Mike Johnson Ski
Hey Jerry if you hear of anybody who wants to sell a Mike Johnson 8.5 or 9’ this summer send them my way.
I Am Hooked…
– Last Updated: Jun-06-05 7:08 AM EST –
Maybe I should keep an eye for an intermediate ski that's a bit longer and wider. Get myself acclimated with that before really trying to take on this little high performance red convertible!
I don't regret getting the ski since it was 1/5 of what a new high ski would cost. Still, this morning, thinking of my two rides on the other guy's ski, it would be nice to have some positive reinforcement of being able to catch and ride a wave here and there. :)
sing
Good fun eh Sing?
We had some decent chest/shoulder high waves here Sat, of course I took the Cyclone out because I wanted to surf. Sunday the waves held back a bit so I decided to take the ski out. Sing, before Sun I was having the same trouble getting my feet into the straps in time, but a waveskier friend told me to ditch the booties and give it a try. BIG difference!!! Much easier to slide the feet in and out. As far as rolling, try the extended paddle roll with your feet out of the staps and legs along side. Its been working great for me and it sure beats having to remount and rebuckle. If I try a regular roll I just window shade…
What Waveski?
I missed something was I was gone? What kind of waveski did you get?
It’s A Used
custom, HP Island waveski. Little red number with 7’6"x23.5" dimensions. It’s the right size for me but too advance at this stage of my waveskiing career (absolute kook).
sing
Purely FWIW
I’ve been dragged hard enough to break an ankle leash in my surfski at least three times now, and while I don’t recommend it, it wasn’t particularly painful. My legs are probably stronger than most, but the breaking point of the leash (mine are 8’ coil-type Bully’s) is well below the breaking point of a leg. And even in my perhaps nastiest surf dragging, when I got my foot caught between the foot strap and the rudder pedal as my ski got dumped over backwards, the dragging was kind of painful but well short of life-threatening. I wouldn’t use a leg leash in nasty shorebreak or big dumping surf, but for my surfski paddling, the risk tradeoff between leash problems and boat-loss problems favors the leash pretty much all the time.
For reference, my unpleasant surf experiences have been in surf that was large but not all that heavy; I don’t think I’d want a leash in really big dumping surf, but then I don’t think I’d want to be in a kayak in really big dumping surf in the first place.
WavemasterUSA - ?Distribution
hey seadart, where did your son get his Wavemaster Strata. Seems like a real limited distribution network in the US. Closest one to me is Penn.
sing
Kind of Low Key Business
Ian got his at Carlsbad Paddle Sports in Carlsbad, they don’t carry them regularly. But sometimes might have one in stock.
Best to contact WavemasterUSA…
If you Email Steve Moser (I believe) at their website or call…once you get a hold of him he is very helpful. My impression is that he is often somewhere else in the world surfing.
(310) 408-8502
StevenM [sales@wavemasterusa.com] or maybe
steven@sbol.com
Otherwise
The best store that carries them is listed on the wavemaster website and is in Santa Barbara
I’ve pretty much resolved to sell some boats and either get a Mike Johnson Mako ski or a Evolution, can’t make up my mind.
I Just Sold Two Boats…
to finance my hunt for another waveski. I am thinking Wavemaster because there is adjustability with the moveable footbrace/straps so a taller but similar weight paddler can use it. Makes it easier to resell. The Island waveski is tuned into the buyer. If I try to sell that, it would probably be a amount that I bought that custom Island ski at – dirt cheap.
How does your son like his Strata? One of my surfing budding picked up an Evolution at SC. I should try to take that out for a spin.
sing
He loves the Strata 2.5
At your smaller size and you already know how to surf well you should be great. He weighs about 140 and is about 5’9. The adjustable foot plate and seatbelt would be a plus. I bet you would never end up selling it though, it’s a keeper.
I weigh 70 lbs more and its not very stable with me for paddling out. The advice about keeping your feet out of the stirrups along side and dropping them for extra stability is really the secret to getting started. You have to be athletic to paddle the really hot skis, which I’m not.