ww kayak for surf boating.

i have a Pyranha i:3 223 ww kayak for river paddling, but will have much greater opportunity to surf paddle when i move to Victoria in a month.



i know that there are dedicated surf kayaks that are far superior but can anyone speak to the use of this type of ww boat for surfing? the i:3’s are fast as ww boats go and quite friendly, long gradual rocker. it would seem that this is a good cross over but i’m no surf expert. it must be much better than pure playboats.



any thoughts as to which current ww kayaks make for good surf boat cross overs?

Similar But Not the Same
I would strongly suggest you check out an article that addresses the differences between surf-specific kayaks and white water boats. Log into http://www.sopsa.org and go to the Journal page. The article is titled Similar But Not the Same.

It will work to get started
Especially if conditions are not prime, or if you have to launch from rocks etc. There is a guy I know who surfs one, and he has a collection of surf boats and wave skis. Boats with fins will allow you to surf down the line better on steep waves, not a lot of choices for whitewater boats with fins. Techno ? Around here a lot of people start in Necky Rip and Necky Jive (cheap, forgiving). I still like to surf mine although it’s a pig compared to my other boats. A few months ago I surfed with a guy in Drago Rossi squash tail, very cool for a whitewater boat. I would start with what you have. You can move up to a dedicted surf boat after you move out. Keep an eye on boatertalk surf zone and gear swap. You can probably pick up a decent surf dedicated boat for $ 400 -800 US.

pyranha I:3
really the pyranha I:3 is as good as most ww boats for wave surfing. The riot ww kayaks with fins will be slightly better, but only just. I think the best thing to do is find a surf specific kayak to try on an ideal day where you can switch between the ww and the surf boat and you will see the difference very quickly. I personally did just that with an S:8 and a riot boogie. No comparison really. There is so much surfing to do here and so little ww that I had the same dilemma you did. I decided on the Boogie. I may upgrade or just buy a composite surf boat in a year or so.

I have exact same

– Last Updated: Feb-05-06 5:00 PM EST –

model as you and also have a ws big ez. I use both boats for ww but have seen my bud surf kayak his Pyranah I:3 223 many a time with great hoorah. As someone else said here, as white water boats go it is no differnt in teh surf than most. I sometimes think about the necky jive/rip/ what ever also but i cannot justafy a different boat for the surf thing i rarely go out. I expect you will be out Jordan R and there are many and various ww boats out in the surf and yours will just be one more no better no worse. THere are a few dedicated surf boats out there and those are the real thing - no comparrison to ww models. The surf boats will make you envious and your head swim. If you indeed move to Victoria there are a lot of good friendly ww boaters at Jordan you will meet. Some issues with surfers to be aware of also. I add that i am up in the Cowichan area and we paddle ww mostly with a group of paddlers from Nanaimo/Victoria/Cowichan and occassionaly go to Jordan/Tofino. Hey man, i see your moving from Manitoba to The Big Island.. Aloha. Wow... If you are looking for a vancover island connection once your here, e mail me at kanaka3@telus.net

I use the Liquid Logic Sccoter
for surfing ocean waves. Liquid Logic has a whole line of playboats that do nicely in surf. I also use my sea kayak for surfing. It’s a totally different feel than the playboat, but I like to hone my surfing skills with both types of boats. Have fun! Steve F

Surf What You Have
if the surfing bug takes hold and you find yourself out there quite often, then it’s time to research a surf boat.



I surfed for almost two years in a long boat, move to a whitewater boat (Riot Trickster) which did double duty of surf and white water. This really turned me into a surf addict pretty early on. From there, I quickly moved up to a Boogie and now to four other surf crafts. My surf boats get the most usage of all my boats. If the waves are coming in, I want to be out there. Nothing compells me to pick up a paddle more these days than an opportunity to ride and stoke with the undulations of the ocean.



sing

most excellent input, many thanks!
i had read the article on surf kayaks vs ww kayaks a while back from a previous thread out of general interest. my ww kayak is less aggressively tail rockered than many which spawned my question, but ultimately i can see that if one gets into it, a surf boat is the way to go…



Kanaka, i will indeed look you up; i see that there is quite a growing surf kayak thing on the Island with festivals and all. can’t wait to get out there!



thanks Sing and all, happy surfing…



James