silly idea…
…but I just had to say it: Friction decals, like they use at the bottom of bath tubs? =D
Hello Dan Murn you fast racer
Dan did not say he is so fast in the narrowest skis made, such as epic ultra. My left wrist bothers me so I tried running. Will be at rochester marathon again this year sept 23. About 4 years ago ted van dusen told me I am too fat to make his mohican plane so I run to lose a few pounds. Dan also did not say how he surfs huge waves at his camp in pulaski, the eastern end of lake ontario. Have a good one, Dan! How is our mutual buddy from west side boat shop?
call me
Dave give me a call been to long buddy
315-573-3712
Not silly
I did buy a roll of friction tape, but I would still like some deck lines, somehow.
decklines?
I just use a body leash attached from my waist to a custom glued-on carbon fitting on the stern. Sterling Kayaks made if for my boat. I find it way better than the leg leash in the cockpit. It never gets tangled or in the way and lays flat on the back deck when paddling. I’ve tested it out in the Columbia gorge with the boat flying like a kite in 35kt gusts.
In general, everyone gets along just fine with out decklines. When remounting you only grab the sides of the cockpit so I’m not sure what good they would do you. The deck is not reinforced properly for decklines so adding them would be tricky.
Deck line install
– Last Updated: Aug-29-12 6:32 PM EST –
qajaqer2 - You can use EZPlugs epoxied to the deck of the boat with GFlex epoxy. Surface under plugs has to be roughed up with sandpaper and cleaned with something such as denatured alcohol before the EZPlugs are glued down. You can then run 3/16 cord through the EZPlugs around the deck of the boat...
Do not trust the glue that comes on the units because it can fail in a very short time-frame...
http://www.surfcohawaii.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=A-EZPLUGRIGID
If you shop around you can probably find them or a similar product cheaper... Jude at huki.com has them in black and clear for 2.50. This link has two for 7.99.
http://www.a1skateboards.com/search.asp
Of course even with epxoy there is still a chance of failure and that has to be understood. It may also lower the boats value when resold for those that would prefer the boat without them...
Better Grip
Try taking a couple of strips of 2" wide Velcro, fuzzy side, and affix them to the inside rails of the cockpit. You’ll be able to grasp it easily for remounts; works well for carrying also.
Swimming
Nice to know there are other surf skiers on the board. I thought I was somewhat of an athlete till i tried surf ski. This is not your father’s old town canoe!!
Yesterday after work thought I would practice a bit. I did practice, swimming.
Not sure why i had such a bad day on the water. I could not put together more than 10-15 strokes before i went over, A setback for sure.
I did notice that i was very tense and no doubt this did not help.
I did learn that after 6 remounts I had no gas left in the tank. i was exhausted.
Short day in the ski, maybe 40 minutes, tops.
Baffling cause other days i feel much better and can paddle without a swim. Biggest issue is when I use the rudder to turn for some reason i get totally messed up and go for a swim. I think it is all in my head. Question for you experienced skiers; Do i keep my upper body centered and perpendicular or do i sort of edge the ski when turning?
Well back at it tomorrow.
For Balance - take it or your kayak
– Last Updated: Aug-30-12 5:44 AM EST –
Take the ski or your kayak to rough conditions that challenge you. Practicing in a safe location in white water or just strong currents and waves with either a white water or sea kayak and later with the surf ski will help you a lot to develop a feel for the balance and bracing required with tippy boats even on flat and easy water.
The V10 Sport (which I too have been paddling for a bit more than a year now) is actually stable enough on flat water that, once you figure out how to center yourself, you can take photos, eat your lunch, drink, or just look around you without the need to brace or keep a paddle in the water (can't really do that in some of the less stable boats as they lack the rather "solid" secondary stability of the V10 S).
Bracing is very important too - you will need to develop solid bracing skills to be comfortable in a ski in anything but flat conditions. There are 2 components to bracing: during the stroke to maintain balance while propelling yourself forward and dedicated bracing to not go over (should be used only occasionally)
You will develop these core balance and bracing skills over time, but my point is that you can help yourself and speed-up the process if you take any boat in conditions that challenge you in that boat.
EDIT: more on the "centering" - yes, you got that right: need to center to maintain balance and that is much more apparent in a surf ski which has relatively much more tender stability than a stable kayak. Many folks practice in very unstable K1 racing kayaks just to develop a better feel for this kind of balance. In a stable kayak you can be sloppy and decenter yourself to no consequence: just edge a bit and the stability of the kayak kicks-in and takes care of the little imbalance. Some say that even skis like the V10 Sport are too stable to develop fine balance and centering feel that are necessary to successfully paddle the less stable 17" skis. That is certainly true for use on flat water - after a few months it will no longer be a challenge to balane it. But you can still use the V10S in progressivley rougher conditions to the same effect - learn to remain centered and apply full power to the water, which the centering is all about. If you are not centered you are bracing and thus lose power that you could use for forward motion otherwise... Even in a really stable kayak like the P&H Delphin or a 27" wide white water kayak, if you take them to the "right" conditions, you will learn that if you are not centered, you lose balance and have to brace, thus reducing your ability to either maneuver or propel yourself. So the concept carries over both ways: I feel my paddling white water has helped with my balance and bracing on the ski and the finer centering feel on the ski has helped me stay better centered in the stable boats. The fine centering feel is much harder to develop in a stable boat that does not challenge you and masks even your bigger errors...
rudder size vs stability
The big Epic surf rudder tends to make you tip more when turned hard compared to the general purpose rudder. You need to be ready to counter that tip when you turn by sinking a hip. Best not to brace if at all possible. I find the surf rudder is only necessary in fairly ‘big’(for me) conditions 4’+. For most paddling I use the general purpose or weedless.
High School Surfski Racing Has Started
In Hawaii and kids are turning out in force to make the team. Hundreds and hundreds of students are having fun paddling surfskis and learning to stay upright. However, they learn real fast, and by the end of the week, very few fall off. They may be all arms, but wow! They paddle very fast. It is easy to spot the veterans, for most of them are on top of the line Epic V-12s. The kids are sure lucky for most of them are paddlling skis I can’t afford. Perhaps the schools get a special bulk rate? More power to them, for if that’s what it takes to get the kids out on the water, so be it. Better than on the playing field getting a concussion?