Ok, so the XT has always been a craft designed for paddlers of the less-well-balanced variety (I’m not going to say “beginners”) and you wouldn’t expect it to be as fast as the Elite level surfskis.

But if I were looking for a ski, and my priority was “stability before ability”, to quote a certain well-known paddling personality, I’d definitely include the new model Fenn Mako XT S (to give it its formal pedigree name!) in my list of skis to try.

And although I’d be prepared to sacrifice some speed for stability, I’d still have certain criteria by which I’d try to judge the boat before buying it.

Review Point of View

Who am I? For the purposes of the review:

• I’m a relatively experienced paddler, but I’m getting older and I’m looking for a more stable boat.
• I’m a relatively inexperienced paddler on my way up from my very first ski which is, for the sake of argument, a Fenn Blue-fin.
• In either case, I love downwind paddling.
• In either case, I know I’m not going to shoot the lights out racing but I do want to take part in my local round-the-cans Friday night summer series.

Downwind Criteria

• Shouldn’t be prone to broaching. The original XT was notorious; the rudder was placed far back on the hull, it would pop out of the water and the ski would slew off course.
• Should catch runs easily.
• Shouldn’t nose-dive.
• Shouldn’t be too wet (i.e. shouldn’t flood the cockpit too readily)
• Should track straight (i.e. shouldn’t wander off course)
• It should be stable enough that on a downwind paddle I can focus on paddling and catching runs without bracing to stay in the boat.

Nice-to-haves would include:

• Good drainage
• Comfortable cut-out at the back of the seat so that you can lean back when going down runs.
• Comfortable seat

Flat water criteria

• Shouldn’t be so slow that it’s embarrassing. I don’t want to feel that I’m at a disadvantage on flat water relative to the other stable surfskis.

Nice-to-haves:

• The boat should turn reasonably sharply.

General Must-haves

• It should be easy to remount. As a “less-stable” paddler, I don’t want any self-doubts about my ability to get back on the boat.

First Looks

The venerable Fenn Mako XT was one of the first truly stable surfskis, designed for non-elite paddlers on the market.

In this long-awaited update,

• The hull hasn’t changed.
• The nose has been slimmed down, so there’s less volume up front.
• The rudder has been moved forward.
• The seat has been moved forward.
• The overall length is the same.

Dimensions are:

• Length: 580cm
• Beam: 49cm (seam to seam at the widest point)
• Seat width: 40cm

The nose on the XT S has a new, slimmer shape

 

The XT S has the new Fenn seat shape, with a low hump and leash anchor point

 

The review boat had the conventional Fenn footplate assembly, but a self adjusting rudder/cable setup is available

 

The XT S hull shape hasn't changed from the previous version

Weight

The boat that I trialed was the heaviest, toughest layup: vacuum-bagged fiberglass with polyester resin. The website specifies 18kg for this layup, but the demo boat weighed in at just under 16kg and I confirmed with Fenn Kayaks that 16kg is indeed the target weight for the XT S in glass/polyester resin layup.

The rudder cables were rigged in the conventional way, adjustment requiring a small Allen key. Fenn Kayaks do provide self-adjusting footplates/rudder cables as an option.

All Fenn boats come with a leash anchor point.

The quality of the finish is good; the hull on this boat was rock-hard.

.

 

I'm now on my third "short" racing ski after a long string of standard length ocean skis.  Right now, I have the McGregor Classic, released in early 2017, and the McGregor Rhythm, released shortly afterwards.  I didn't think that I'd fit in the Classic when I read the early reports on the ski, so I bought a Rhythm.  

Then, during a moment of insanity, I hopped an early morning flight from Wisconsin to Florida, rented a car and drove through 30 miles of flooding roads during a week-long South Florida rainstorm, met up with Bruce Gipson of Venturesports, demo’d the Classic, and flew back home that evening.  That’s nuts, right?  "Unfortunately", I fit in the Classic just fine and had no seat issues after our one hour paddle, so I ended up buying the Classic, too.   

CLASSIC 

First Looks

The Classic is 19’ 4 long x 16.1” wide (590 cm x 41 cm width) and listed as being for paddlers under 90 kg weight. 

It looks like a K2 bow mated to a standard ski stern.  The hull cross section is a narrow U at the bow, is flat under the seat, and progresses to a boxy curve at the stern.  The "chines" under the seat area are about the width of your sit bones / ischial tuberosities, or just slightly wider. 

The seat is deep and the bottom of the seat pan is flatter and wider than usual - so the seat shape sort of follows the inner contour of the hull underneath it.  The seat bottom feels a bit higher than your heels, though, so the sitting position is pretty good and since I usually sit on a 1 cm thick seat pad, it’s pretty darn comfortable.  The knee hump seems standard height as does the gunwale height.  Rocker is pretty generous both in how it looks and in the way the ski behaves on the water.

The weight of this ski is about 22 lbs (10.5 kg), so it is very lightweight. 

It feels adequately stiff in the hand and on the water.  My ski had no soft spots or significant “oil canning” in the hull.  I can’t really say much about the build quality other than to say that I have had no issues with this ski and it’s been completely watertight.  The footrest flexed too much for my liking, and the footpedal surfaces didn't align perfectly with the footrest which bothered my big feet, so I swapped it out for a stiffer footrest and redrilled holes as was necessary to make it fit.  Most paddlers probably wouldn't feel the need to do that - only the finicky ones like me. 

The rudder crosspiece is like the one on Fenn skis and fine for what it does, but I wanted more security and the ability to use a variety of rudders, so I swapped the Classic's out for a Think crosspiece and Think rudder (both take the same size shaft.  An Uno Max rudder with one or two thin washers works for shaft length).  The ski came with scuppers, which I'd probably leave alone if I mainly paddled in the ocean, but for flatter water use, I blocked off the scuppers and had a bailer installed.

Comfort

The Classic is the skinniest ski that I can fit my rear end into.  Because the hull is chined, the bottom of the seat is wide, and I drop all the way down to the bottom of the seat without hip pinch.  The sides of the seat are vertical, meaning that they don't flare outwards at the top.  The back of the seat bucket doesn't flare back like some newer skis do.  

The boxy seat cross section feels about like the Gen1 and Gen2 Think Uno, though the Classic's seat is just a hair wider from top to bottom.  It’s also wider than the Gen 3 Uno Max, a ski that is too narrow for me.  Compared to the Epics and the Nelo 560, the Classic's seat is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top.  Like always, some will fit comfortably while others won't. 

The footwell is narrower than a 2G V10 but not as narrow as the 3G Uno/Uno Max/Ion, and the catch is quite narrow as well.  

Paddling - Flat Water

On flat water, the Classic feels like it sinks down a bit, especially under my 190 lbs (86 kg) weight.  The flatness under the seat gives it a trace of initial stability.  Lean it over to the side, and since the chine is right underneath you, it doesn't firm up all that much.  Lean it over further, ...and I can't because the opposite gunwale digs into my ribs and the ski won't lean any more. 

Under power, the Classic feels halfway between an ICF K1 and a long ski in that it accelerates more easily both from low and high speeds than a long ski, but not as well as a K1.  The corrollary to that, however, is that it also probably decelerates faster than a longer ski does. I would think that as long as the deceleration rate between strokes is not too fast, or your stroke rate too low, then it might be a good trade-off.   

Paddling this back to back with my Vajda Infusion 2 ICF K1, the stability feels fairly similar, so in other words, it's a fairly tippy elite level ski.  The only reason that I am comfortable in the Classic in mildly rough water is that I fit pretty snugly in it, the seat is low, and the trace of initial stability keeps it feeling fairly planted on the water - all of which keep me from panicking.  

Paddling in Waves 

In multidirectional waves of 1 ft (30 cm) or so, the Classic feels pretty solid for a short, skinny, lightweight ski, though it's still a handful due to the narrow beam, the flatter hull, and the high rocker.  On small downwind runs, with waves up to 3 ft (1m), the Classic works well with the small volume skinny bow seeming to more easily punch through the waves ahead than longer higher volume skis with wider bows.  I noticed this in the Nelo 560 as well.  

Downwind in waves up to 3ft (1m), it really benefits from having a larger swept back rudder and a bow deflector.  It’s easy to control on another ski’s wake and it picks up small runners well like most skis do.  But, I find that I can get onto more runners in the Classic since it accelerates faster and with less effort.

Boat Speed? 

I find it difficult to compare boat speed between elite level skis even when using my gps and HRM on flat and deep water because the differences between elite skis nowadays are so small.  

An analogy I like to use is to compare elite skis like this to a single speed time trial bicycle with a gear size that correlates to our strength, fitness, paddle length, etc.  A faster hull is like swapping out the wheels on that single speed bike for slightly more aero wheels -  which should increase our speed, right?  But it only sort of does.  With the faster wheels, it takes less effort to bump up our speed during an interval, and we might be able to accelerate better, but in a longer effort, we tend to fall back to the same or nearly the same speed where our single gear feels most comfortable and efficient.  This might just be a function of our own efficiency of muscle contraction  - meaning that maybe we automatically settle in at our optimal cadence / stroke rate.  

At any rate, I suspect the Classic is on par with other elite skis in terms of overall drag and how fast it is at marathon pace in the 7.5 to 8.5 mph (12 to 13.7 kph) range.

Seat first, Hull second

I like the design idea behind the Classic whether it was done on purpose or not:  build a narrow racing ski but design the hull to accommodate the width of seat that will allow more paddlers to fit, i.e. design the hull around the seat.  Sure, the hull would have been lower drag had it been optimized first but then the seat would have been really narrow or really high.  The shorter length has less wetted surface area, so some of that extra form drag is made up. 

Overall - Fun and Fast

Having used the McGregor Classic for a full year (minus 5 months of winter), I'm finding that it works very well for me as a flatter water ski because it meets the three main criteria which we all use:  It's comfortable enough for how long I plan to be in it; it's fast enough so that I don't feel like I'm penalized for not being in a different ski; and it's fun to paddle.  It's not a ski for everyone because it's a tippy elite level ski.  It also wouldn't be my first choice in a bigger downwind, as a rough water ski, nor as an ocean ski (I mainly paddle large fresh water lakes and slow flowing rivers).

Several other very good paddlers have taken the Classic for a spin back to back with their standard longer elite ski or their K1, and they've all had the same impression in that the Classic feels surprisingly fast, comfortable, and fun to paddle.   I suspect it accelerates well because the shorter length and narrow waterline gives them less wetted surface area, though maybe it's the rocker, or maybe it's the exaggerated swedeform shape, or maybe all three?

Unexpected Delivery 

April, sunshine, the beginning of what was to be the most awesome summer ever recorded in Norway.

The Norwegian EPIC dealer called me to inform that my V11 Elite 2018 had arrived on time. Totally surprised, as I had learned from experience that containers don't arrive when they should(!), I rushed to the store and picked it up.

First impression was wow! The finish is really good. I’ve had a lot of Epic boats including Elite boats, even a pre prepeg V14 Elite and a prepeg V14 GT. The new Elite sits somewhere between the GT and the old Elite in weight, but clearly outshines the GT and is more stiff and solid than the old Elite. This is not a thorough technical review about nuts and bolts, but just a few of my personal observations about paddling the ski this summer along other of my surfskis.

Spring scene in Norway...

Taking Care

I’ve been careful with the V11, but have bounced the boat around a bit. It doesn’t have a scratch (not deep scratches anyway!).  It's inevitable that the black finish will get a load of hairline scratches, just like a black car, live with it, or get another layup.

After 500km in it there’s nothing indicating that it should be prone to soft spots or structural issues. Maybe 500km is not a lot compared to its life expectancy, but compared to the V14 GT that actually came with soft spots, this is in another league.

The finish is great!  (Flip-flops optional extra!)

Short, but Proportional...  and very light

It looks good; it’s short, but proportions look right and the white interior gives it a smooth feel and looks very exclusive.

I live 1,5km from the beach and used to have a little wagon I could strap my skis to and push them down to the beach. This winter was fierce, rubber tires and ball bearings froze and the little wagon broke down after rolling 2000km. So now I carry my boats to the beach and welcome the very light V11, lighter than my Swordfish S carbon and my Think Uno Max 3^rd  Generation Ultimate. Light enough for the beach hike to be a breeze.

Is this Norway?  At the sunburnt beach...

Ergonomics and Seat

On the water ergonomics feel a bit like the new V12 (that I had along two older V12 Ultra/performance). The seat should be the same EPIC shape but I don't think that it is: the V12 pinched my butt a bit, not the V11. I could literally use it as my desk chair.  

I for one know how difficult a good fit can be and have had many frustrations with later Nelo and NK models to mention a few. But if like me you’re comfortable in the bucket of a V14, V8pro, old V12, Fenn Swordfish, most older Nelos and all things Think I’m sure you’ll like the seat of the V11. I did not like the gen 1 V10 though.

Try your boat before buying…

Handling

In chop: Out there it’s very different from the new V12, much more responsive, easier to turn. It just feels more lively and fun. When I posted the first images of the boat Uli Gwinner wrote that he really liked in in chop. I wondered how much better than me he must be, as I came from the V12 and initially found the V11 way more twitchy in the rough. It is. After a few rounds though, hips started recognizing the movements of the boat. It feels rock solid in chop as long as you follow its movement.

The boat is solid in chop, once you get used to it

Time for a New Surfski

For the last 3 years I've mostly paddled a South African license-built Think Evo II, but... my beloved Evo has grown old, having been used and abused a great deal (I paddled over 100 downwinds in 2017 alone, and a total of over 2,200km.  In total it must have done around 7,000km). It has various dings, including, currently, a 30cm split in the seam where I was blown against a buoy during a race, and some soft spots on the hull. It's been repaired a couple of times and has become quite a bit heavier than it used to be, thanks to persistent small leaks.

I'll get it repaired, but it was clearly time to get a new ski.

Choices

The choices of intermediate surfski available here in South Africa are the Fenn Swordfish S, Epic V10 Sport, a (single) Stellar SEI and the Nelo 550. Of these:

• Epic V10 Sport - I've paddled the V10 Sport a number of times and although I think it's a fine ski, for some reason I've never made friends with it, battling to match my normal times on a Miller's Run.
• Stellar SEI - I had one glorious reverse Miller's Run in a demo ski, dicing with Nikki Mocke, who usually paddles away from me easily, but the next paddle - long distance and flat - revealed the total incompatibility between me and the seat and I ended the paddle in agony and said farewell to the ski.
• Nelo 550 - I did one very wet Miller's Run in a borrowed ski without the wave deflector and enjoyed it, but aside from anything else the cost of the imported ski in South Africa is way out of my reach

The one ski I hadn't tried (recently) was the Fenn Swordfish S, and the opportunity came up to paddle a demo ski (thanks Pete Cole/Orka) and I grabbed it for a ten-day trial, during which I did 7 Miller's runs in varying conditions as well as some flat water paddling.

Miller's Runs

As most people know, I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to the Miller's Run downwind route here in Cape Town and it was easy for me to measure my performance in the Swordfish S against my paddling buddies.

Miller's #1

I immediately noticed how little the Swordfish S is affected by side-on wind. To get to the start of the Miller's Run, you have to paddle 800m diagonally into the wind and waves to Bakoven Rock, which marks the start of the run. In my Evo II, in big conditions, this can be challenging: the Evo's big nose catches the wind and as you thrust over the crest of an oncoming wave, the wind often blows the ski violently sideways. On a recent paddle the GPS track showed this graphically in the form of a drunken zigzag, as I battled each time to turn the ski back into the wind, only to be smashed 45 degrees off course time and again.

Normally, we paddle straight out to Bakoven Rock.  On this day the SE was blowing 32kt, gusting to 40kt.

This simply doesn't happen on the Swordfish S. Consequently, I'm far more relaxed going out to the rock - and a lot faster.

Elliptical Rudder

The second Miller's Run saw us going out in much more messy conditions, with waves running in multiple directions. This time I battled somewhat, especially in the smaller waves near the start. I noticed that the ski often seemed to be blown off-line so that at the moment I needed to take powerful strokes to get onto the run, I'd be skewed off and miss the run. Very frustrating. After a few km, the waves cleaned up and grew bigger, and then I was fine. But my overall time was off, relative to my buddies.

So, I installed a big elliptical rudder; not to enhance the ski's ability to turn, but rather to hold the ski straight. And it works like a charm. Miller's Run #3 (and 4, 5, 6 and 7) saw me achieving very satisfactory times.

Reluctantly handing the ski back, I made the decision to get hold of my own and ordered a Hybrid Swordfish S. The Hybrid model is only a kg heavier than the all-carbon version and is more hard-wearing, something appropriate for the kind of paddling that I do.

Swordfish S Carbon Hybrid

Ten days later I collected the ski.  Back home, I impatiently ripped off the packing...

First looks

• The quality of the finish on these skis has improved radically since the last time I owned a Fenn (which admittedly was quite long ago).  I'd say the standard of manufacture of the hull matches that of any of its competitors.  The hull fittings aren't flashy, but are robust and fit-for-task.  Example: the tiller bar is a simple steel bar - Functional, but not a work of art.
• The rudder lines are the same old steel cable and they're adjusted with the same old Allen Key arrangement. The Fenn philosophy is that 99% of the time, you set your footplate once and you never move it again. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
• The footplate assembly is a lot sturdier than my old Swordfish (the last Fenn I owned about 7 or 8 years ago) and it feels very rigid.
• The ski weighed just over 11.5kg - I was delighted, not expecting it to be that light.

Pimping the ski

I immediately:

• Fitted a bigger Orka-made elliptical rudder.  (It does make the ski slightly twitchy and some paddlers may prefer the original Fenn rudder which is less effective than the elliptical version.)
• Glued a weed deflector onto the hull in front of the rudder.
• Removed and discarded the rudder bar cover; I've done this with all the boats I've owned because I always want to see what's happening to the cables in case of corrosion.  It does expose the less than elegant rudder bar fittings, but I've always done this - and it's saved me from the embarrassment of broken rudder lines on at least one occasion.
• Fitted rubber non-slip mats to the footplate and pedals.
• Adjusted the footplate so that there were 7 holes visible in the adjuster track in front of the footplate - I've consistently used that setting in all my Fenn skis: Mako 6, Mako Elite and first generation Swordfish.

I appreciate the directional stability the elliptical rudder brings - and the slow speed agility

First Paddle - Ouch!

And then it was off for a paddle - and me being me, it was a moderate Miller's Run in 18-25kt with small, linkable runs.

And wow, was it uncomfortable! The footplate was too close and I was suffering from a raw coccyx having paddled another ski ten days earlier that had ground the skin off…

But still - the agony wore off to a bearable numbness by the time we reached the start, 800m out to sea, and the downwind went pretty well. My time of 48:21 was fairly normal, given the conditions and my discomfort.

The ski felt slight different to the demo model that I'd been paddling and I suspect that the design evolved somewhat after that particular demo ski was built. For example, the nose seemed to dip slightly more (although this might have been the particular conditions on the day).

I took the ski home and:

• Adjusted the footplate out one notch
• Added a Nelo-built wave deflector (courtesy of Oscar Chalupsky) to the foredeck.

I also took the ski down to Orka, where we installed a set of high viz neon orange stickers, highly recommended for safety reasons for those of us who paddle offshore! The stickers are available from Orka Paddles - contact them directly.

Nelo Wave-deflector - the most effective I've ever used.

And two days later, I went for another Miller's Run. This time I was a little more comfortable - leg length perfect, but still suffering from the raw coccyx - and felt more at home in the ski. Conditions were mellow (wind about 15kt) and I was recovering from a cough so I didn't push my heart rate. Time: 49min on the nose.

Wild Miller's

The next day was wild - "proper" Miller's Run conditions with 27-35kt of SE pushing some big sets across the bay.

As I set off, I felt a different kind of pain that had been masked by the raw burns the previous few days. Now I felt the back of the bottom of the bucket pushing against my coccyx - and could feel it rubbing, but fortunately on a different area to the already raw area! I'd used Vaseline as a precaution and I didn't suffer "roasties", but I did end up with a bruise or two… Things are never simple!

But the paddle was fabulous.

There were sets of swells running in several different directions, so it was possible to hurtle down a run, and then pop over a saddle between two waves in front, swing right and then swing left onto the next one… Great stuff.

But, as is often the case with big swells, there were times when there wasn't anywhere to go, and times when I just didn't have enough acceleration to get onto the run - and that dragged my average speed down to the point where I wasn't going to get a Personal Best.

I ended up with a time of 46:23, about 2min outside my PB (44:26, clocked late last year in the Think Evo II). Not bad in the circumstances, and I ended the run with a satisfactory dose of adrenalin and endorphins!

Oddities

For the first few years I paddled surfskis in Sweden, they were regarded as a real oddity. But some excellent results by half-decent paddlers in various popular long-distance races in Sweden slowly turned the spotlight on these funny looking craft.

Adventure racers were quick to catch on that crawling in and out of cockpits at portages and transitions was gone and that these boats were pretty fast and more stable than the regular adventure K1s they were using.

I suspect that NK's first surfskis were designed with these adventure racers in mind. I've known Frederik for as long as I've been paddling in Sweden and it's been my pleasure to be on the receiving end of requests for feedback on his new prototypes.

The build quality has always been extraordinary (Frederik pushes the envelope with what's technically possible, and cooperation with Sweden's - and dare I say it, the world's - best carbon-fibre experts resulted in some insanely light (8 kg or thereabouts) craft that looked like nothing else. 

Not my thing

But the skis that came out weren't really my thing. I like catching runs so small you can hardly see them - but I also like riding storm swells on open water. The first NK skis were great long-distance mile-eating machines, but I just didn't feel at home in them. (Many, many adventure racers did, however.)

The Search for the Perfect Ski

I have to admit that my ability to tell what works in a boat hasn't always worked out. I could hardly sit in my first kayak; and even when I mastered it, the wake of a duck could set me swimming. I won't mention what boat it was, but it started with "Sea" and ended with "ish"!

Nevertheless, over the years, I've found myself judging boats by a set of guidelines – if they all check out, then I pretty much always click with the boat:

• Well built, reliable quality, nice finish
• Good working rudder setup, no play in the rudder pedals, stiff footboard, well balanced surf rudder, safe system that doesn't wear out quick.
• Easy hull shape that has enough volume to get lift from bumps, turns easily while keeping its line.
• A bucket that's comfortable without padding, and easy to re-enter
• A brand that has international ambitions and wants to be at races and supports them

And...

After years in my V10 performance, I paddled half a summer in a Red7; a year in a V12 Ultra, 2 years back in a V10 Ultra, 1 year in a Hawx.

Enter the V14

Come this last winter (the winter-that-never-arrived) and I felt that I should try the next generation of super fast skis.

Sweden being blessed with proper winters I usually spend some months off the water but, in spite of having the most hectic work travel schedule ever, I managed to keep myself fit - training in weird gyms in hotels and airports. So I wasn't as out of shape as I might have been when I got back on the water.

I had bought a used V14 Ultra and by March felt it was time to get on the water and try it out.

The speed was incredible. Where I usually have had to work hard to average 12kph on my hour-long sessions on the water, I noticed immediately this was very easy on the V14. On flat days I was regularly doing 12,3kph average over the session... in cold slow water with loads of gear on!

The ski seemed to have no maximum speed: paddle harder and it goes faster. It never sits down into the water and says, "hey, this is as fast as I go". 

Comes with a price

But, for me, this outstanding performance comes with a price in terms of stability and in the back of my mind I was thinking, yes, the speed is amazing, but on a big day in unknown waters? What then?

In the meantime I was enjoying the flat water and my newly found speed like never before.

Nordic Kayaks NITRO

Come April and Fredrik and I got in touch. I had been aware that NK had expanded their range: the three existing models (low volume fast, entry level and intermediate) had now been joined by the two NITRO top end racing skis. I also knew that Freddie had been travelling back forth to Asia all winter and that he's working with a factory there that is one of the best fabricators around.

The NK Nitro in elite layup

On paper

The new NITROs look pretty good on paper. Clean, easy lines; some rocker; some volume. They don't stand out as very extreme shapes – but to me that's good. They look... predictable.

To me, surfski paddling is all about prediction: predicting where the next run is going to start – and predicting how the ski is going to react when you go for it. Of course your skill and fitness levels are important, but so is the ski that you're sitting on.

And in the flesh...

I picked up a NITRO Plus in Kevlar layup and NITRO in full carbon. The Plus is a half cm wider than the NITRO and has a bit more volume, slightly higher gunwales and in this case is white. The NITRO has a transparent clear gelcoat and is therefore carbon-fibre black. The cockpit has black gelcoat.

Finish

About as good as you can get it. Clearly they're hand made so you can see minor imperfections - on the seam for instance. But honestly, it's as good as a human can achieve, and the boats look very slick. The tricky parts, like the rudder shaft, the spots where the rudder lines emerge, etc are all done with great care and finished off beautifully. Both boats just ooze quality.

When picking up the Plus in Kevlar, it feels very familiar to my Epic's Ultra layup in weight. I didn't check it, but it's certainly light enough!

The NITRO I paddled is full carbon, and that really does feel VERY light.

The white kevlar finish is my favorite: it's not as light and feels less hard as the carbon, but the white cockpit and hull for me feel really fresh. Small scratches and paddle strikes are less obvious on the white finish, while on the transparent clearcoat every little scratch becomes a white scratch. The black cockpit also shows dirt and scratches much more and is also hotter in summer.

Ideally would be a white cockpit on the carbon ski, but that's just my personal taste.

    

The sharp end

Bits 'n pieces

Footplate Assembly

The footplate is pretty straightforward; Proven technology is used here and the lines self-adjust as you change leg-length.

The plate and pedals are made out of carbon and have foam padding as standard. There are also small rubber bumpers under the plate to protect the hull from damage when pushing hard.

 

Footplate assembly

Rudder lines are dyneema and hardly stretch. When I push on both pedals simultaneously they move maybe 0,5 cm forward which is acceptable.

Bailer

The bailer is a plastic version of the much used Anderson bailer as used on sailing dinghies that can be opened and closed. It has a little flap in it to prevent water from backing in if you are laying still, paddling too slow or reversing.

However this means you need to open the bailer at least 75% to be far enough that the flap can actually open. I rather removed the flap, which is easily done, so I can have the bailer just as far open as necessary.

Wide open is too wide

1cm is right for flat water

Paddling at 11-12 kph and weighing 96kg with paddle means I set about a 1cm opening for it to just not gurgle. In big conditions 2cm is about right. When wide open it sucks so hard you risk losing body parts if not wearing neoprene shorts.

Rudder Assembly

The housing for the rudder is different to other boats I've seen. The back of the housing is open and the T-bar is simply covered with a lid secured by a stainless steel bolt. (The bolt screws into a nut laminated into the hull of the ski – a much better solution than the simple screw often seen on other skis.)

I think it's a little over-engineered though! A plastic knob, removable by hand, would do the job just as well and wouldn't require the allen key (that is included in a stowage behind the footplate).

The T-bar housing

I do like being able to see the T-bar though, to check it before heading out into big conditions...

Nordic Kayaks offers a range of rudders

Behind the rudder is a small deck fitting that can be used for an emergency steering bungy in case of a snapped rudderline. I guess it could also be used by adventure racers who always seem to want to tow each other!

Leash Anchor

There's a leash anchor fitting in the cockpit, in common with many other skis. I tried it for the first time and it does make sense; I much prefer it to hooking my leash on the footstrap. How strong the leash is, I don't know.

Deck Bungees

Behind the cockpit, a set of six deck fittings secures a web of bungee cables. Fenn skis, perhaps the most popular brand, don't have this feature and I often see paddlers scratching their heads, wondering how to carry a small bag or PFD.

The NITRO Bucket

Paddling the skis

To be honest, choosing one of these two after a short test paddle would be very difficult. But, having spent time in them I'm confident that, whichever I chose, I'd be happy with it.

Comfort

Both skis have perfectly shaped buckets – for my backside; I found the NITRO's bucket slightly deeper and more hollowed out, giving more support to my lower back. (It also makes my shorts chafe a little more against my lower back – but I think the seam on the shorts is more to blame than the seat.)

NITRO Plus

Click here for a bigger image

The bucket in the Plus is a bit roomier and the hump is lowish. The benefit of this is that your legs are straighter and lower – helpful for stability and leg drive. On the other hand, any water that gets in easily sloshes back from the footwell into the bucket, freezing your appendages off in winter!

Footplate Angle

The angle on this one is just right. I found the Fenn footplate, for example, needed about two years of yoga before I could get my heel on it!

It's not adjustable (unlike the Nelo for example), but then surfski paddlers don't generally expect that.

Mine did make a funny squeaking sound when I pushed hard, but I cured it by filling the empty space behind the footplate with closed cell foam blocks. This gives the footplate the ultimate solid feel; being an ex-rower I like to use my legs as much as possible. And the blocks reduce the volume of water if you do flood the cockpit.

Friendly - with Attitude

I found immediately that the Plus is a friendly ski, but with attitude.

Definitely a thoroughbred racer; my cruising speeds were right there where I wanted them to be.

Having spent the last couple of years in Epic surfskis, I can most easily compare the NITROs to them. In a nutshell I'd say that I found the Plus more stable than the V14, and more spicy than the V10.

After having paddled it in flatwater races, big downwinds, ferry wake riding and races on tiny swell conditions, I feel very confident in my judgment of this ski.

It is SO un-dramatic to paddle.

Very predictable in the downwind, fast enough on the flat, and so stable that you dare take it out on any day. For me this really grew into to the one do-it-all ski that I could feel really happy with in any conditions from the wild west coast to flat downtown Stockholm. I have completely crushed all my best times this spring using the Plus, and this to me really proves that it's a fast ski. I think some of my regular training and racing buddies can confirm this.

After watching the downwind videos all winter by Rob Mousley in Cape Town and Boyan Zlatarev in Tarifa, it was pure joy when it was finally my turn again.

To sit in a ski that is predictable and fast that allows you to do what you want to do is just fantastic.

So I can't really say much more about the Plus. Stable, fast enough, easy, predictable, nothing crazy, just plain good, as a real surfski should be. 

First Looks

My Evo II is a South African built model – made by Hein van Rooyen at Carbonology Sport.  Like all his products, the ski is beautifully finished, hard and stiff.

It’s a hybrid layup – with a carbon deck on a vacuum glass hull.  The weight is good – just a shade under 13kg.

Click here for a larger image

Click here for a larger image

Click here for a larger image

The rudder is the Carbonology standard rudder – which works pretty well, but as I note below, I’d like to try some other options.

The main differences from the Chinese-built boats are:

• The bailers are dual bullet-type; the Chinese boats have a single scupper
• There’s no hatch at the front of the cockpit
• The footplate assembly is the Carbonology standard setup – but secured with the Think rails.
• The recess for the leash anchor point is there, but the anchor point itself is not fitted (on mine).

On the water

I’ve paddled the boat in all kinds of conditions and it’s been an intriguing process.  I’ve been paddling intermediate boats for over a year now including the Fenn Swordfish and the Knysna Kayaks Genius Blu.  I won’t go into a detailed comparison here, but where relevant I’ll compare my experiences in the skis in specific conditions.

One constant is that I almost always paddle with Dale Lippstreu, my training partner, who has been on a Fenn Swordfish for the last 18 months and who has been a great marker against whom to compare my paddling.

The handles make it less likely that you'll drop the boat.

Flat water

On the flat (not my favorite), I could honestly find very little difference in speed between the intermediate skis.  However, the Evo II does have a relatively high bucket, which, together with the cutouts in front of the cockpit, gives a seating position that I find very comfortable. 

The cutouts contribute to a comfortable paddling position

What’s the bucket like?

The old V10 bucket gave me a raw coccyx in about 5 mins.

I can sit in Fenn buckets for ever, without getting the notorious “Fenn dead-leg”.

I also find the new V10 bucket very comfortable.  To me the Evo II’s bucket is similarly comfortable so if you’re comfortable in Fenn skis (or the new Epic skis), I suspect you’ll find this ski comfortable too.

Paddling the Evo II

Remounting

I find this ski one of the easier boats to remount - the relatively shallow cockpit makes it easy to swivel your bum into the bucket

Choppy, confused water

I find the ski very stable; perhaps a touch more tippy than the Swordfish, but of a similar order of stability.  Since I’ve been paddling intermediate boats, my ability to paddle skis like the Fenn Elite (which I paddled for years and loved) has diminished, and I find myself less and less comfortable in rough water in them.

The edges of Hout Bay, where I often paddle, are mostly sheer rocky cliff faces that plunge into the sea; when the open ocean swell is big, it reflects and ricochets off the rocks, producing a notoriously mixed up chop in the bay. 

During our Tuesday night dices around the bay we often have a long downwind leg where you have to find and chase small runs hidden in among the overall mixed up chop. 

This is where I sometimes find the Evo II challenging; it feels to me as though the boat is “bouncy” and I battle to settle into a rhythm and take the hard strokes necessary to get onto the runs.

But this is a quite specific set of circumstances – it sometimes happens in Hout Bay, and sometimes at the beginning of a Millers Run.  As soon as the runs become a little more defined, however, things seem to change, as I’ll go into below.

Wake-riding

As noted in other articles, when it’s calm and we can’t find downwind conditions, we often chase a big 88 ton tourist catamaran in Hout Bay called Nauticat.  Nauticat’s wake is perfect for practicing surfing but is challenging for long skis in that the wave is quite steep and short.

The Evo II is a longer ski and the rudder is more prone to pop out of the water when you’re on the wake than some of the shorter skis – and it’s a challenge to avoid broaching. 

I've arranged to get a bigger, elliptical rudder and will report back once I've had a few paddles with it.  (Depending on the boat, rudders can make a huge difference to handling; The old Fenn Mako6 was transformed in downwind conditions by a proper surf rudder.  Other boats, not so much.)

Hull contours towards the nose

 

The hull flattens quite radically towards the tail - giving the ski its stability

Downwind

I love paddling this ski downwind.  Here’s a typical experience…

Most people know that I have a certain fondness for the “Millers Run”, a fantastic downwind route that we paddle whenever the southeaster blows here in Cape Town.  But the southeaster blows mostly in summer.

In winter we get northwesters that blow as the cold fronts come through – so we go the other way, the so-called “reverse Millers” run.

The northwester blows offshore from Fish Hoek and along the coastline, towards Millers Point; the initial section is flat, but the runs build quickly, and within 2-3km of the start, you’re into clean downwind conditions.

A group of us did the run last weekend. For those first 2-3km, I was more or less neck and neck with my training buddy Dale on his Swordfish; from there, as soon as the runs were forming properly, I dropped him quite easily.  I’m not 100% sure why it is – the rocker, the length of the ski? - but I find easy to link runs on the Evo II, maneuvering and sometimes ramping the “next” wave with a few hard strokes. 

When we’re both paddling Swordfish, Dale and I tend to be very closely matched on the Millers Run; the fact that I’m usually a minute or more ahead when I’m on the Evo II is conclusive – to me at any rate.