Our pleasure. How is your paddling going?

Thank you so much for your comment! Where do you paddle mostly? Are you in Europe? USA? Australia? All the training and remounts are worth it in order to paddle downwind!! Downwind surf paddles are the best. Thank you again for the encouragement!

@@barryblackburn5910 Oh, I'm basically a flat water rower for many years now in the Pacific Northwest so I row on lakes. As I'm getting older might be that my rowing on water days might come to an end. So, I've been doing a lot of flatwater kayaking. And, with the rowing background, I'm just looking for something more performance oriented in the way of kayaking so the surf ski would be it. Easy for me in that I'll probably only be on lakes and such, not ocean swells so good chance I might not be falling in quite so often if at all. Nonetheless, I find it extremely helpful to follow folks such as yourself to get an idea of what it's all about as I go about exploring my ski options.

@@karwask1you will love Surfski. The speed is rewarding.

I second that. I appreciate these videos that emphasise just how difficult it is to get proficient at this sport, so you don’t get unrealistic expectations.

@@takethecatout thank you! I truly view all the swimming and remounting as part of the workout. At nearly 4 years of Surfski we may fall out once or none at all each paddle. The downwind paddling is a huge reward. So much fun. Where do you paddle? Have you been paddling Surfski very long?

Wow!! I am so impressed you learned to paddle an expert boat in cold water!! The water in North Carolina ranges from 50F (10C) to 78F (25C) so we are very fortunate. We have shared some videos on cold weather gear. Do you paddle in a dry suit sometimes? Or do you paddle only in certain times of the year? One more question, do you still paddle the Think Uno?

@@barryblackburn5910 I envy you for the water temperature and the waves. I still paddle the Uno but only between April and October, about 1k km each paddling season [usually I paddle ~15k for about 1.5 hours]. I watched your cold weather gear video- I am quite lean here, compared with you... No dry suit, usually just 2-3mm neoprene shorts, neoprene shoes or a 3mm boot in the spring when the water is only 8 Celsius, and a 2mm neoprene jacket or just a rash guard under the PFD. On colder days I also replace the usual ballcap with a neoprene touque. In the winter I'm toughening up with cold showers [no neoprene stuff here]- no wonder I sniffle that often :) I am in the process of acquiring a two piece dry suit [Gore-Tex pants with socks and a splash jacket] for early spring/late fall paddle. I am still trying to figure out how to dress up- I have a collection of gear that I bought over time, which qualify as 'hit and miss'... I should mention that the Uno is not my first ski- I learned how to use a wing paddle on a glass Evo; I switched to the carbon fiber Uno three years ago only because it is so much lighter and easier to carry to the water- it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass. When I first mounted it, it was like I never paddled a ski, started from scratch with lots of side bracing... The Evo was like an armchair [including remounting]; by comparison, the Uno is like a wobbly three legged stool, on which however I sit, let's say, by leaning on the water rather than on the stool...

@@d1427 I have been doing Wim Hof breathing exercises and cold showers daily since July! They have helped me big time with mental health.

@@barryblackburn5910 sorry, I forgot stuff... so I edited my initial response.

@@d1427 thank you for your comments!

Thanks for the comment! I have really taken to the Vega Surfski. Do you paddle in the ocean mostly? We are in the ocean as much as possible, when we aren’t at risk of breaking our boats. The shore break closes out quite a bit and we only have one protected inlet in our region so we have to pick our ocean days.

@@barryblackburn5910 I'm more bay/harbor based as we have plenty of that in Sydney. It's a great place to paddle that's for sure. Have fun!

Taking on the challenges incrementally is wise -- we're lucky here in that we have all types of conditions and areas in which to paddle, so we've able to grow our skills in bits and pieces by taking on slightly more challenging conditions as we progressed. Tidal rivers are fun, too!

@@ThePaddleChannel well....I did it lol, 16 miles, 8 at sea 'only' fell off 3 times!! I'm getting there lol.

I agree! I think one’s athletic background, comfort in the water, and access to warm, calm water are important factors. Finally, if we can reframe our opinion of falling out and remounting as simply part of the workout, then we will enjoy the experience.

Awesome! Thank you!

That’s awesome! Please keep us posted on your progress. As you learn the rhythm of leg drive you will be excited to paddle even more!!

Thanks Adam! Hope you and the family are well.

Thanks!

Thank you!!

We're in the eastern US, but don't offer formal lessons. Check out surfskischool.co.za/ and surfskischool.co.za/surfski-school-international/ -- that's probably where we would start.

If I had the money I would go to South Africa and paddle with Dawid Mocke!!

Hi Emil, I used a GoPro mount with a “gooseneck.” It works surprisingly well.

Emil, where do you paddle Surfski? How long have you been paddling?

Did you start with a wider boat and gradually go more narrow?

@Barry Blackburn yes.. I tried and failed. Paddle narrow one when it is nice weather or flat water hope I go to intermediate..

The two boats in this video are the white Epic V10 (first generation) and the grey Kai Wa’a Vega Pro. We have a video where we compare these two boats. The measurements are in that video. Thank you for watching and commenting!

Yes. Zero degrees seems to work well for me. I watched a video where Oscar Chalupsky recommends 0 degree and I have stuck with that. I know it is a source of debate. Do you set your paddle at zero?

Sorry. Didn’t see your reply Barry! Yes absolutely. Im 0 degs as well as I want to set up primarily for downwinding.

@@russidan6548interesting, I’m still at zero degrees feather. Are you?

It is a challenging and very rewarding sport, but Barry started out in an elite level boat, which definitely made it more challenging than a more stable boat would have been. Fortunately, many brands now offer a broad range of surfskis for a variety of skill levels. Most people recommend starting out with a stable boat to learn the basics (even a stable boat may feel tippy if you're accustomed to, say, a canoe or a wide sit on top kayak), but trust the boat and work on good technique, and the reward will be well worth the effort!

It is a fun challenge and we love it! Even the falling out and remounting. That’s part of the workout for sure.

Valid point of view, thanks for sharing. For us, learning to paddle the more tippy craft is part of the fun (when the water is warm :) ), and having the ability to paddle a wider range of surfskis is a bonus. We've found that paddling the more elite and high end intermediate skis is more enjoyable in most conditions (though Rod finds the intermediate ski more enjoyable on rough days, so that's in agreement with your experience). We have also found that downwind speeds do improve, with a lower heart rate, in more advanced boats, *as long as the paddler is stable*. That's been our experience, but we're in 100% agreement that a paddler could start with one of the boats you listed and stay with it forever, and have a great time without ever trading up. It all depends on the paddler, their goals, personality, conditions, etc. Thanks for sharing your experience -- definitely a point of view paddlers should consider.

We have found that in downwind conditions, a wider boat is practically the same speed as a skinny/tippy boat so I would agree with you there. In the flat water, a narrow boat is definitely faster. Different strokes, for different folks right!? Pun intended. Hope your paddling is full of stoke and smiles!!

Yes, my mom said when I was little I started running as soon as I thought I could walk and fell a lot!! Not much has changed 😂😂😂. Hope your paddling is full of stoke and smiles!

There is definitely a get-to-know-you period when getting starting on surfski, but it's worth the time, we promise. But the great thing about paddling is that there are so many different boats and style of boats, and many many great ways to enjoy the water and activity -- we all gotta find the ones that click for each of us. We're curious -- what surfski did you try?

@@ThePaddleChannel It was a plastic one I believe the Epic V5. Not my cup of tea. Everyone raves about the downwind potential and looking on Strava that's where the advantage is greatest but personally I don't like going out in windy conditions and prefer flat water. Even lakes aren't that flat on a windy day and have made my peace with having to deal with some conditions otherwise I'd never go out. Been kayaking for 20 years and haven't made my peace with tippiness. I think when you're 6'4" there is no such thing as secondary stability. Once the boat starts rolling I am done for so I always owned very stable boats and only flipped a personal boat (not trying something new "faster") once. Am risk averese....

Steep learning curve for sure. We love the ski. I have just started paddling a V1 also. It is very challenging. Hope your paddling is full of stoke and smiles!