Think UNO vs Epic vs Fenn Elite

I just sold my Fiberglass Fenn Elite and bought the new Think UNO in kevlar. The decision came after six months of stretching my hamstrings in an effort to get comfortable in the Fenn Elite's seat. I always had that feeling of falling backwards or paddling uphill and didn't want to pad the seat for stability reasons.

I wanted to start a discussion on the UNO to get some opinions on the performance of the boat. I am at best an intermediate paddler spending most of my time off the coast of Sydney, Manly when windy and in the harbor when calm.

The UNO is a very sexy boat so the decision was pretty much made as soon as I saw it but to make me feel comfortable with the purchase in one morning I managed to paddle a Fenn Elite, Epic V10L (I only weigh 70kg) and the Think UNO. After paddling the boats it amazed me how they differ considering they are all about the same length and width. You are NOT splitting hairs with the feel of these boats. Without a doubt the Elite feels faster and glides better than the Epic. The Epic's seating position was perfect and felt so stable I reckon i could have done a handstand on the foredeck. The UNO is definitely the formula one of surf skis with a lively feel and plenty of flat water speed. Brain was telling me to get a new Epic V10L as I would become a better paddler in the Epic but I bought the UNO.

Eric Borgnes review of the UNO in Surfski.info is spot on especially when describing the acute feeling of instability when you first sit in the boat. I had a lump in my throat thinking I have made a really stupid purchase. But you do get use to it very quickly. One area that I would like to highlight is how the boat is unaffected by cross chop, a-frames etc. I can confidently say it is substantially more stable than the Fenn Elite in confused seas as a result. It is definitely something the other manufactures should try to copy.

Flat water speed is very fast. With a stopwatch and GPS stats to back it up that on my regular 7km loop of the dam my fastest avg speed in the elite was 10.9kmph and in the UNO 11.5kmph. The gap may not be as big with a better paddler that can sustain 12-13kmph .. but maybe it is? The interesting thing about this result is the Fenn feels faster so I think the gain may have something to do with the UNO being 4kgs lighter.

But.. I have had several fun experiences in a 15-20knt on shore wind with steep 3-4ft waves off the coast of Sydney. It was fun but I don't think it was fast. The UNO has very little volume and rocker in the front. The cockpit is also further forward than the Fenn/Epic. As a result it is very easy to paddle on a wave but the bow just disappears into the next slowing the boat. I am sure an experienced paddler could weave their wave around the troughs but I was just getting wet and having a lot of fun.... but slow. Upwind again it doesn't feel fast in the waves. It tends slap when landing and has trouble carrying momentum. I think this may be the lightweight.

Comments would be great.. especially experience in the ocean.

I wish they could make a boat that was as comfortable and stable as an Epic V10, unaffected by confused water, speed and good looks of the UNO and hull speed and ocean going ability of the Fenn. At this stage no boat has it all. Maybe the V12?

Its a world of compromises. With unlimited budget, you could have a ski for each type of paddling you do. The rest of us have to settle for one which suites the conditions we paddle in the most.

It would be great if one of the guys doing the paddle series on the East Coast of Aus could give us their feedback on the Uno!!! As there has been some mixed ocean conditions for all races so far.

thebigadski wrote:

It would be great if one of the guys doing the paddle series on the East Coast of Aus could give us their feedback on the Uno!!! As there has been some mixed ocean conditions for all races so far.

You're welcome to try one out at any of the races. We'll be at Bondi on Saturday if you fancy it.

Bugger........I'm in WA!!

I'd love to try one here for any of the races we have coming up in Perth though!!!

Race season starts in 2 weeks!!!

thebigadski wrote:

Bugger........I'm in WA!!

I'd love to try one here for any of the races we have coming up in Perth though!!!

Race season starts in 2 weeks!!!

OK, thought you might be this side of the island.


We will have a container landing over there soon and will have skis for Tony Schumacher and Sean Rice for the World Cup also, so you will have an opportunity to try one out soon enough.

cool, keep us over here posted!!!

thebigadski wrote:

cool, keep us over here posted!!!

If you fire me an e-mail, I can add you to our mailing list. I hope to have concrete dates soon for the WA Container.

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Cheers.

I will be posting my reveiw of the Uno in the next week and putting it on the Surfski Chart. I pretty much agree with what u said. I wish I had a carbon Uno that was as light as my V12 but will make do with kevlar Uno at this point. So stay tuned. Wesley, Surfskiracing.com