharp enough to really hang in there on big, steep walls.



http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/MT



sing

any planing hull
white water boat will get you started…find a used cheap one somewhere…

yeah even my boogie has
sharper rails than the schade design.



Hard to say though, it could be fine for steeper waves.

I Agree!

– Last Updated: May-25-06 10:36 AM EST –

I wonder if it's worth the effort of building a surf kayak when one is just starting out. I personally would just get a used ww boat and go out and have fun, especially if I were playing in smaller waves.

My first "surf boat" was a Riot Trickster. It proved to be a pretty good surfer as far as white water boats go because of the fin option (night and day difference on a wave when finned and finless). The Trickster and larger Prankster were all built off the Dominatrix series/design. They all have fin slots. Dominatrix comes in 41, 44 and 47 gallons. Trickster is 48 gallons and Pranster is 51 gallons. In other words, you should be able to find one among this for your size. They are often seen on the classifeds for about $300-$400.

sing

What Was I Thinking?

– Last Updated: May-25-06 12:30 PM EST –

I should have thought twice about recommending a visit to BoaterTalk.

If ever you want to be numbed into a stupor, spend a few minutes pursing the inane chatter on BoaterTalk. Never has so much been written about so little... Many of these folks live in their own little world, oblivious to anything other then their own narrow, often self-serving, opinions.

my first was a

– Last Updated: May-25-06 12:31 PM EST –

perception corsica matrix...a boat that taught me that i wanted a planing hull....
then on to a dagger gt....great planing hull boat that surfs quite well....albeit more like a long board-long beachway rides....not much carving in this boat...but i had a LOT of fun!!!!!
now i am on to fins and fibreglas....

Forgot … you were going wood
Yes I’d agree with sing as long as you are less than about 180 lbs that looks like good design.

Modifying a Jive
If you get a regular jive or 8’10 some folks have flattened the tail rocker and added fins. See Dave Church’s web page. You can buy these boats for $300. A Strike or Kaos will surf better though.

thanks
thanks for all the suggestions, it really helps.



For those that question my wanting to build one I guess it would help to know that I love woodworking and projects in general, so the design and construction would not really be a hassle at all, but a project that I would enjoy doing. Who doesn’t like a challenge now and then?



If I find decide to do this I will keep y’all up to date



Thanks Again