The future of surf ski designs?

Just wondering if we are headed down the track of manufacturers making several iterations of models to suit differing sizes of people, which is fair enough, more choice is good.
But a spin off of that may be manufacturers putting out very specialised designs for different conditions and then to be competitive in a race you would need multiple models.
Is this a path that middle of the packers would find to their liking?

You could have very low volume/ light weight/ not so strong boats just for flat days?
Super tippy rockets that only a few supermen could actually pilot, but if they can, they are untouchable?

I like to embrace the freedom that is surfski, that's what drew me to it.
I would feel like an idiot if I was a K1 paddler forced to put 4 or 5 kilos in my boat to make minimum weight.

Should there be boat classes?
Stockers and unlimited?
By weight?
Percentage of paddler weight?
Length restrictions?

I believe that freedom is the cry of surfski and I don't personally want any of the above, or anything similar, but at some time it may be proposed.

What do ya think?

Having come from outrigger canoeing that several years ago went through de-regulation of minimum weight to move with the improvement in technology, I am completely in favour of embracing new technology but without regulation of some kind, issues arise.

The level playing field of a weight restriction or design standard means that you are comparing as much as possible the athlete and not the craft. Remove just the weight minimum in K1 racing and you will have featherweight kayaks only capable of racing 1000m before they dissolve, cost a fortune that only the super rich can afford making kayaking about the haves and have nots, and some talented kid without a lot of cash may as well not even try cause his 5 year old K1 won't cut it.

"not so strong boats just for flat days" - weather conditions here on earth tend to vary. Your flat day might start calm and end in a cyclone, boat breaks, you swim, need rescuing putting other people at risk cause you want the fastest boat. Skis should have to meet minimum safety and floatation standards to protect paddlers who don't use their brain when purchasing their new super light rocket.

So far ocean skis have been immune from the regulations that govern other canoe and kayak sports. It is not an olympic discipline and therefore is unlikely to attract the standard required for fair and even competition. Like it or not, we will always have people willing to spend many thousands of dollars to have the fastest craft on the water and their race results will be based more on their bank balance than their ability.

For me, I have a family and mortgage and an ocean ski is not on the horizon, and whatever happens in ocean ski paddling it won't change what I can afford, but I get the same enjoyment of being able to race on my second hand, $800, 12 year old, 18kg spec ski as the guy I am paddling past who paid $4500 for his ski. Ok, maybe not the same enjoyment, a hell of a lot more, but its hard to see the grin on my face from behind.

In track and field you have a rubberized track. Its 400meters. This is universal. Each person has different shoes, but that is negligble. (unless your in basketball hi-tops.) Wind maybe the only factor, but event records are nullified on windy days in Track meets. If I tell you I can run a mi in 8minutes for my PR. Your probly not to impressed with my speed. If I run a sub 6min you know I'm fit. Under 5min. I'm seriously fast at 47 years old. ( I cant run that fast:) So, where am I going with this.
For the sake of seeing who the strongest paddling power surfski person is. The comparison craft is a Fenn Mako XT. If you cant paddle this boat you shouldnt be competing yet. (forgive me if you struggle in this boat:) The distance is 5k and a 10k then 20k long course. Water is a lake. Low wind day.
As I try to think of a measuring stick for surfski's two thought come to my mind. One is, who cares what I think? Second is, a Ergometer is the purist measure. But thats boring and I dont have one.

What is your opinion on this gold standard measuremnt boat, distances, and water condition ?

I think there should be voluntary safety spec in all ski designs with regards to internal buoyancy and end holes or handles to hang on to.

I can see the desire to have a spec ski like the XT which is a hair slower and puts up a bigger wake - this might keep paddlers together in packs on flattish water more and be like bike racing which could be more fun. But, part of the beauty of racing skis is that there are no design restrictions with regard to length and width. I don't think we'll see any significantly faster designs anytime soon as I suspect the designers have pretty much max'd out the CAD programs. Erik

What about a minimum weight?

Buoyancy sounds nice, but how?
Compartments? Venting problems.
Foam or similar? Weight.

If you have a major hull breach, I can't see that some foam will make the difference between being able to paddle it or not.

Bags? Reasonable weight and no venting problems. Can take up a lot of volume, so may mean you could keep paddling with a banana boat. Cost? inspections? Degradation over time?

Minimum weight restrictions could level the playing field somewhat, keeps older skis competitive and motivates ski manufacturers to innovate on design and hull shape for speed and not just reducing the amount of material used.

Minimum weight can also protect the consumer in regards to longevity of craft and value for money. A ski made to a standard weight can be made strong and durable, increasing its lifespan and therefore its resale price is greater. Personally, I would not touch a 2 season old lightweight carbon ski, despite what manufacturers might say, carbon isn't very flexible and 4 sessions a week in open water will take its toll.

Buoyancy on the other hand might be regulated by a government body. A few accidents and the maritime authority can regulate that all paddle craft have positive floatation. Positive floatation is simply that if the hull is breached and fills completely with water, that it will remain afloat whilst supporting the paddler, from memory it is only 0.3 cubic metres of foam or the like to achieve this. It is not so you can paddle your banana ski home, just so you can stay on top of the water. The safest place to be in the event of catastrophic failure of the ski is with the ski. It will keep you afloat (with positive floatation) and is much easier to spot than a body.