Starting out in Newcastle/Lake Macquarie area

Hi all,

Finally took my brothers advice and have paddled my first ski. After 1 hr at carrington I'm absolutely hooked and can't wait to get back on the water.

Background: rowing, white water, sea kayaking.

Goal: to one day compete with my brother! (just won teams event at Augusta)

Availability: almost every day due to a cruisy job which gives plenty of time off.

My first ski paddle this week was a ~5yr old Fenn XT. It was comfortable to paddle for my first outing of 8km. I then hopped in my mates V10 ultra and it was like going from a comby van to a porsche. I could handle the v10 on the flat and the acceleration and speed were noticeably better but I'm thinking I probably need to start on something in between the two.

So...with a budget of under $2k and a desire to progress quickly in skills and fitness, what boat is going to get me going for the next year or so??

also, is there some regular sessions for beginner/intermediate level paddlers on flat water in the newcastle/lake mac area??

Cheers

ash

Welcome to the forum and the world of surfski Ash! Look forward to seeing what boat you get and how you progress in the sport.

I reckon you are spot on going with a intermediate boat first up. Would be handy if someone from around your area could eyeball any 2nd hand skis you are considering purchasing to make sure you are getting a good unit first up.

Sorry cant be much more help from WA.

You also need to get a paddle. I would be looking at the Jantex Gamma shape. There are lots of manufacturers around now who have copied the Jantex Gamma shape. It is a popular one and you cant go too far wrong with it as far as learning correct paddle technique.

Go for a 210-220 adjustable paddle, you can break it down into two for ease if transport and play with the length and feather angle.

IF you can catch up with a local paddle group or surf club you should get lots of suggestions on local dealers and brands that are well supported in that area.

If theres one thing this forum has taught me over the years only buy something that has decent after market support. You can only find that out by talking to locals.

Not quite as important if buying 2nd hand as it is buyer beware but at least being able to get replacement or optional rudders, etc for your ski is a consideration.

There's a few of us older sea kayakers in the Hunter area who meet via our website hunterpaddler.ning.com/ who have also got skis, though we mainly paddle/race them on the flatter waters and use our kayaks for rock gardens, sea caves etc. My wife and I both paddle skis (she a Stella SES, me a Stellar SR {currently ;)} and live on the western side of Lake Macquarie.

Epic V10 Sport
Think Evo II
Fenn Swordfish

Take a look on geartrade.com.au/

Upgrade to Epic 'New' V10, THink Ion, Vajda Orca or Hawx in 12-18 months. As these skis are new models nothing on the 2nd hand market yet.

If you're just doing flat water, I've got a Epic V12 Ultra (16 months old) for sale in Wollongong $2500 - it's yours I've got a Epic New V10 Elite on order.

Matt

Ok..

How would you rate a

Fenn Swordfish vs Stellar SEI vs Epic V10?

Fenn Swordfish vs Stellar SEI

Never paddled these but the specs and general comments from the forum they are good stable intermediate skis.

Epic V10 (old model ?) would be less stable and more an advanced ski - had one of these for about 9 months before moving to Epic V12.

Epic V10 Sport would be more on par with Fenn Swordfish & Stellar SEI - my wife paddles a Epic V10 Sport.

Epic New V10 is in between old model and Sport - that's my opinion.

Anyway, just go out and try as many as you can before deciding - must be training crew somewhere up Newcastle way, otherwise spend the Saturday in North Sydney and organise a few test paddles with ProKayaks or OceanPaddler (Google them).

Thanks for the tips.

After trying 4 different boats during the week, I decided to go for a Flow Superstar in near new condition. It's stable enough to allow me to develop my technique but plenty fast enough to keep me interested for some time to come.

For a carbon/kevlar boat made in NZ weighing in at 12.8kg, I think its hard to go wrong.

Now to find a paddle...

Hi Captash
There's a fairly decent sized squad that paddles down at Nobby's on Wed and Friday morning, there is a real spread of paddlers. I think they usually get on the water about 6am, so sure you'd be welcome if you just turned up. You'll see them all down at the boat sheds behind nobby's beach.

Me and another mate generally paddle between 0515 and 0530 Mon/Wed/Fri which your welcome to join, but funnily enough most people aren't too keen on getting on the water that early!

Cam

Good tip Cam.
The 6am crew jokingly refer to their session as "the hour of power". They are usually in the water by 6, put in an hour and then go to a local café for coffee and breakfast. It's pretty social and not a race.
If you want to race there's a Monday night handicapped, open invitation paddle on Cockle Creek at 5pm. The start is at the boat ramps in the park, and the race is around the railway bridge and back. The handicapper usually wins and there's about ten masters paddlers of varying ability who go hard until their dash lights start flashing.
Good luck with your new sport.