Hi all,

I am new to this forum and have really appreciated the tips I've gleaned from this website. I am hoping that maybe some of you will be able to give me some suggestions regarding a problem I am having.

Problem: I can't stay on my Futura Blade.

Background: I've paddled the Futura II for about 3 years. I took a 3 year hiatus from surf skiing in college. I loved my Futura and found one for sale in the local classifieds; a Futura Blade. I knew going in that the Blade would be tippy, but I was okay with that. I took my new Blade out for a spin and I fell out about 25 times. I was finally able to paddle it for around 5 minutes before swimming by the end of the day. I have taken it out another 7 or 8 times and can paddle for around an hour now, even though I still occasionally fall in. For example, last time I paddled around 60 minutes and tipped over 4 times. The lake I train on is pretty small, no motorized boats or waves. I am falling off in calm water.

Predicament: I am planning on doing a race next spring that concludes with a 5 mile kayak leg. The first 2 or 3 miles are in class 2 river water, the rest is just class 1. I know I could do it in the Futura II, but I couldn't do it right now in my Blade.

Questions:
1. Does the Futura Blade suck? I thought it was a good boat that has won some championships.
2. How do advanced paddlers handle tippy surf skis? What do advanced paddlers do differently than beginners? I notice that if I maintain a high cadence, I seem to be quite a bit more stable. Are advanced paddlers able to stay on these things better because their cadence is so high? Or do they just have better balance?
3. Should I scrap the Blade and just try to find more stable ski? Or, will the time put in now be worth it by next spring and translate into faster times?
4. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 215 pounds. Is this a factor?

Thanks for any responses!!

Hi,
I've only been at this ski stuff for a bit as well, but a couple of thoughts:
- the Futura Blade is a fairly-very tippy ski until you become really comfortable on it.  It's fast on flatter water, but probably not the boat I'd choose for class II water.  If you compare average paddling speeds, the solid old Futura II (or an of the current V-10Sport, S-1R, Mako XT) type skis are probably a few seconds/mile slower - until the first time you swim.  Even if you are a gymnast and can be back on your ski in 10-15 seconds, it will totally negate the speed advantage.
A further concern for tris/multis is that the immersion in a cold water stream will lock your legs for the first few miles of the bike. (don't ask me how I know this...)  Much better to be even a minute/mile slower on the boat over 5 miles, and not have the rest of your race in the toilet from being cold/wet.

Also, any Class II is likely to have a fair amount of ROCK.  Skis are fairly solid, but most of them aren't going to take banging around in the rapids very well.  If you look at most of the boats the SA guys use for the downriver events, they're heavy duty Glass, not carbon/kelvar.  Also, unless your ski has a kickup rudder (can't recall on the blade), be prepared to rip it off banging in to rock.

For a lot of the multis, an old trainer K1, older K1 like a Lancer, or similar; retrofitted with an overstern rudder; is a better boat than a ski.  You may/may not need a loose skirt, and you may want a pump.  You can occasionally find an older K1 for $500 US or so, and that might be a better thought for Class II water.  Also some of the "sea kayaks" like the Epic 18 or Current Designs Stratus/Freedom are a good choice.

As Rob suggested, *any* of the current generation of top-of-the-line skis are much more stable than the prior generation.  My Huki S1X-Special is absolutely rock solid in any condition I've been fool enough to attempt including beam seas, rebound waves, etc.  Being in the upper midwest, we don't have the same conditions as open water, but I'm darn pleased with it.

Regards,

Marsh
Minneapolis, MN

Jeremy,

I was wondering which Blade you have.  The earlier -mid 90's? - Blade was a fast hull and really only good for flatwater.  It had a kickup rudder and a very narrow bucket seat. Stability was ok for primary and nonexistent for secondary.  The newer Blade - 2000 and on?- is ok on flatwater but really bogs down at the higher racing speeds that stronger paddlers see - I think it had too much rocker or something.  It surfed well.  Primary stabilty and secondary stability was ok.  Both Blades are a huge step from the Futura 2 which is extremely stable. 

There are better designs out now that span the gap between the very stable F2 and the older tippy race boats.  The Evo, XT, V10Sport are a few.  But, these all have understern rudders as standard. 

As Marsh said, staying in the boat is always significantly faster than swimming along side of it.  Your two choices are to either spend more time on the Blade to develop better balance, or to get into a more stable hull.  It can take years and years for some to develop really good balance on a tippy ski, whereas others get comfortable in one or two seasons.  Mainly it comes down to time in the boat, but younger paddlers often develop the necessary balance skills more quickly.  Acquiring the ability to comfortably balance these race boats can seem impossible for awhile, and everyone goes through that period.  Also, don't think of the sessions in the Blade as wasted time, as you are bettering your balance during those times, so if you should decide to switch to a slightly more stable boat, your balance skills will be that much better.

I think there might be a special order river layup, overstern rudder, Mako XT at Superior Surf Systems in Minn. - might be the perfect boat for your needs?

These are very interesting comments. So you don't think a Blade is feasible in Class II water? The guy I bought it from raced it in class II water so I figured I could potentially learn.

I have a chance to pick up a Futura II for fairly cheap. Do you think that the Futura II is really not that much slower than the Blade? My Blade does not have a kick up rudder, and I'm not sure which year it is. Do the newer boats seriously outclass the Blade that bad?

After a couple of months of practice, I STILL fall off the Blade...about once every 30 minutes or so. Sigh....
Am I not paddling hard enough? Maybe I need a higher cadence? I'm not sure what to do, but this surf ski is hard to stay on!

Jeremy get a more stable boat. There is no need to paddle a tippy ski unless you are a world class paddler and even then most of these guys race in the new generation stabler skis like the Mako 6 or V10. Paddling a tippy ski is a good paddle spoiled in my experience.

I have been there, I have a mint condition Fenn Millenium hanging in my garage and nobody wants it except newcomers to the sport who think all skis are the same. I can race it without falling off but the energy and concentration needed to keep upright just spoil the ride. I now paddle a Fenn Mako 6 and guess what? I am eyeing the Epic V10 Sport. Why? Because my best paddles are on a stable boat, I'm not going to win any races so I'm going to enjoy my race and if is turns out I am actually faster then what a bonus.

Oscar once said that if you take one brace stroke in 10 minutes of paddling you would be faster on a more stable ski. (I hope I got that right but you get the idea). Never mind swimming being slow, bracing is slow and not taking a proper stroke is slow.

I'll let you know how it goes on the V10 Sport.

To try to answer your questions:  Yes, the Futura 2 is considerably wider, more stable and slower than the Blades.  The F2 is a fine boat for some people, but it might not be what you're looking for? 

My guess is that you've got a newer blade with the understern rudder and upturned bow.  It's a fine ski, better on rougher water.  It tends to bog down at speeds over about 7.4 mph or so, but many paddlers don't care to paddle that fast on flatwater.

I completely agree with the above comments in that most likely, you'll get more enjoyment from paddling a ski where you don't really have to think about balance all the time.  It might only take a slightly more stable ski to make you perfectly comfortable.  Going over to a used Futura 2 because it's a good price might put you in a situation of having a Blade that you fall out of, and an F2 that you don't like because it's too much like a barge (relative to the racier boats). 

I don't know where you are located.  If we knew city, state, there might be someone nearby that could let you try anothere model.  Or, look into a quick cheap trip to LA to demo what Oceanpaddlesports.com has.  Boats like the Evo and XT might be just what you're looking for.  (A little googling suggests that you are in the NW and you must be thinking of the R2R race.  If so, that understern rudder is a liability in any ski on that river.  Making a smaller understern rudder will make the ski less stable.  So, your choice might be to add an overstern rudder to that ski and get used to it, or get the F2 specifically for that race, or get a new Huki S1X with an overstern rudder as standard.  The boys in Bellingham have lots of those for you to demo.)

Class 2 water - Bombing down a river with class 1 and 2 rapids is loads of fun in a ski and nearly any ski is capable of doing that, including the Blade.  The coastal water and open ocean can get much much bigger.

Check out the Huki website.  I believe they have the kick up rudder option for all their boats.  It may be your best bet for a class 2 race.   The S1-x with a kick up rudder may be what you are looking for.

I live in the Seattle area. My goal is to race in a multileg race which goes: Cross country ski for 3 miles, Downhill ski, Run 4.5 miles, Bike 19.5 miles, and finish with a 5 mile river leg which is all down river.

So it sounds like there is a group of surfskiers in Bellingham?

I also found a Valhalla Victory for sale. Does anyone know anything about this ski? I've googled it and am not finding much info.