Epic V7 Surfski

[Terina]

Ihave to admit that after my first experience in the Epic V5 I was not completely sold. It was in Charleston, SC and I had spent most of the day paddling an Epic V14 GT before hopping in the V5 for a quick spin. Going from one end of the surfski spectrum to the other might have been just a bit too extreme. With the wide width and short bow, the V5 felt too much like a recreational boat for me.

Finally I have a surfski that I can confidently put complete beginners into and know that they will have a great experience. My thoughts and recommendations are always evolving as I gain more experience and feedback from paddlers, but for now, I would strongly recommend the Epic V5 for the following:

Here is a link to a bunch of photos of the kids paddling the V5 in Lake Michigan But enough from me, I am of course biased, I would love to hear feedback from any of you who have paddled the V5 or V7. Feel free to post some comments to this blog, or on our Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram. We want to hear from you!

The accommodations at the Surfski Center were excellent. I had a large two-bedroom apartment on the beach complete with the usual amenities: washing machine, WiFi, paddle ergometer built into a surfski hull, and a Bidet. I used the first three extensively.

Our downwind runs were either six or ten miles long and always started on calm water at the beach in front of the apartment. We always pulled out on a beach (one of which had Roman ruins), and there was always a driver with a trailer waiting for us. On the water we could stay close to shore and surf small waves, or head further out for bigger seas. Boyan was quite clear though that we were there to learn, not merely to seek thrills. He wanted us to be on the size wave that would best allow us to practice proper surf skills. For me this meant that I was typically in four to six foot wind waves, similar to what I have encountered on lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota or inside San Francisco bay in California.

Boyan is an excellent coach. He has a background as one of the top swimmers in Bulgaria and this shows in his exacting and analytical approach to the sport. He is an Oscar Chalupsky protege, so the techniques he teaches are what you would get at a Chalupsky clinic. Perhaps because Boyan has had to work hard to learn the sport as an adult, he can break things down in a way that makes sense to someone learning the sport.

I had to relearn some fundamentals of paddling. One example is bracing, which I had always assumed to be a thoughtless reflex. As it turns out, bracing is technique that needs to be practiced, and there are a number of distinct variations of the brace for different situations.

Another challenge to trying to synch with Boyan, besides the beautiful scenery, was the fact that he does things that are not part of my self-taught and rudimentary surfing skill set. Boyan really controls the boat with dynamic body movements rather than with use of the rudder. He leans forward, backward, and sideways, and uses the paddle and arm as a a huge lever to spin the boat. He had me practice this on my own. It was challenging to do correctly, but the mere act of trying forced me to stay high on the wave, which was very helpful.

One good thing about being in Tarifa was the opportunity to practice. As strange as it sounds, I never practice surfing in Minnesota. Downwinders are simply too rare in the Midwest to piddle one away working on skills. In Tarifa by contrast, I knew that I would get two downwinders today, two the next day, two the next day, etc. So I felt free to slow down and try new things, even if it meant letting plenty of perfectly good waves slide under me.

So did I improve in 6 days of paddling? I have paddled downwind just once since returning; a big Lake Superior downwind with Mike Brumbaugh. He thought I had taken things up a notch in terms of surfing. What I noticed in my own paddling on Lake Superior was that from time to time that wonderful sensation I got in Tarifa of hovering the bow in the air would come back to me. All of the sudden the boat would become light and nimble, the waves would appear to slow down, and I would have the time to look around and plan my next move. It is a nice feeling.

If you go, will it blow? Probably. Tarifa is the kite surfing capital of Europe. If you look at the Wind Statistic feature on windfinder.com, you will see that the probability of experiencing surfable wind is higher in Tarifa than in any other surfski hotspot you can name. That said, as with any location, it can be calm for days on end. It was calm for a day and a half while I was there. We used the opportunity to practice the forward stroke and do slow motion video analysis. I also did some trail runs in the mountains and explored the town. There is a reef off shore that creates surfable standing waves on calm days, though i did not get a chance to try that.

If you do go, you should try to be at the Surfski Center with other paddlers of similar ability. There is only one instructor, and that is Boyan. He can cater to any experience level from beginner to expert, but he cannot cater to all levels at the same time. When I coordinated with Boyan online, he advised me of times when other paddlers of similar ability where scheduled. I ended up paddling with Eric Gilland from Sweden. He had very little surfski experience, but was an accomplished sea kayaker, physically strong, and fearless in the water. We ended up being very well matched in terms of speed, and got along great on shore as well.

The Epic V12 is designed to be the ultimate downwind machine for elite level paddlers. The updated design has more rocker, a reconfigured cockpit for a drier ride and a more responsive rudder position, all while keeping a hint of extra stability over our V14.

After testing several prototypes in locations around the world, we feel this is the best surfski for elite, open-water paddling, especially in big downwind. The V12 is faster than the V10 on flatwater and is a good choice for those looking to move up. Highly skilled elite level paddlers with perfect stability skills will find the V14 slightly faster on flat water. But as soon as the wind and waves pick up the new V12 will be their weapon of choice. Mere mortals who want a really fast boat on flat water that can also handle rough stuff will find a good fit in the new Epic V12.

The stability is similar to the original V12. It is noticeably more stable than the V14, but less stable than the Epic V10. It has similar flatwater speed to the original V12, but is far superior in surf conditions.

However, I did paddle it for 77 miles, did (7 ) 1.63 mile GPS time trials, and paddled it a variety of conditions. After my initial few paddles in the V12, I made some adjustments. First of all, I changed out the foot strap to a more robust strap that does not flop down upon remounting and will support my Garmins. This took about an hour since the foot strap is integrated into the mounting of the footplate. Secondly, I bought a number of rudders to optimize the use of this ski. I used a 7 inch, 8 inch DK rudders along with the Universal rudder supplied by Epic for ocean paddling along with the Epic weedless rudder(not used) and a couple of shorter DK rudders for flat water. I have the large Epic surf rudder too. Historically, Epic has been lagging in the rudder department but just recently they announced their new line of rudders which will help to optimize the performance of their line. I also put some padding at my calves for better contact.

For years the major brands have focused on designing all purpose skis in each of the 3 broad categories of skis: novice, intermediate, advanced. Now however, with the launch of the V12 2G and the V11, the market is in the beginning phases of specialized skis for specific conditions. Most experienced, well informed paddlers, realize that some skis do perform better in different conditions. So if you are the market leader like Epic with a broad range of models, it makes sense to further broaden your line with two niche advanced skis, the V12 and V11.

Having reviewed so many skis over the years, with few exceptions, I can get a good sense of how a ski performs in comparison to other skis with a 15 minute demo. One of these exceptions was the V12. I was so excited about the V12 after I paddled it at Shark Bite. I loved this ski. The problem was, I paddled it directly after I raced the Ion 3G for the first time. The Ion 3G that I now have many miles on it and really like, seemed a touch unstable for me at the Sharkbite. Remember this was my first time in it. So when I jumped into the V12 that day, it felt very stable for me with the enduring relaxed and comfortable Epic bucket. I only paddled it for 15 minutes but I knew I immediately wanted one. Now skip to June where I paddled it for the second time in Jamestown(not flat). I realized quickly it was not as stable as I had remembered, no way, no how. Nevertheless, I knew with more bucket time, and a few adjustments, I would enjoy paddling it.

At my level, you need to be paddling an advanced ski at least twice a week in ocean conditions to maintain your balance and optimize your power. The V12 is no exception. But their was something different about the V12 from all the other skis I have paddled. It handles much differently in downwind conditions and upwind conditions vice beam and and quarter beam conditions. To its design credit, it excelled in downwind conditions even the small downwind bay conditions I paddled in. The tracking stiffens up, yet you can turn it on a dime and put it anywhere on a wave, and feel stable and confident. Fun! My GPS time trials bear this out being surprisingly ultra consistent and fast. Below is my first paddle in the V12, my fastest Time Trial, and my longest paddle.

The other very surprising thing is the extraordinary secondary stability. This was played out in my first paddle in Jamestown where I even surprised myself, I did not capsize in washing machine conditions. It also played out on the an unusual turbulent 12 mile day on the Sakonnet, me in the V12 and Chris Chappell in his Nelo 560L. I just rolled with the V12 for those miles but in the end, I was ready to get out of that ski. It was a lot of work. The V12 is a very active ski that is alway moving but if you relax, maintain constant rudder control, the secondary stability is extremely high. With a stroke or two, it is eager to get on a wave. It does require bucket time not unlike all advanced skis.

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