high performance use
Ferd, I was with you until you said “in my opinion the EFT is the best suited for high perfomance in large conditions”.
If you had paddled the other boats discussed in this thread and came to the conclusion stated above, I would have a greater respect for your opinion. However, like so many posts about opinions of boats never paddled, I find it hard to be a factual comparison.
The EFT is a good, maybe great boat. Someday you may outgrow it and move up or you may not. We all move on.
EFT
Just a picture of a surf ski in big water:
http://www.wavescape.co.za/top_bar/photos/Archives/2004/May2004/sa-pad_b_09.htm
yea
I saw that one on the surfski forum…that photo is awesome!!
love my eft
If the fastest boat is the best boat then what about the plastex icf racer used to win olympic gold in the 500 meter? One minute and 37 seconds to go 500 meters or about 13 mph in a 17 ft boat. The problem is only a handful in the world can actually paddle such a tippy boat. So the genius of Mr.Bushnell took an older stable icf design and added 4 more feet with a wonderful concave bow to ride up and over big stuff.The down side to skis is that some cd extremes are regularly resold because the owners never feel comfy while paddling them and sell them. It is easy to buy a used ski. I tried for 6 months to buy used eft and had to order a new one and love its rocket fast speed and stability but it should have front and rear bulkheads like my glider. So every boat has advantage and disadvantage. Dan Murn has won so many races in every type of kayaking from class 5 whitewater to icf flatwater and wildwater.
Hey, Sergey. It’s your fault!
You showed that awesome photo, and then, I thought:
“why am I studying for this test if I am going to get an “A” anyway…”
Suddenly, my ski was on my Jeep, and I went for a 5 miles paddle… 
Regards,
Iceman
Ice, I’m going out and paddle
too. Too darn beautiful to stay inside today. See you on the water, oh yeah I guess the curvature of the earth will get in the way.
Great photo of Greg Bertish, the guy must have a few screws loose to be on something that powerful, but he must have a lot of confidence too. I bet he hit 40 mph on a wave that big, can you imagine how hard the water is at 40 mph?
regards
DLonborg
You state that performance in large conditions is what surfskis are all about.
In terms of their design, what you say is certainly true. But like many other things it turns out not to be that simple. Because it assumes that the paddler can handle the boat, which is not always going to be the case. I’m talking about stability.
I recently spoke with a friend who paddles a surfski. He said that ski manufacturers are now designing more stable skis since they recognize that the fastest skis are too unstable for some paddlers. And obviously, if the boat - any boat - is too unstable for the paddler, its inherent speed means nothing.
If one considers the above, one realizes that ski manufacturers apparently are now taking a design approach in “detuning” their fast but tippy skis to improve user-friendliness similar to what Doug Bushnell did (with a very good result in my opinion)in designing the EFT.
Let me just say that for me, the EFT’s stability is not an issue. After paddling this boat for almost a year in a variety of conditions I have yet to capsize. Much of the time it requires little or no bracing, only the forward stroke, even in conditions. This tells me a lot about this boat’s stability.
So I think the main issue here (not the only issue) boils down to speed vs. stability. With the EFT, I get both - maybe not quite as much speed as a ski, but I can paddle the EFT as hard as possible in conditions with no concern about capsizing. And since I do not race, I want a more stable boat that still allows me to go fast while protecting me from the cold water, benefitting me aerobically and allowing me to have fun.
Regards,Ferd
Seawave
Your quote of what I said is not quite accurate.
What I said was that in my opinion the EFT is better suited for use in large conditions than its racing brethren.
I meant my statement as a comparison of the EFT to West Side racing boats. I did not mean to compare it with surfskis with which I have very little experience. Sorry if you took it that way.
I find your comment about “outgrowing” the EFT interesting. As I interpret it, you suggest that there is, or should be, some “natural progression” from the EFT to a ski. Sure that argument might be made if speed is one’s main priority. But if, as in my case, raw speed is not one’s main priority, then there are many other excellent boats available that may meet a paddler’s requirements as well as or better than a ski.
As I’m sure we can all agree, the “best boat” is a personal thing which stems directly from the individual needs and requirements of the paddler.
Regards, Ferd
ferd
I think my issue was less about the surfski than you percieve, but I might be wrong. I totally agree about personal choice being the best boat. I like the EFT, I’ve seen it perform and it is a great boat. I’m sorry if I sounded too judgemental. I guess what I meant about a progression isn’t necessarily that you will move up to a surfski, but that most people move on to other boats. There is a rare few that stay with the same boat. If a paddler can handle a tippy boat, then the inherent speed and handling ability of a thinner, longer, rounder hull may actually do better in worsening conditions. This could be a kayak hull or a surfski. It seems that beside the thunderbolt by Bushnell, there are very few kayaks in the 20-21’ range with an 18" beam. Is it that the sufski’s are pushing the envelope more than the kayak? I have paddled the 20’ Looksha II and it is nowhere near the same boat the 19’ Xt is let alone the 21’ Mako or Mark 1.
I think the whole racing issue is not important. The history of the EFT in the NE, however, does have alot to do with racing. It took the touring class by storm and ruffled a few feathers, when it started winning races. It became a bit of a black sheep you might say, as the Gliders, Looksha’s, QCC’s, and Epics seemed to be much heavier boats and not as fast. It was a good boat to shake up the complacency of the touring boat manufacturer’s. I am surprised it hasn’t been copied by one of the big companies, but they all seem to like the way the british boats look and still emulate them.
No hard feelings, enjoy your boat. But if you ever get the itch to try something new, at least look at the skis, they really are about fun just like the kayak.
Seawave
Hard feelings? About what?
I agree with what you say: the EFT is a very good boat.
I admit I was unaware of the EFT’s history in the NE and found your report interesting. It should not come as any surprise that, as you say, the EFT shook up the touring category, since it is in reality merely a “detuned” racing boat, and as such it differs in many respects from the fast conventional kayaks you mention.
In designing the EFT, Bushnell kept all of the racing features of his true racing boats, changing only the volume. These features - each of which contributes to the boat’s speed - include a racing hull shape (long waterline length; narrow waterline beam; swedeform shape; and a round bottom); racing rudder and footbrace system; legs-free ergonomically correct racing paddling position; and very light weight. When all of these design elements are added together, it seems unfair to compare the EFT with the fast traditional kayak. It truly is a different breed of boat. In this sense I can understand the frustration others must have felt, as you mention, when having to race against the EFT.
Anyway, good luck in your ski racing endeavors. In the meantime you can be assured I will continue to enjoy my (non-racing) EFT.
Regards, Ferd