binks

Hi Leon - I don't see how a pause can possibly help. The boat will decelerate during the pause, so the next stroke is less efficient because disproportionate power is used in accelerating the boat again and not simply in maintaining speed. I can't think of a physiological benefit of a pause either - given the post-pause stroke has to be harder, it may be physiological disadvantageous by causing recruitment of inefficient Type II muscle fibers. Watch a video of flat water KI boats over 1000m, while surfskiers only paused when they've got the wave doing the work - otherwise the stroke is very smooth and the transition from blade to blade is continuous. http://blip.tv/file/1833893/ Hope you're well, Binks

Yeeeesss. I have your medicine in the garage and nice patches of funky stuff off Kennebunk, and ample opportunity for a downwind run, should the need arise. C'mon up.

Welkom hier terug, Doktor Binks, meneer! Dankie vir de twee baaie interessante poste. Lekker bly, ek se. (May I come and try one of your surf skis, one day? Regards, CG) (Go, Springboks!) (Binks: I know you don't understand that; but you can work it out. You brought up South Africa, so there you go!) Danke Herr Godfrey. You're welcome to visit the skis of Kennebunk any time, mate, give me a call. In terms of boats on the menu, I can offer 'stable', 'not so stable' and 'bugger-this, I'm going home'.

If the ski points downhill it will start surfing - wind chop or swell. Surfskiers will use the energy from windchop to gain enough speed to get onto larger, faster moving ocean swell. Even without the big stuff around here its possible to get good rides on the windchop alone. Obviously there are many days, especially in the dog-days of Summer when there's nothing to surf on - hence outriggers and skis are much more popular in places with persistent wind patterns and larger waves, e.g. Hawaii.

The hull shape of the ski is probably no faster than an equivalent kayak, such as a KayakPro Vampire, Thunderbolt, Rapier... on flat water. The ski may even be slower on flat because of its rocker. The surfski industry has gone through an evolution with the growth of the sport. The 'stable' skis (such as the Epics you tried, the Fenn XT, Huki S1R) have appeared to try and make the sport more accessible to beginners. The high end skis have been developed with claims of more stability without compromised speed (there is no speed without stability) - but the differences in models are small and consequently the makers hype their boat as the next 'magic' answer. This hype is maybe what you've heard. The advent of Computer-Assisted Design has made better skis, but the differences in models pales to insignificance when compared to the hours of training and natural ability of the engine. Regardless of the waterline shape, the fast kayaks tend to have less bow volume (compare the front of a Fenn to the Mohican or Thunderbolt). So, the skis are preferred for ocean racing as the bow lifts over oncoming waves and stay high when surfing. In comparison, the fast kayaks loose speed, tending to smack into oncoming waves and bury the bow during surfing. So skis are faster in waves, and the bigger the waves, the faster they go. You're comment on rougher conditions closing the gap between kayaks and skis is wrong - with a decent driver, a ski will open the gap on an equivalent kayak and comparable paddler because the ski will use the water's energy more effectively. The skis' open cockpit is low volume so even completely 'flooded' there is little water to cope with. What doesn't come out when the ski is flipped upright is sucked out by the drains - leaving the ski dry and consequently light and ready to go again. I'd hazard a guess that an open cockpit may also be a lighter structure than an equivalent closed cockpit boat (maybe). The open cockpit means no spray skirt interfering with rotation - look at how loose and floppy sprayskirts on sprint boats are, they're no good for ocean. The racing forward stroke also demands the legs to be straight forward, with no hooking the knees underneath braces. So no need for decking over the cockpit there either. The Mohican that was mentioned is a mix of kayak and ski - basically a ski hull with a partially covered deck. This 'ski' isn't raced on the ocean very much at all as it has a reputation for swamping in waves and the drains are overwhelmed by the volume of water that the partially-covered cockpit can retain. However, its undoubtedly a fast boat on flatwater and hence that's where we see it raced. Some of the fast kayaks also have tiller steering (Vampire, Mohican). Moving the tiller requires moving the feet laterally and thus shifting weight. This weight shift is undesirable in rough conditions - hence the simple (and thus light) pedal steering system of skis is preferred by ocean racers. You say that the REALLY big stuff requires the security of a spray skirt - but surfskiers will say the opposite. Skis are raced in VERY big waves in South Africa, Australia, W. Coast of USA, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Here a sprayskirt carries a risk of failure unless it is tight enough (where upon it hinders movement). Failure of a sprayskirt in big water means a full cockpit and a boat that won't move - an unpleasant situation in 15ft breakers. To put this in context, skis are raced through surfzones in SA, Oz that are big enough to break the ski - nevermind pop a spray deck. Check out www.surfski.info, you should be able to see photos of skis being put through their paces in their natural environment. Don't let the 17" beam fool you, skis are designed for, and used, with big water. In races such as the Molokai, high-end paddlers clock 20knts on big ocean swell. The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say - more ocean racers choose surfskis because they are designed for ocean and meet the paddler's needs for unhindered stroke, strong leg drive, good wave handling and quick recovery. They're also a lot of fun.

Ty, I'm a surfskier now, but was an avid seakayaker and member of NSPN for several years. For full disclosure, I run www.nesurfski.net and I currently have four skis and no seakayaks. Why surfski? For me, the ski was initially a new challenge to overcome the inherent instability, and master it enough to maybe get this log on the ocean. But, with the dedicated effort paid off, after the hours of frustration are spent, then the nervousness wears away and... you make your first downwind run. The first wave is big enough to generate speed with a few big strokes, and the ski drops-in - the acceleration is astonishing, this isn't a kayak, its a freakin racing car! With this speed and another six big strokes you catch the wave in front and slide over its crest, more speed. The next wave is easier to catch, more speed, and now you're running from surf session to surf session. The venturi drains that you've only heard 'slurp', 'slurp', during hours of flatwater practice now roar. The bow bounces and ski feels light. The GPS starts reading 10knts regularly and your realize that this is what a surfski is built to do - and its a blast and that why I do it. This of course progresses. Surf sites become as an important resource as NOAA as they give good info on swell direction. The waves you look for get bigger and bigger. You start getting better at keeping on bigger, faster waves. You realize edging is better for steering than the rudder - which kills speed when used. Timing your paddle strokes becomes reflexly tuned to the skis' pitch. The GPS max speed starts creeping up, 12, 13, 14knts. You read waves more and better, patterns appear and you plan heading on a wave by wave basis. You look forward to Hurricane season. So this being the purpose of a surski, being aligned to board-surfing, outriggers and paddle boards, betrays its heritage and perhaps the differences in philosophy to sea-kayaking. There's a short history of surfskis on nesurfski.net So forgive me, but given what I've just described, your comment on surfskis being 'fine if you avoid the really bumpy stuff' demonstrates your ignorance. But you're not alone - after crossing the Blackburn finish line I was once asked by an NSPNer, in arrogant tone, if I was 'happy just going in a straight line?'. I was pretty sure she'd never done a good downwinder. No, surfskis are not for camping, nor fishing, no picnics, no birdwatching - all things I thoroughly enjoyed in a seakayak. (But rock gardening becomes 'cutting-in' to look for refracted stuff). You enjoy the feel of water more as the skis instability, while there for speed, eventually offers not nervousness, but information - its even a nice boat to paddle on a flat Summer day, you just can't take a sandwich. Its different, not better, nor worse - just a different way to enjoy paddle and boat. The racing of skis is what you see, but the hull design and speed-heads that paddle it are inevitably going to end up racing each other. The 21ft 17" skis you see in the Blackburn are all long-distance, offshore boats, which is one of several types of ski. These are primarily South African boats (or descendants of) and designed to handle big ocean swell. The important design feature is the high volume bow - often not shared by many high-performance kayaks. The volume is there to stop the bow burying in waves of course - a miserable event amidst a good run. Other than that, the ski hull has similar features to other fast boats - long waterline, narrow beam, low wetted surface, volume behind the seat to stop squatting... The open cockpit is the other major difference of course. It comes from the skis' historical beginnings in the Australian surf-zone - where few spraydecks would be trusted. The open cockpit prevents ANY swamping - flip the ski over and its dry. The cockpit design now is primarily for racing - low seat (or, bucket), lower footwells, no impediment to leg drive or rotation (hence no leg straps). Off course the ski was developed in warmer climes, so insulation wasn't an issue. In terms of safety, the inability to roll isn't an issue. The remount does take more effort and time, but can be done quicker and with less effort by some more than others - as is the same for rolling, and I've performed/seen plenty of blown rolls. Not sure if you've ever tried to roll a high-performance kayak, but given the choice I'd rather be remounting a ski in 6-8ft than trying to roll a Thunderbolt. Trying to roll with a wing-paddle is also an 'interesting' experience - and why the wing? The power and stability its grip offers. The simplicity of surfskiing is also an attraction - one trip from rooftop to water, ski on shoulder, paddle in hand, done, i'm paddlin'. I'm sorry you perceive the "surfski crowd" to be "arrogant" and "igonorant", but that is far from my experience. In fact, quite the opposite has been true - welcoming, enthusiastic and focused on their sport. You seem pretty bent out of shape about it, but I think that you'll find your first impressions were quite wrong.

Doug - I run a local surfski website (nesurfski.net) and wondered if I could use this picture (and/or others). Can you contact me at nesurfski@maine.rr.com? I'll give full credit on the site. Many thanks, Andrew Binks (NSPNer of many moons ago).

David. Check out Garmin's products. The surfskiers use either the wrist unit or the 301 model. More expensive, but you get what you pay for. Binks

>He wouldn't happen to be handicapped in some way, would he? No. Paddleboard racing is a big sport in Oz, Hawaii and some on the West Coast. They do compete in even longer races, e.g. 32 miles of the Molokai. Last year one paddleboard competed and he was allowed to set off early - hence he wasn't stopped by the CG and he was one of the few to complete the full course - in fog. There were two guys that did the Blackburn on paddleboards this year, and what is even more impressive is that their boards are slow and not even racing models. (that said, both boards had 'For Sale' signs on them at the beach)

Results for all the paddled boats (all kayak and outrigger classes) are now online at: www.NESurfski.net Congrats to all NSPNer's who complete the challenge.

Thanks to the NSPNer's that were out by the Dog Bar to cheer the racers on, it was much appreciated as turning around the wall put many a set of tired shoulders straight in to the wind. Yesterday's race was very fast, with Greg Baron completing the 20 mile course in 2:32:58 in a touring boat - fast enough to beat the first ski home! A race report and preliminary racing class results are now online: www.nesurfski.net Thanks again. Binks

>people REALLY need to stay close to the wall so they don't >interfere with the racers. Hi Liz, Chances are that at least the first few skis will be running close to the wall in order to pick up any waves that they can. (Last time Barton did the race he was close enough to hit the rocks at the end of dog bar). Just keeping an eye open and getting out the way sharpish will suffice. Andrew

The 2007 Blackburn Challenge is being run this Saturday (21st) and promises to be one of the largest and fastest kayak fields in the race's history. Greg Barton (two time olympic gold medalist and current Blackburn course record holder) will be paddling surfski. This year he will have New York's Joe Glickman and several fast paddlers from the West Coast out to give him a run for his money. You can expect these guys to get around Cape Ann in a little over 2.5 hours. More details on the top line up are at www.nesurfski.net

York river & harbor has strong tidal currents making entry/exit of the harbor fun/difficult depending on tide direction. If going against the current you can find strong eddies to the sides, these along with a good ferry angle will negate the need for hard work. The strong current can produce standing waves in the natural harbor mouth depending on the wind direction. These can be avoided by staying to the sides again. If playing in them keep an eye out for returning boat traffic as best waves are in the channel (York still has working boats that are so far very patient with kayaks). Pleasant rocky coast paddle if you head South after harbor. There are few places to land however. With significant swell there are ledges that can produce breaking waves - easily avoided if you paddle further out. Head North and you'll cross Long Sands - more open water and landing on Long Sands in the Summer will get the attention of the Lifeguards as its a busy family beach.

Brad, I have a Capella 169 that I would like to sell. Contact me on (207) 221-5171 if you're interested in either trying or buying. Andrew