Trying to determine whether the Epic V7 is the right ski for me or should I move up to the V8 pro model?
I demo paddled a stellar SR and being my first time out felt it was a little tippy.
So I’m looking at either the V7 which I’m confident is very stable or the unknown stability for a newbie in the Epic V8 Pro.
Anybody have any experience in the V8 Pro they are willing to share?
Thanks in advance.
Mike
Depends
What are your end goals?
The balance, especially on the level of boat you described will come very quickly.
I haven’t been on a V8 Pro but I would guess it would be fine from the start.
Otherwise, what are you looking for? Surfing? Racing? Light touring? Fitness?
Although I havent
Although I havent paddled the V8 Pro, I think it should be a relatively easy boat to master. Its only slightly skinnier than many fast sea kayaks.
I’d say, if you want an easy to master boat that wont require a lot of seat time to get comfortable in, go with the v7. If you are willing to put a little more work into balance and form and can paddle a couple times a week or more, the V8 pro will be more fun in the long term.
In terms of ski stability, the V8 pro is probably a 6/10 and the V7 would be a 7 or 7.5/10.
Another reason for the V7 could be the price and durability. If you dont care about the weight and dont want to worry about damaging your boat, the V7 is hard to beat.
Personally, I’m hunting a Stellar SR, V10 Sport, or V8 pro for my first ski. I was a little tippy in the V10 double, but only fell out 2 times in 2 hours with an experienced partner, so I think a 19-20" ski is easily masterable for someone of moderate athletic ability. That said, you’ll swim a few times before you master it.
I just sold my Stellar 18S
because my back would not tolerate the position a surf ski seat put me in but I loved that boat. Flat water stability was a snap. My COG is a foot high than most but stability was very good.
I tried a friend’s V7 and it was even more stable.y Stellar was a beautiful boat.
Stick With The Stellar SR or
Better yet, get the SEL. Forget the V-7 or V-8, for in less than a week, you’ll be bored with them. If you can paddle the Stellar SR now, don’t worry about it being “tippy,” for that feeling will disappear in a week or two, if you paddle it daily. If you’re under 35, get an “Elite” ski and learn on that, for you’ll save lots of money buying just one ski, instead of buying a bunch of intermediary skis and wasting time going through the learning curve with each updated ski.