Surfskis

The wife and I picked up some Surfskis (like sea kayaks but open) and we are LOVING them!

They’re efficient and easy to paddle and stable. We’ve taken a refresher lesson to  learn important stuff like remounting and things to do when you’re in trouble or need to help someone.....and proper paddling form. 

Living in the Shore is awesome but one of the things I’ve always wanted to do is enjoy the water. This seemed like a good way to do that, and to explore. I want to go out whenever I can but sometimes it’s hard to coordinate both ...I’m thinking about going out alone. Not sure it’s a great idea but I’ve spent my life making poor decisions on that type of thing so maybe I’ll give it a go. 

Anyone else have surfskis or a kayak? There’s something about being alone in the woods that I really love, and paddling on the water is similar. 

We are so lucky to live here. It’s like a vacation everyday once work stuff is done.

2 ww kayaks and a 17 ft sea kayak

I paddled with a guy at the lake who had a ski and a wing paddle it was really fast , I noticed he was wearing a neoprene shorty and he was wet, good thing it was in the summer, in the WW kayaks I'm wearing a drysuit 99% of the time

We might get 2 weeks off summer up narth so Its pretty cold most of the time so i like a decked boat, most of the time i'm wearing a gortex paddling jacket or (drysuit if its cold enough <10C) and I've done some 3 week trips out on the narth coast, in a full sized seakayak I can carry enough stuff for up to a month

tip for keeping the hands warm: take a couple of natures blend bagel bags, thread them onto your paddle put your hands in the bag ... light warm enough & almost free

Yes you're definitely wetter in the ski than in a sea kayak. Forsure. But we picked up some regular wetsuit like pants (not thick, these are pretty mild) and we are fine in Burrard inlet the last few weeks. Maybe even a bit too hot depending on what top layers we have on. Temp is not a problem at all - and Ive been practicing remounting so totally in the water. 

My wife got an Epic V5 (14ft, 24in wide) and I got an Epic V7 (17ft, 21in wide). On the ski spectrum, theyre both on the slower but stable side. They really are pretty stable, especially the V5. Both rotomolded so very durable (but 50lbs). They're a perfect way for us to start and they leave room for growth if we want lighter and faster later - I can see picking up a composite 20ft/19in ski later when and if the time comes.

We went with regular paddles for now but man, I want a carbon wing blade. I tried one during our refresher in Deep Cove and it was fast and better. Expensive as hell tho - Im looking for a used set.

There is a surfski/kayak/paddle board race every Tuesday night in Deep Cove.

I have a buddy that is really into this and keeps trying to get me to buy his old one.  He has a V10 and says it takes a while to get stable on them but they haul ass.  Living in Squamish it is something I have considered but I already struggle to get enough time on my bike so more gear/activities aren't on the to-do list yet.  Yes NBR, I still ride a bike.  :)

Im like you and not looking for things to distract me from riding when I can, BUT I gotta say that being on the water is nice too. Biggest thing for me is that my wife doesn't ride and this is a great outdoorsy thing that we can do together.

Id go for it if he is going to give you a great deal. V10 is tougher to start on than my V7, but you'll dry off! You've got nothing to loose - its more fun than I thought it would be.

His old one is a V8, so I assume it would be a little easier to stay on top of.  I love being on the ocean so I am tempted, but my wife might not believe it is as high of a priority as I do.  :)  Maybe I will just visit him in Pender Harbour and paddle it around there first.

V8 is perfect - essentially the same as my V7 but 1ft longer, same width but made from a lighter material -  buy it, don't delay. Buy a full carbon wing blade from him too if he is peddling one of those! Im trying to find a good wing blade used to buy.

ive been seeing them everywhere lately especially in cumberland, i was wondering wtf they were.. some sorta racing kayaks or something? Doesn't look like you can throw a lot of camping gear in them, I do have a pretty sweet canoe tho

Mine has 42L of storage which might come in handy for a picnic on an island or something.

Adam, generally theyre sea kayaks that are open and have a more forward rudder to allow "surfing" on waves while keeping the rudder in the water. On sea kayaks the rudder is at the far aft, which means that when youre riding the wave its out of the water on the back side. Surfskis its in the water in the same situation allowing you to maintain rudder control. Ive "surfed" waves off of boats in Indian Arm and some rollers around Eagle Harbour, pretty fun. I can see how if you live on HI or Tofino or a place like that you'd focus on doing that.

Maybe they're sleeker in general, but many are molded right off of seakayak profiles.

thats pretty cool, i'm more interested in hauling gear to remote beaches to camp at for a week.

42L of beer does not sound near enough. Im a bit skeptical of taking my canoe out on the west coast.. maybe eventually ill pick up a 2 man kayak to go along with it, not right now tho since i just entered funemployment.

I've done > week long trips in my buddies kevlar Seaward Passat which is like the best double one can buy, they are really fast because speed is a product of length but with a double you need that second person who wants to go paddling which could be hard to find, the people i know who have and use their double kayaks are married to their paddling partners so ask yerself who is gona paddle a double with you ?

The doubles I do see for sale trend to be hard to get rid of... might be good if you are looking for a used one

I was under the impression surf skis are narrower which is gona make them faster but more tippy

i don't use a rudder unless I need to cuz it slows the boat down

Even in a decked boat getting wet & staying wet for days at a time tends to happen even if its not raining and when it is raining its nasty, with the gortex dry suit I will pack up camp doing whatever I can without getting rained on get in the suit to finish the pack and stay in that suit till i get the tarp up again