How about a ski made out of recyclable "green" material? How about a 12.5kg ski that costs about 30% less than the equivalent in carbon, but with comparable stiffness? No, it's not April 1!
I finally got my hands on one of the new Think Unos this spring. Because Wisconsin is sort of in the middle of nowhere relative to the commercial transport routes, it seemed like I was about the last person in the world to actually lay my eyes on the ski and I had to bear with the initial reports coming in from Australia, Washington, Rhode Island and elsewhere.
When I lost my beloved carbon Fenn Mako6 at the end of a disastrous downwind, I took the opportunity to order a new carbon Mako Elite from Keith Fenn. Hearing of my dire ski-less condition he delivered a new one very rapidly and I've been paddling it for the last couple of months.
Fredrik Lindström of Nordic Kayaks shared with us some of the thinking behind their new Fusion surf ski. Following sea trials of the hull, the design has been finalized and the plug is being machined even as I write this.
Most of us know the sadness and despair of breaking a ski, and usually the pieces are consigned to a dumpster. But when Dale "T-bone King" Lippstreu smashed his new Fenn Mako Elite Double recently at the end of a downwind paddle, he met the challenge full on.
[Three weeks ago, Dale Lippstreu and I did back-to-back Millers Runs in two different double skis: the Fenn Mako Elite Double and the Custom Kayaks Apex. Dale was the driver in both cases.]
"We're taking the team up to Mauritius to test the new boat," said Epic Kayaks CEO Charles Brand. "Would you like to come?"
And so three days ago I found myself on an Air Mauritius flight from Cape Town, heading towards the tropical paradise of the "Ile Maurice".
[Editor: Dale Lippstreu recently bought a new Fenn Elite Double to race the doubles season here in Cape Town, South Africa. Here’s what he found.]
It has been my good fortune to have an Epic V10 Ultra to paddle for the last month - and it's been a treat.
"A superfast ski... stable for accomplished paddlers." That's how Think CEO Daryl Remmler describes the new kid on the Think Kayaks block - the Think Uno.