Found an old video of Sean Morley putting the plastic V7 through his paces. Some of the places in the video aren’t areas that I would expect many would take a composite ski. So, the heavier (more indestructible) plastic ski may have “advantage” there. 
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Nice pics!
I mentioned this leash to a friend and he said our group had an unintentional disconnect failure at the quick release Biener. Probably not a problem 99% of the time but something to consider on critical paddles.
He recommended just removing the quick release as its not needed and just a failure point.
Similarly, I just unleash myself if I ever have to go through the surf. Luckily I have access to protected outlets most of the time which means I can reaming connected at all times.
Not the optimal season to bring home a surfski, but there it is.
Supposed to be around 36 degrees air temp this Saturday. Might gIve remounting practice a try as well as the “new” wing paddle (thanks, Pikeabike!)
-Mahalo!
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Any season is good for a new boat. Congratulations!
If you have liquid water, above freezing temps, and a dry suit, any weather is good for bringn home a new boat! Congrats and let us know how it goes.
Thanks. We got a tiny snow storm going on today, which will bring some surf paddling opportunities (with my Sterling and not the V7) for the next couple of days. Looking forward to some surf play.
Just as well. While I wouldn’t do this with a composite surfski, I am working on installing deck rigging and a bit of line to the back deck of the plastic V7. Since I mostly paddle solo, I would feel more comfortable with having/strapping a spare paddle on the back deck for a contingency. Don’t want to be caught in the middle of, or crossing, a major Boston Harbor shipping channel without a paddle.
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It’s going to be awhile before I’ll get to do surfski remounting practice, unless I take it out to the open ocean beach break.
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Finished installing some rear deck lines and reflective stickers on the V7. (Hmm… why are most surfskis sans decklines?)
We are into the 40s today. But, snow is expected tomorrow and we go back into a deep freeze for most of next week. The protected bays are going to stay frozen for awhile.
Have to admit I feel antsy to try the new surfski and wing paddle. Will wait for the next “warm” (above 30) and CALM day and try to play close and parallel to the open beach break shoreline.
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Most surf ski owners tend to be fanatical about excess weight and unnecessary hardware. No deck lines, bungees. painters, etc. Most skis are useless for performing an assisted rescue because most have absolutely nothing for the person in the water to grab onto.
Some of the Epics like yours are unusual for having hatches and watertight storage.
I think it isn’t just the decklines and hardware itself that adds weight. If they add that stuff, they have to beef up the layup so that when/if it’s used, you don’t have stressed hardware breaking free from the shell, and worse, creating a hole. My V10 has the 4 fittings and some deck line right behind the seat like the V7 there, so a lot of them have at least something.
You can still offer significant assistance to help someone remount. Pull alongside, grab each side up at the front of the foot well, and hold down on both sides. I think ability to remount is taken fairly seriously. So it becomes much more unlikely to have someone who really struggles to remount even in perfect conditions. And once back on, you do still have a raft, which with a little practice and understanding, turns 2 unstable things into a relatively stable platform. I practiced assisted surfski recoveries with a group, so there are some legitimate possibilities there.
I had fun surfing a V7 at Folly Beach here. It washed out from under me trying to peel off the wave over the broken top a couple times. So there’s some getting used to no longer being able to control the boat via legs connected to the deck. So I definitely have to recalculate how to negotiate those situations with nothing but gravity and foot straps. I really had a hoot surfing a V9 off of Deveaux Banks out here on some smooth rolling swells, trying to work on some cutbacks, or really just working on going from slightly going left, back to slightly right, back to slightly left. Nothing looking too skilled on my part. The good thing is that you don’t need something steep and breaking hard to start getting a handle on these things. I think your background will give you a nice learning advantage in that regard.
I am not using to my surfski to get speed. Rather just for open swell surfing. So, the weight is not a major issue except when getting the ski to and back from the water’s edge. (I find regular resistance/weight training very helpful in this regard.) In adding the extra fittings behind the hatch, I used extra large washers in front of the nuts to make sure the screw doesn’t get pulled out in a stress event. That added rigging is really to allow for carrying a spare paddle (my own psychological stuff) when I get to far from shoreline. I don’t expect to put much pressure on that. I did add deck grab lines (encased in tubing on the existing rigging behind the seat area. I actually need this because I find the existing handles on the surfski not exactly it the mid balance point when lifting/carrying the V7. That back deck grap line gives another hold for steadying the V7.
Ok. Something to be aware of and anticipate. Read that some folks used surf wax around the seat area to help give some fiction and maintain better control. I find surf wax on a paddle shaft helpful with maintaining grip and blade orientation when wearing neoprene mitts.
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Probably among the racing segment. I am not a racer, but I am not sure how the loss of several ounces help more than better training and conditioning… Obviously, the racers have more to say and consider than I would in this regard.
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A few ounces of weight probably makes very little or no difference in speed. However I have known some people who have even taken hatch covers off to reduce weight. One person even had his kayak partially sink when conditions turned out to be worse than he expected. He didn’t finish well.
Surf skis can provide considerable help in a remount of another surf ski, but they are of little help in helping someone in a sea kayak successfully perform an assisted rescue using traditional methods. There is little for the person in the water to grab onto on the ski.
The V7 I think is pretty sturdy, and I think what you’re describing will work great. I wish I had a good way to add some tie downs for a spare paddle. I guess I could keep a 4 piece attached to the bungies behind me. If my main paddle is broken or I somehow lose hold of it, having one that I can take some time to get ahold of and put together before continuing sure beats not having a spare just because I can’t quickly grab it ready to use. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good type thing.
I did some remounts today in our version of January cold in SC. Water temperature 51 degrees. Air 40 degrees. I had my wife try to catch some on video after my first few. In one of them the air in my pants kind of had me discombobulated for a couple seconds. It’s kind of funny on the video. I did practice the grab the footloops before removing the feet. I think for me, this will remain my muscle memory practice, so I don’t have to think about it. It feels extra secure to me. In my experience so far, if I was only off balance enough that I could kick up a leg and be remounted without my lifejacket touching the water, I’m correcting myself with a brace. For now, my remounts are a lot slower than that. But to me, I felt pretty good about how they went. It all felt pretty deliberate and controlled, other than my legs flopping on the other side of the ski on the one. I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff to tune in though.
Thanks for sharing those videos! I am looking forward to trying the remounts. It’s initially similar to remounting a waveski, except I go from a chest/stomach crawl onto the deck and then lift one leg over into a straddle. However, have not idea how “tippy” the V7 will be.
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That took some serious energy! Have you moved to the Charleston, SC area?
It keeps the blood flowing enough to keep me warm out there. I like to have a session like that now and then at the end of my paddle so I remember what it’s like after some wear. On Saturday it was sea kayak rolls, re-enter and rolls, and scramble recoveries at the end of my paddle.
We moved to Charleston in Sept 2020, and we’ve been on Seabrook Island for over a year now. I’m incredibly fortunate to have that as my front yard.
Yes you are. My Dad used to take us there when it wasn’t developed. We’d go fishing at Dewees Bank.
