First Impression: New Epic V12 vs V14

Vinyl has a come a long way in the last few years. The vinyl I used weighed about 7 oz - FAR less then paint enamel and clear coat (2 pounds!).

I had a sign shop that does a lot of vinyl car wraps do the install, and watching them do it I don't regret that decision at all... it was stressful just watching them work / handle two 25' pieces of high end vinyl.

Do you know if the vinyl provides any UV protection? My ski tends to live outside most of the year with out a cover.

Any high quality (automotive or marine grade) vinyl should have excellent UV inhibitors built into the substrate, which is another nice upside to vinyl over paint: it's a protective, low maintenance layer (not bullet proof, but quite tough). I would only worry if you were going with a cheap nock-off vinyl (Avery and 3M made the good stuff).

Next question. What would something like that cost?

Cryder wrote: Any high quality (automotive or marine grade) vinyl should have excellent UV inhibitors built into the substrate, which is another nice upside to vinyl over paint: it's a protective, low maintenance layer (not bullet proof, but quite tough). I would only worry if you were going with a cheap nock-off vinyl (Avery and 3M made the good stuff).

Im also very interested approx. how much a wrap costs. My plain white stellar is kinda boring. Probably as much as my boat. lol.

anyways, those are awesome boat wraps on your instagram. Very pretty.

Thanks for the pics and info on installation Cryder. I should have known it was a difficult install, best left to the pros.

Thanks for the review - it helped convince me to try (and then buy) the V12. However, unlike you, i was stepping up from the V10. I couldn't find too many comparisons vs the V10 so thought I would share my impressions as it may help those who, like me, are coming from the other side

About me: I am 188cm and around ~88kg and have been paddling for around 3 years, all the time in an Epic V10.

Thoughts on the V12: There are three unexpected features of the V12 when compared to the V10: 1) Comfort; 2) Stability; 3) Dryness.

Firstly on comfort: The bucket is amazing. I mean, cut it out and replace my couch cushion great. Versus the V10, the bucket feels slightly deeper and slightly narrower which, for my 33/34” waist, means the boat hugs me so much better than the V10. For the first time, I feel myself sitting inside the boat rather than on top of the boat. I also used to find myself slipping down and forward in the V10 which doesn’t happen at all on the V12. I was never uncomfortable in the V10, or at least I never thought I was, but I cannot get enough of the V12 seat.

Stability: I first tested this boat during a 12km time trial on Sydney Harbour on a day where a 20kt+ westerly was howling and was nervous about whether I could manage the step up from the V10. I didn’t need to be. There is a noticeable albeit very small loss of primary stability over the V10 but that is about where the difference ends. The secondary stability on the V12 is shockingly good, especially as soon as anything starts to happen on the water. Gone is the bow slapping that I had become used to in the V10 paddling into the wind (thanks to the extra rocker of the V12) and, probably due to the better bucket, the whole boat feels more controllable. If the V10 Sport is a 10/10 for stability and the V10 is an 8/10 for stability, this thing would be a 7.5 and the V14 would be a 4/5.

Dryness: I haven’t taken the boat into anything large yet but I can comfortably say that it is a much dryer ride than the V10. I don’t think I opened the bailer once during my last paddle which rarely was possible on the V10, even around the inner harbour areas. I think this is because of the higher sides on the V12 which also contributes to the comfort.

I have not paddled the boat enough to concretely comment on speed although my initial impression suggest that the +2% figure I have seen mentioned on speed vs the V10 on the flat is probably correct. It is definitely quicker.

I originally bought this boat to act as a second, faster boat, something to test and develop my stability, while keeping the V10 for the rougher days. Now I am thinking I may have to sell my V10. If you are a confident V10 paddler, you would be crazy not to test one of these out.