In Depth Review - Kai Wa'a Vega Flex -vs- Fenn Swordfish S

Background -
I did 5 years of canoe racing (open canoe/Canadian canoe), then got into OC-1 for a couple years when I lived on long island sound, then bought a ski 4 years ago living in the Springfield, MA area. I started with a Epic V10 g1 (the 43cm elite level one). It was a bad choice but I knew that so moved onto a Stellar SR g1. I paddled that on flat water for about 18 months before I moved to southern California near the ocean. The stellar was truly awful on big water so sold that and got a Fenn XT g1 that weighed about 42 lbs! It was a tank but handled the ocean much better. During this time I became confident in ~6-7' ocean swell and relatively nasty conditions. In prep for The Gorge 2019 I bought a Swordfish S that spring. I've paddled that on average about 2.2x per week for a tad over 2 years. I consider myself expert in it, having conquered some of the most gnarly and sloppy conditions the ocean has to offer (up to ~10', confused seas, reflected swell, etc) as well as 2 years at The Gorge.

I bought a Flex at The Gorge and paddled it on (2) 8 mile downwind runs in 10-20 mph winds and 1-3 ft river swell, plus tonight I paddled it in the ocean for 6 miles going out and back with a 10mph wind, 1-2ft wind waves, and 2-3ft groundswell. Total Flex bucket time as of writing this is about 4 hours. I will update this review as I get more bucket time to see how my thoughts change over time and once I have a hundred hours of bucket time.
I’m a male, mid-30’s, 185lbs/84kg, about 6’/185cm tall, and athletic.
 
Executive Summary / TL;DR
I consider the SFS one of the best all around boats and it surfs like a boss. Its in the top tier of downwind, upwind, and cross wave boats – a top performer regardless of which direction you’re going. It has great stability, an ok bucket, average looks, and mediocre  build quality.
My initial impression of the Vega Flex is it is the best downwind boat ever. It downwinds stupid good but does not do as well upwind and cross wave. It has ok stability (but not great), a great bucket, amazing looks, and superb build quality.

Build quality and looks –
Flex – 10/10 (stellar)
SFS – 5/10 (average)
The Flex is stellar. Its an Ozone built boat and is on par with the most beautiful Ozone Outriggers. The 'regular' version is 20lbs and painted any array of crisp and flashy colors and designs. They have no gel coat, which I like. Paint is easier to repair and the PrePreg construction is so stiff the gel coat isnt really needed to prevent small scratches. The Pro model is 2lbs lighter from dropping 1 layer of carbon in some select spots, and it only comes in Primer Gray (but still looks sharp, just not stunning like some of the non-pros). I got a compliment on its looks the first time I took it out on the harbor, so the painted models are definitely head turning boats. Much better than any gel coated boat and only matched by other painted or vinyl wrapped boats.
 
The Pre Preg autoclave cured epoxy construction is incredibly stiff and some friends boats have taken some significant hits without damage. On the other hand the foam core sandwich construction is still susceptible to sharp object impacts. Also, its a monocoque construction with a bladder inflated from the inside, so no seam or foam stringer. the hull itself is structural. I havent had it long enough to comment on longevity, but 7 of the 8 other guys I stayed with all week have Vegas or Flexes for over a year and all are going strong with no issues.

Let me preface this next part by saying I know nothing about new Fenn/Fennix boats produced after the factory burned down. Hopefully they took that as an opportunity. Also,  I know this is a totally unfair comparison as I had the SFS in Glass Vac layup (a 2/5 on the lightness scale vs the Flex's 5/5) - The pre-Fennix construction quality of the SFS left a lot to be desired. They are/were known to leak and my experience holds that true. The putty on the seam is weak in my opinion. The foam stringer appears to be white low density styrofoam (as opposed to a higher quality, more rigid closed cell foam or nomex honeycomb). There are just a lot of little touches that could be improved finish and water-tightness wise.
 
Fittings and bungees -
Flex – 8/10 (Pretty good)
SFS  - 5/10 (Average)
The Flex has extensive bungees on the front deck and rear deck.This makes stowing gear like a small drybag, flip  flops, or your paddle easy. The span is perfect such that you can slip your paddle blades under them and then you can have 2 unencumbered hands on the boat (an important feature with a ultralight boat in high winds) The SFS has very average bungees, with only bungees running vertically behind the foot plate. This makes it difficult to find a spot for a small drybag without impeding pedal movement. I really like the Fenn carry handle up front though. It is  convenient to have a sold padded handle to grab as you hop off the boat in the surf. The flex only has the foot brace to grab, which is ok, but not as good as a dedicated handle.
 
Bucket –
Flex – 9/10 (very comfortable)
SFS – 6/10 (almost comfortable)
For reference I wear an American 34x32” pants (not sure how that translates to metric pants, sorry world) but my waist is probably closer to 33”. The SFS bucket never really jived with my butt 100%. It never caused pain but it also wasn’t totally comfortable. The bottom isn’t quite flat enough and it pinches my butt cheeks together around my coccyx in an annoying and strange way. It doesn’t rub or cause me to need padding (I generally hate padding) but compared to the horror stories some people have with buckets, I fit ok in the grand scheme. The SFS bucket is definitely deeper than the Flex and the top lip is rounded (more on this in the remount section).  I have US size 12 feet and could use another .4”/1cm of width due to my feet rubbing slightly when turning. I must choose very skinny water shoes to fit in the SFS foot area. The rear of the bucket is cut out such that you can lean back effectively on a wave and does not rub my back at all.

The Flex bucket is relatively flat on the bottom and quite shallow. It is very comfortable even in only board shorts. When I put on my 1.5mm wetsuit it got even more comfortable. The rails are nearly flat on the rear half of the bucket. The shallow bucket makes remounts a breeze but also means it’s a WET ride. Really wet. Like really really wet. Waves splash right over the side from my knees to butt. From knees forward, the rails are higher and generally similar to the SFS. The Flex rail is so low on the middle to rear of the bucket that I can put it in the water by leaning to the extreme. Also, when the bucket is totally flooded you can do a quick hip snap and dump out the top ¼ of the bucket. The rear of the bucket is aggressively cut out and you can lean back even more than in the SFS by a little.
 
Foot Plate and rudder adjustment
Flex – 8/10
SFS – 4/10
The flex uses a bike-wheel style ¼ turn cam lock to adjust the foot brace that requires no tools. It is easy to adjust. I have not had any issues with slipping, but the great Zach Handler has had issues with slipping. The track is only 1/3 the total adjustment length. This was probably done to save weight, but it means that you have to use a screw driver to move it between the forward, middle, or rear range. Its not a big deal, but if you shared the boat with someone and you required different ranges it would be somewhat cumbersome to do each time. The rudder lines are dyneema. The adjustment is tool-free and just ties off to mini dock-tie style fittings. The SFS uses locking pins for footbrace adjustment and also are toolless. The Rudder lines are stainless steel and require a metric allen wrench to adjust. The system works fine but requiring a hex wrench to adjust is annoying. Both foot plates and pedals are solid. I give the SFS low marks only for requiring a tool to adjust the pedals (I was just burned by this last night when I let a friend demo the boat and he was shorter than me but I didn’t have an allen!)
 
Bailing / Scuppers
Flex – 4/10
Stock SFS – 5/10
Modified SFS – 9/10
The flex bailer system is total junk. Kai did suuuuch a good job with the rest of this boat that the bailer really stick out as a low point on it. It’s a single bailer that goes to a horizontal tube that runs rearward about 6” before it exists the hull. You need a lot of speed (>5mph for sure) to bail. Also, the bucket is SO wet that this boats needs a 10/10 bailing
system. I am contemplating drilling my own holes and adding 2 fenn style venture bailers with bullets to the mid-cockpit. Nothing about it works. The minimum bailing speed is too high, the venturi cone is shallow which does not generate as much negative pressure on the back side, there is no bullet which increases the minimum bailing speed, the outlet area is both too large and too small – its so large that it requires high speed to generate adequate negative pressure to bail, but at the same time its too small in the sense that 2x venturi bailers with bullets would have more cross sectional surface area to bail but the bullets produce adequate negative pressure to bail at low speed (4mph).
The stock Fenn dual venturi’s weren’t much better – the scupper holes were small and lacked bullets. They also needed about 6mph to suck air which is not good. I have most of the same gripes with them as well.

So I opened up the SFS holes from about 0.5”/13mm to about 1”/25mm diameter and added 2 stellar bullets. With the large holes and dual bullets they bail rather quickly. I was able to empty a full bucket of water in 13 strokes with the assist of a wave, or about 30 strokes on flat water.  Although the original score of the Flex vs SFS is only 1 point different, it will be much, much harder to modify the Flex’s bailing system like i did with the SFS. The fenn was easy – Sand holes larger with a dremel, epoxy seal new larger holes, epoxy on bullets, done.

The Flex will require open-hull surgery to fix its bailing issue. One of the crew with a Flex had a Epic bailer installed. It resulted in a big patch and significantly harming the flawless aesthetics.
 
Kai, if you read this, please just go with Dual Venturi’s with about 1” diameter holes and dual bullets. This is the most efficient bailing system around IME. A dry footwell is not why you paddle ski. Live with wet feet when you’re stopped. It’s a fact of ski.
 
The extremely wet ride plus poor bailing almost completely negates the light weight of the hull, because you’re carrying around 1 gallon / 4L of water at all times on a downwind. Now my 20lb flex is 28lbs because it doesn’t
adequately bail…this is the biggest black mark on this boat by far. I know Kai is improving it, but please just go with the tried and true dual venturis straight thru the hull with big scupper holes and bullets.

Primary and secondary stability (for a 45cm boat)–
Vega – 6/10 (decent)
SFS – 9/10 (excellent)
 The SFS is definitely more stable than the Flex. Both primary and secondary are lower. This is in part due to the Flex being 13lbs/5.9kg lighter than my glass swordfish, but its also the hull profile. The Flex primary stability is relatively light but not twitchy at all. I feel very planted on flat water. On confused water the boat is definitely more dynamic than the SF and relies more on the stroke to stay centered. 

Secondary stability is also lower on the Flex. It has pretty good secondary stability, but not as good as the SFS. The SFS has pretty much the ideal stability profile IMO. It has reassuring primary but deep, deep, linear, predictable secondary. The swordfish just keeps getting more stable until you go over. My best guess is that the displaced volume of the swordfish just keeps increasing until you capsize. The Flex on the other hand has a good increase in secondary stability as you lean, but the righting-resistance force graph plateaus at some point and the secondary is not as deep.

This is particularly noticeable as you sit on the top of a wave at the point of maximum instability. I would wobble a tad in the SFS in nasty, steep conditions but usually did not require a brace as I crested a wave. In the Flex I was missing strokes due to bracing or just hesitating. I am sure I will adapt to the boat quickly and get over this, but there is a noticeable difference between the 2 boats. I wouldn’t say the Flex is a full step down in stability (as in a 43cm elite boat) but it’s a half step lower than the SFS.  This is significant because to jump waves you must paddle almost continuously while charging to the front of the train. I lost a couple runs last night because I either braced or hesitated for a moment and the wave got away from me. Like I said, I’ll adapt, but if you were borderline capsizing in the SFS, you may be taking a swim in the Flex. 
More on this later, but in spite of the lower stability, the Flex caught more runs than the SFS.
 
Flat water speed –
Flex – 8/10
SFS – 7/10
I try not to do much flat water paddling, but the ocean is relatively calm in the summer. Both the SFS and Flex seem quick on the flats, with a slight edge to the Flex. I haven't tested this on a GPS, but it seems just a liiiiiiiiittle faster. It would also make sense considering the Flex is slightly less stable, which implies a slightly skinnier waterline. Also the flex is 6”/15cm longer.
 
Upwind performance –
Flex – 5/10 (ok)
SFS – 9/10 (excellent)
The Swordfish is one of the best upwind boats around IMO. It has a rounded nose and a relatively sharp V keel line that goes about to mid bucket. The bow slap of the SFS is almost non existent. You really have to launch off a wave or go over a steep wave to get a loud slap. I consider the SFS one one the least-bow-slappiest boats around. Pair that with its deep and reliable secondary stability and cresting waves is not problem. I really cant say enough good things about how well the SFS goes upwind.

The flex on the other hand is a bow slapper. Although the bow is actually sharper up front than the SFS, it does not have as much of a V keel and it does not go back as far. I only paddled up wind about 3 miles so far in 1-2’ wind waves, but there was a lot of slapping. Considering I do out-and-back paddling for 97% of my runs, this means I spend a significant portion of my time going upwind. The SFS is hands down a better upwind boat by a decent margin. If I decide to sell the Flex down the line, a primary reason will be its upwind performance, which is ok at best. Its not as bad as the bathtub that was called the Stellar SRg1 (which could bow slap on a mirror-flat pond) but the Flex bow slaps noticeably up wind. 

Also, the lower stability of the Flex means that when you crest a steep wave and drop into the trough, it is wise to time your stroke such that you have power down or a brace ready as you fall into the trough on the back side. I have not taken the Flex near the surf line yet, but I can definitely say if I was caught inside on a 2-3’ breaking wave, I’d rather be in the SFS due to its stability.
 
Downwind Performance –
Flex – 11/10 (sets a new standard in downwind surfing)
SFS – 9/10 (Excellent)
First let me say both boats are downwind monsters and absolutely tear up the ocean. The SFS picks up small and large bumps well and generally wants to downwind. Its quick enough to get on some pretty fast swell and stable enough to keep the power down as you crest a wave or are taking off. I have been supremely happy with its downwind ability up to this point. The Flex is in another category though. It reset the bar for downwind surfing performance but also has a couple quirks. Here are some differences I noticed –
 
The lightness of the Flex means it accelerates quickly and this really helps catching a wave. I think I caught 50% more waves on the flex because of its lightness. Last night I had ocean swell and wind waves working together, but catching the groundswell was still marginal. I was riiiight on the line of catching or missing waves on the flex. If I was in the SFS, im sure I would have missed the majority of waves just because I was within a stroke or 2 of catching or missing the wave. If I stopped paddling for a moment I’d miss it. If I didn’t power up fast enough, I’d miss it. The lightness of the Flex really benefited when I was right on the make-or-break line. I’d be interested to try a Carbon SFS to see how a somewhat lighter version performs. But either way, the Flex is still a few pounds lighter than the Carbon SFS.
 
Related to take-off, the SFS will take off effectively at a wide angle of attack. Obviously you get the most take-off-boost when you’re 90* to the wave, but the SFS also does well at shallow angles like 30-45*. It doesn’t readily broach and it picks up the wave energy effectively even when you’re not perpendicular to the wave. The Flex on the other hand does rather poorly when you’re at a shallow angle to the wave. 
This point is well illustrated asa large fishing boat was coming in the harbor. I paddled out to meet it ¼ mile outside the break wall and surf its wave in. I have done this many, many times in the SFS. In the SF its was hard to maintain a forward heading (parallel to the boat but about 45* to the side-wake) but it was possible.
I tried the same thing in the Flex and was immediately broached parallel to the first wave, then re-broached by the second. I got turned back down-wave after a couple seconds and caught the side-wake from behind. As soon as I turned 45* to try and surf it again I was immediately and forcefully broached. In my so far limited experience the flex does not like surfing consistently at a shallow angle on the wave. So the SFS is much more versatile and forgiving when it comes to wave-orientation at takeoff. It also holds a diagonal line down a wave much better.
 
In general, I feel the flex broaches significantly more than the SFS when being overtaken by a wave or any time you’re not perpendicular to it. You have to be more aware of whats behind you and how much rudder holding power realistically is available to you on course. Also, once a broach starts on the Flex, its happening. On the SFS with
my 9” high chord DK rudder I could save a total broach sometimes.
 
So none of that downwind review so far sounds stellar. Why did I give it 11/10 then? Three reasons –Wave positioning, Steering, Wave linking. First wave positioning. The Flex has a pin tail. There is very little volume in the last 12”/30cm of the tail. Compare that to the SFS and it has way more volume at the stern. I theorize that this causes the SFS to be pushed down the wave more readily and this leads to intentional brace-braking at the top of a wave or being pushed into a nosedive into the next wave. The Flex on the other hand likes to sit higher on the wave, requiring little slowing down to maintain position. This puts you in a better position to observe whats happening in front of you want wait for the opportunity to link waves or drop into the next hole.
 
This brings up the next point –Steering. The Flex’s steering when at speed is the most nimble, responsive, light-on-the-pedals steering I have felt. When you’re going slow the steering is average, but when you’re going fast (say, over ~7mph/11kmh) the boat turns like a top. At speed it has a totally different feel. Its incredibly nimble to the point that I zig-zagged back and forth down multiple wave trains at the  gorge with ease. You just sit up high and wait for the next hole to for, then point and go. The SFS also has good steering with my massive 9” High chord DK rudder, but its slower to respond and takes more force. One thing that contributes to this is the Flex’s rudder has almost no backwards sweep (as in its almost perpendicular to the hull). This means there is less resistance to turning in the pedals. Also, the self centering rudder on the Flex works great. The rudder on this boat is the best factory rudder I’ve ever felt, but due to its propensity to broaching I will probably look for a larger aftermarket rudder like the Kai Wa’a Grip rudder or another DK Special.
 
Last, and most importantly, whatreally really makes this boat stand out is its ability to link waves. You sit high on the wave and wait. As you see the wave start to flatten out in front of you you hammer a few strokes and the boat just wants to go. Typically when passing a wave there is still a small wave to overtake in front of you. In the SFS the bow would hit the wave and kind of stall. It was hard to run up enough speed to overtake the small bump but occasionally possible. In the Flex, you start to take a run at the small bump, the bow stalls for a second, you wait and keep paddling moderately, then the bow pops up, you hammer a few strokes and overtake the wave. Once you overtake the first one in the set you keep paddling hard and gain more speed, making overtaking the next waves easier. In 16 miles at the gorge I linked more wave sets in the Flex than I have in the last 18 months. This boat just wants to link waves. You need the power and stability to power up and keep paddling throughout the set, but the boat really rewards your hard work. I feel like in the SFS I would do the same work but often not overtake the wave, which then leads to a nose-up stall on the back of the building wave.
 
So to sum up, the SF is better at an angle downwind and better on boat side wake, but the Flex is king of wave position, steering, and linking runs. I feel like an elite paddler the way the Flex linked runs. Its insane downwind. Insane…

So to sum it up –
Build Quality and Looks – Flex 10 – SFS 5
Fittings and Bungees –Flex 8 – SFS 5
Bucket – Flex 9 – SFS 6
Footplate and adjustment – Flex 8 – SFS 4
Bailer – Flex 4 – SFS 5Stock or 9 with simple improvements
Stability – Flex 6 –SFS 9
Flat Water Speed –Flex 8 – SFS 7
Upwind performance –Flex 5 – SFS 9
Downwind Performance –Flex 11 – SFS 9
 
Total score
Flex 69/90
SFS Stock 59/90
SFS Modified bailer63/90
 
Parting Thoughts –
Both boats are top oftheir class downwind boats. The Vega feels unlike any boat I’ve paddled before both due to its lightness, stiffness, and downwind surfing ability. I would really like to try it back to back with a Carbon SFS and maybe I can convince someone at Newport Aquatic Center to go out with me. The SFS is a superior all around boat due to its significantly better handling up wind and cross-wave. The Vega and Vega Flex are unrivaled in downwind ability,  steering, wave jumping, and wave positioning.

Honestly I would like to have both boats as I do 96% out and back paddling. This means when a good 20mph wind is blowing and 5’ seas are roaring, I spend 70% of my time paddling upwind for a little downwind.. In this case the SFS is the superior boat due to its reduced bow slap, deeper and more predictable secondary stability, and still more-than-adequate surfing ability.

But the Flex is GOD of surfing downwind. I might curse it slightly as I slog upwind with some bow slap and the occasional uneasy wave cresting, but as soon as that nose turns down wind im immediately reminded why I bought it in the first place. It is unrivaled in its downwind surfing.
 
Whether I end up keeping the Flex or trading it for a carbon SFS is to be seen. I’ll almost surely keep this boat at least a year before deciding to give it a fair shake, plus I NEED a flex for The Gorge next year, as its 100% downwind and this boat simply makes the river its bitch.
 
I’ll chime back in with more thoughts after I have some significant bucket time in the Flex or as revelations occur.
 
Cheers,
Marcus
 
 

Great review.  There is one reason I chose the SF S for downwinding over bluefin, v8 pro, boost, et al:  the high sides.  I like a drier ride.  I am not experienced and skilled enough in DW (3 Gorge weeks, occasional runs at home) to overcome getting swamped from a wave passing me by when I am trying to catch it. If I think I can get the wave, commit to it and go for it, and barely miss it, low sides = swamped bucket = stop and start all over = exhausting = incredible frustration.  The SF S instantly fixed that for me. Water never comes in over the sides en mass, so I can maintain my momentum and catch the next one.  For sure, a better downwinder will not have the same problem I have with low sides, but I do.  High sides is factor #1 for me right now, at my relatively low DW skill level.  Perhaps as I progress in DW, that will not be a factor.  i would love to try the flex, but low sides, wet ride, may do me in.  Thanks for the information.

Very thorough report on the SFS vs the Flex MCImes. I would like to point that the weight difference between your skis plays a big role on performance and feel.

Having owned both Vega flex (pro), SFS hybrid layup and trying the new fennix SFS (hybrid layup) I would like to give my input since everyone has a different experience and a different set of skills.

Bucket Comfort:
SFS: 9/10
SFS fennix-6/10
Flex: 9/10
Both SFS and flex seemed the most comfortable buckets that I have ever sat on.

Flatwater speed:
SFS: 6/10
SFS fennix: 7/10
Flex: 8/10
Flex has the advantage here by far.

Downwind feel and performance
SFS: 8/10
SFS fennix: 7/10
Flex:11/10
Flex surfs like nothing else I have ever paddled. Goes with the flow, easy to stay on waves, changes direction easily and punches through waves with determination.

Ease of remount:
SFS: 9/10 (low rails)
Fennix: 7/10 (high rails)
Flex-10/10 (low rails)
Both the flex and SFS are very easy to remount.

Bailer
SFS: 10/10
SFS fennix: 10/10
Flex: 7/10 (biggest area of improvement for this boat, followed by footplate adjustment system)
Epic bailer is superior as you have the option of opening and closing depending on the conditions and water temperature.

Foot plate adjusting
SFS: 7/10 (dont like needed a tool to adjust)
Fennix: 7/10
Flex: 4/10 (They dropped the ball here)
Other companies have developed a better foot plate and adjusting.

Construction
SFS:8/10
Fennix: 8/10
Flex:10/10
Pre-preg feels amazing in the water, big difference here.

Stability primary and secondary
SFS: 9/10
Fennix: 7/10
Flex: 10/10
I find the flex to be considerably more stable than the SFS specially when punching through waves

Upwind:
SFS: 9/10
Fennix: 8/10
Flex: 9/10

Overall my money is on the flex. Before I tried the flex my money was on the SFS when it comes to stability and downwind performance. I do think that we arent really comparing apples to apples as there is a weight difference of 8 lbs between the SFS, fennix and vega flex pro. IMO this matters when it comes to accelerating, catching waves and overall better performance. It also makes a difference when carrying your boat to and from the water. 

I would like to thank Kai Barlett for thinking outside the box and designing a unique downwind machine.


Surfskis I have owned or own:
1. Mako 6 (fiberglass), Nelo 560 WWR (Oscar design, gen 1), Epic V12 (Gen1 Ultra), Nelo Cinco (WWR), Nelo 520 (WWR), Elite S (Carbon), SFS (hybrid), Vega flex (Pro), Nelo 600 (hybrid), Vega (normal layup), Blue fin (glass)

Thanks for your thoughts Omar! You certianly know the boat well. Anyone with experience please chime in! more opinions are always better

After 3 more paddles, 5 hours, and ~20 miles, my initial thoughts havent changed much on the Flex-
- Bow Slappy upwind. Kind of annoying, but also surfs so well you can pick up the reflected swell and do some minor surfing upwind. The SFS does this well too.
-Divine downwind. Accelerates so fast. jumps waves insanely well, more than any other boat I've paddled.
-Broaches easily - angle of attack needs to be proactively managed at low speed like takeoff and on steep large boat wake. I will be ordering the Kai surf rudder or a massive (like 10"/25cm high chord) DK special if he thinks he can make it. In general I prefer huge rudders as I seek out large and steep waves.
-Such a wet ride. I cut a closed cell foam block to fill all the area behind the foot plate, plus shaped more foam to fill the empty area under my calves. This probably removes 2-3L of cockpit volume and helps a lot with bailing time. I'm still scheming to cut conventional bailer holes, but haven't come to terms with cutting into the boat yet. I also need to get Stellar bullets on order, as I think a Bullet will help it drain.
So so wonderful to handle off the water. 20lb /9kg boats are almost fun to carry. Doing it 1 handed with ease is a boss move.

Great thread!

Both these SS's are stupid fun, solid performers in flats will surf mosquito farts with ease.

I added these to both a Vega and Flex, cockpit drains in less than a minute and can hear it sucking bone dry around 6mph. Definitely worth it!!!! 

Matt

Venice, I PM'd you. Check your private messages.

Also, is this the set you installed? somebeachoutfitters.com/product/stellar-...-venturi-bullet-set/

Last, how did you remove the existing venturi cone? Does it come off or do you need to cut/sand it off?

Marcus - I think the flex rudder has about half the surface area of that monster DK you have on your SFS, so that might account for some of the increased tendency to broach. The vega and flex have that built in weed deflecting ridge that limits how far the rudder can extend forward of the post. I therefore would think that a big low aspect rudder on those boats would have to be increasingly imbalanced as all of the increased rudder area would be aft of the post. 

McImes,

Yup, that's it.

I used a Dremel to round out the bow side, put in 1/2" pvc to form a round drain area and back filled everything with WM repair. After that dried the pvc pulled out pretty easy and formed a nice round drain area. The part that has the screw and slides I sanded so it was under the hull height so doing that took a big part of area to be filled with WM.
I used marine silicone, so I could remove after testing, to test the different drain iterations and hood placement behind the bullet.

Hope that helps.
Matt

Great A/B comparisons thanks. I’m in a very similar position, comfy in my swordie in most DW conditions, flirted with an elite boat last 12 months but was not doing it justice on bigger DW days. Very interested to hear any updated thoughts on the Flex vs SFS six months down the track. Cheers, keep safe!

Dratz wrote:

flirted with an elite boat last 12 months

Dunno what "not doing it justice" means, but maybe it takes more than 12 months to get really comfortable? Took me 1-1/2 years @3x/wk to get there but I now feel more comfortable in v12 than v10. (Not saying I learned fast or slow, I'm just providing a data point...)

I've had this boat about 9 months now and put it through some epic conditions and just sat it in for a while now. Kirk inherited my SFS and cleaned it up nicely.

Overall I dont think my overall thoughts have changed much. Stability is more tender because it was significantly lighter than my SFS, but also the hull profile. the SFS just has deep reassuring secondary stability. The flex is still stable, but less so than my glass SFS by a 1/2 step. The lightness of the Flex at 20lb/9kg is phenomenal. better acceleration and an easy carry to the car at the end of the session is definitely noticed. Also, the monocoque construction has not leaked A DROP in 9 months.

After having my always-leaking Fenn i appreciate a water tight boat SO much. The prepreg/high temp pressurized autocalve cure carbon boats are something else. Really a class above everything else.

I still agree in short period waves upwind the Flex can be a little bow-slappy, more so than the SFS which has some of the least bow slap of any boat I paddled.

One large difference between the boats ive come to appreciate is ease of remount. the Flex has very low bucket rails, that are flat across the top of the bucket, so remounting is both easy and less painful than the more sharply rounded SFS rails. The Flex is a supremely easy boat to remount assuming you have adequate stability to stay upright in whatever conditions you're in.
The downside to the rails of the Flex is the wet ride. Wet AF. Lots of lap fulls of water on a good crackin downwind. The SFS had about half the lap fulls of water by my recollection. You still got some, but it was noticeably less due to the higher rails.

Also, I have not gotten around to replacing the bailer system with a better venturi bullet system. I still agree the V1 bailer blows majorly. Before The Gorge this year I promise to make it better. I also feel a low profile, sharply pointed wave deflector would help it a tad , just to pop out of a wave slightly earlier if you stuff the bow.

Surfing wise, I still love it. It wants to ride a wave of any size. I dont have an A/B comparison with the SFS recently, but always feel like the boat is willing to do more than I am capable of with it.
I have tried to ride the 60' ferry wake many times which is a steep 4ft/1.3m wave that comes in the same direction as west swell. I have learned to ride it better, but the Flex still broaches more easily than the SFS. I intend to adapt the 11" Ozone rudder to the Vega as well, via some custom machining, hopefully before The Gorge. My massive 9" DK on the SFS provided amazing control.

Recently I went out in some of the largest conditions ive ever experienced. Im fairly sure I rode over a 13'/4m wave generated by 25-36kt winds. It was sloppy more than anything but a fun experience. The massive swell was moving too fast to stay on, but led to some epic surges on the downwind wind waves.

Last, the Ozone boats look great. I value function over form, but when something functional and beautiful thats great. The Flex is both. Definitely better looking than any standard non-graphic boat to my preference.

Really I'm looking forward to the gorge again, because the wave form is so perfect for surfing. I did 2 runs on the flex there last year, but am really looking forward to spending a full week downwind in paradise!

See you there hopefully!