Surfski.info Ski Review: Red7 Surf70Pro

Red7 Rudder

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:49:21 +0100

Well, Jamii is a better paddler than me, so perhaps he was just going faster...! :) Jamii modified the rudder slightly (added a fillet to the trailing edge to increase the surface area) and it's better than the original (he gave me one). Since then Red7 have designed a new rudder - Dale saw the prototype when he visited the factory recently - which is apparently MUCH more effective. I've not seen this one yet. - Rob Mousley

...

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:10:05 +0100

In Jamii's review he stated "With a slightly forward steering box it has a very assertive and agile turning ability for a lively response." Yet Rob you have said it has bad turning at low speed. Dale has similary described it as having an ineffective rudder and the turning ability of a double. Did the two ski's have a different rudder? or Jamii's have the a newly designed rudder you hinted Red7 was addressing after you did yr review? - superted

Carbon Red7

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:53:15 +0100

Nope, I haven't seen one yet. Not sure if they are being manufactured. I'll find out. - Rob Mousley

...

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:07:06 +0100

Hey Rob you had a chance to compare the original 15.5kg pro to a lighter 11.5kg carbon version yet...or do they even exist yet? - superted

...

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:40:56 +0100

No doubt about Epic's impact on surfski design but wasn't Huki pushing first for fast and stable desings? As far as I know, the S1-X precedes the V10. - RoJo

...

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:28:23 +0100

The only reason they would'nt sit still is because of competition from the likes of Red7, THINK ect The consumer is normally taken for granted if a monopoly or duopoly exists in any marketplace. If you had to pick yr ideal ski at the moment it would most likely have brand specific features found on several of the different skis. Twelve months ago was a different story, then you'd prob be happy you just jagged something with decent build quality as that seemed like a lucky dip. - superted

...

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:50:24 +0100

Absolutely, Alain. If you have read any of my posts you would know where I stand as far as Epic is concerned. Epic is the benchmark, and I do not think they plan to sit still. - Ritchie Cunningham

Innovations

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:57:50 +0100

Good points on innovation Richie. Lets remember that Epic started the fast-stable ski revolution with the V10 for which I for one am hugely grateful. Also Epic's adjustable rudder-line-footplate innovation is an absolute winner. To be able to move the footplate easily without fancy tools is a must-have. Then the single footwell is now standard on any ski although the origins are debatable. The point is that Epic get my vote for innovation and Red 7 are also now stepping up to the plate now with the scuppers, seamless fabrication and impressive performance. Keep the innovations coming guys. First to market is the prize, forget about patenting it because it is probably not worth the cost, rather be the innovation leader and the sales will follow. - Alain Jaques

...

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:55:58 +0100

This sounds like a most impressive design. Congrats for forging ahead and not just following the pack, design-wise. I'm looking forward to your carbon model, and hope I can get a test ride soon. I plan to delay purchasing my next ski till the logistics can be worked out. A couple points: - I really believe that an elliptical shaped rudder is the way to go in big conditions. - Epic has set the standard for quality foot controls, and I hope Red7 can at least equal that mark. - Ritchie Cunningham

Right on Ritchie

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:47:13 +0100

Yes, the trick is in getting the balance in buoyancy between the bow and the stern. If the bow wants to lift and the stern will not let it then the ski will spin out. Red7 got this balance spot on. Welcome to the design team - Oh and bring your own coffee Anton Erasmus - consultant designer on the Pro - ANTON ERASMUS

...

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:21:23 +0100

Here's caffeine driven thought. So this design has less volume in the front and a fuller bow section to prevent nosediving, plus a little less rocker overall. Sounds like the lower volume aft section could very well complement this by not pushing the front down too severely, even as it lifts the boat sufficiently to launch down a swell. The idea of a boat with these characteristics, that also maintains less windage (than some current designs) is very appealing. - Ritchie Cunningham

Crossing the Bay on the RED7 Surf70 Pro...part 2

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:38:28 +0100

Rolling with the punches During this first hour, I had fallen out when trying to readjust my leash which had become loosen down my leg and caught under my foot. In the high wind & large choppy seas with the main runs heavy laced in a confusion of haystacks, side chop came breaking from the right with incidental refracted slop added from the left, being just able to grip the foot strap & simultaneously holding my blade with my right hand across the high footwell gunnels sides I used my left hand to stead the ski and managed to remount on my first attempt. The volumetric capacity of a single footwell can often make a ski almost uncontrollable once you are side-on to heavy wind and flooded over with water. So in these very testing conditions simulating the wallowing effect a novice may suffer in being constantly swamped over by a rolling sea, I was really impressed how rapidly the ski drained and remained steady even when getting washed around with a flooded footwell in exposing the ski’s flank to the swamping impacts. The Cherry in three bites In the initial third of the crossing the wind & the roughness of the seas were extremely intense with very steep runs which made catching them quite intimidating, reminiscent of the 2007 Durban World Cup, only with cold water and greater choppiness. One thing I have become familiar within my experience and has helped me enormously; is overcoming the fear of getting it wrong when handling rough down wind conditions and allowing oneself to trusting the ski to resurface and not panicking when getting flushed over with water. So the few times that I allowed myself to push ahead of the trio, I was overly pleased at how well the 7 controlled the big drop-offs to resurfaced again & was comfortable to handle side impacts between threading the runs. In the second third the wind began to die yet I was now hampered by the Robs rubber butt pad that limited my ability to shift around easily or rotate in the seat to counter for the rolling motion and secretly wished I had applied some Vaseline. Despite being frustrated by the slow pace & with fatigue setting in, I still felt well balanced and in control of the ski even thou I lacking momentum in the heaving sea. Once we past over Whittle Rock indicated by the bell buoy at - 26km and we began to sense we were closing on the home leg and increased our speed with Murray finding a little more rhythm in the easing conditions. Enjoying the pudding With about 10km to go my patience finally crumbled & I started to paddle on ahead. Despite being tried I found this stage the easiest as I was now catching all the runs with fluency and enjoyed how the 7’s efficient hull projected over bumps to keep the momentum going & the ease in which it would accelerate to catch and the nimbleness in switching direction on runs. The Surf70 Pro greatest asset is the economy in which you can efficiently maintain your planning speed! Normally once your testosterone has vanished or in the death of a long paddle you are slowing down, simply struggling for balance or just keeping your rhythm going, yet the ski is stable and seems to gracefully glide along making long distance paddling a pleasure. I finished the crossing in 4h21 and although I felt I should have been much quicker, the outing was conclusive of the Surf70 Pro’s ability to suitably handle very rough & tricky conditions. By contrast the following day I was racing a 20km series race in absolute dead flat conditions against a predominantly doubles field. Whilst I was easily able to maintain their cruising speed and even took the pull for about 2.5km, I blew spectacularly thereafter yet still managed to splutter home to my third best finish for the season, which further gives testimony to the Surf70 Pro speed vs. economy ratio & versatility for all conditions. - Jamii Hamlin

Crossing the Bay on the RED7 Surf70 Pro...part 1

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:36:45 +0100

Just a brief insight to my experience and the performance of the Surf70 Pro in making the 46.5km trek across False Bay. With this being my second, I had a good idea what to expect in regards of the size of the waves & the isolation you experience being 20km from land, you need enormous belief in your abilities and your confidence in craft selection, being equally paramount! Preparation The wind had been howling 30knots all week so we only made the call late Friday arvi, with the prediction for it to suddenly drop off, so for safety reasons we were grouped into teams and were to stick together for the crossing. In all due respect to the expected conditions, I was very concerned that Murray would be ‘under-gunned’ with him paddling a 5.8m length ski and had discussed his choice of craft the evening before. I suggested he paddle something longer indicating that he may struggle to catch and project adequately in the big seas which would result in Nils & myself needing to hold back to maintain our group. As my demo ski had been damaged by a customer, I resorted to borrow Rob’s red Red7 which Dawid brought through on the morning and testimony to the Surf70 Pro, I quickly adjusted the leg length without needing an Allen key, secured my juice down and was confident enough to literately hop in and set off. Into the abyss We all set of together, I quickly started stitching runs together and was reveling in the anticipation of the experience, yet barely had we begun and it was apparent that my concerns for Murray’s ski being unsuitable became very real. Needing to keep our trio together Murray toiled away with a syndrome likened to that of a dinky car riding along the highway. He later described it with animation as “wrestling with an anaconda” or “trying to grab the steering wheel from a drunk driver” and apologized profusely for not heeding my suggestion.(He later relayed that boat was simply too short, the hull was too flat and it was near-impossible to maintain sufficient speed for a straight-line track in the extreme conditions. Instead, it spun out and skidded sideways down swell runs, forcing him into a continual process of surf-style re-entries to get the boat back on track for Fish Hoek.) So whilst we waited for Murray, Nils & I were limited with 4/5 strokes to then brace off the back of the runs only to balance for the next slap of the breaking side chop too then repeat the repertoire for each & every run. It was physical and mentally sapping reduced to maintaining this slow pace and after an hour we had barely made 11kms which hardly allowed me to the open the throttle up and really explore the 7’s potential. /continued... - Jamii Hamlin

Red 7

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:39:53 +0100

Maybe Jamii can write a short review about how the Red 7 performed on his recent 46k surfing run? - Mark Buck

Red7 website

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:12:41 +0100

www.red7.co.za Marketing in the US: Ocean Paddle Sports? www.oceanpaddlesports.com Give Patrick & DeAnne a call. Plug quality? The plugs were CNC machined - I guess we'll see what the quality is like as we see more boats come off the production line! - Rob Mousley

...

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:04:28 +0100

Just read JH's awesome review (with great pics), and this sounds like a very exciting design. Questions: - Red7 website? - Marketing in the U.S.? Timetable? - Appearance at this years Molokai? - Mold/plug quality? Like Fenn or like Epic? - Ritchie Cunningham

Dimension correction!

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:41:57 +0100

A few eagle eye paddlers managed to pick up on my oversight in the skis overall & seat width being a little generous to the girth....the correct dimensions are below. Sorry for the excitement it caused, I clearly had had too much christmass pudding & brandy butter when I did my review! Surf 70 Pro Basic dimensions Metric Imperial Length : 6.6m 21.8” Width : 0.42m 16.5” Bow height : 0.36m 18” Seat width : 0.39m 15.3” Catch width : 0.31m 12.25” Catch gunnels height : 0.24m 9.5” Seat gunnels height : 0.22m 8.7” Seat height : - Jamii Hamlin

Well done guys.

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:51:57 +0100

Well done Pete, and team Red7! I think you've got a winner. - Dawid Mocke

Why is the Red7 so stable?

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:03:44 +0100

I have done 2 Millers Runs on the new Red7 and have found the stability quite astounding. Astounding because the ski has the narrowest hull and possibly the least rocker of any ski I have paddled. Pete Mote says the secret lies in the fact that the flat spot in the hull is in the right place but lying the ski upside alongside my V10 does not convince me of this. Having thought about it a bit the most plausible explanation that I can come up with is that the ski’s low volume causes it to sit lower in the water and anybody who has experimented with seat heights in a K1 will know what a big difference a small difference in seat height makes. It would be very interesting to do some measurements at preset station points for and aft of the seat and compare these with others skis. My guess is the Red7 will be a lot narrower and, if one factors in the square/cube scale effects, the volume difference will be dramatic. Rob says the ski is about as stable as his Mako6. To me it is way more stable but this is due to the way I paddle. I tend to rock the ski more and the rocker of the Mako makes it turn away from the lean which of course amplifies the effect. The Red7 does not respond very much to rolling so my stroke is hardly compromised by my bad habits. The negative consequence of this isthat rolling the ski does very little to improve its turning radius and this, combined with its ineffective rudder, makes for turning circle more like a double ski than a single. One aspect of the ski that Rob does not mention is that it has very little freeboard behind the seat i.e. very little volume above the water. Designers generally justify tail volume as being helpful in picking up runs but, as Rob says, the ski is actually very good in this department. The benefit of the reduced volume is that the tail does not get washed around as much in big conditions and is therefore easier to control downwind. Seeing the Red7 begs the question why designers persist in putting so much volume in the tail of skis – it seems just wasted weight and windage. - Dale Lippstreu

Cape Agent

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:59:45 +0100

As mentioned by Peter we are the Cape Agent for one great piece of paddling hardware. We have a demo available, the grey boat in Jamii's review, with stock arriving next week. Find us at 47 Beach Road, Gordon's Bay, 50m from the water. Shower and change room available. Contact me to book and check availability. my cell: 082 4636 954 e-mail: info@southernswells.co.za We will also be stocking all the bits and pieces needed for spares and repairs. See you soon. Kyle - Kyle