Reviewer: Wesley Echols from www.surfskiracing.com
This past fall (2010) I paddled only one of the two SR's
in the US at the Kayak Centre in Wickford, Rhode Island. I
jumped in it after a few of the employees took it for a spin in the
back waters of the Wickford Harbor. I did not know what to
expect. Would it be like the other stable skis that I have
owned? Would it be more stable, less stable, faster, slower,
comfortable, etc? I was pleasantly surprised, as were the
Kayak Centre employees. I watched these seasoned kayakers
wade out a few feet and jump in the ski, and within minutes feel
comfortable. No initial stability twitching, no wobble, no
bracing, just get in and paddle. This is quite different from
some other skis in this class, especially for paddlers making the
transition from sea kayaks to surfskis or for surfskiers who find
the high performance skis (HPS) too unstable for them in
conditions.
At 19.2 feet by 18.9 this ski is the shortest and widest
of the Stellar line. Contrast this to the 20 foot by 16.5
pocket rocket SES. All Stellar models are new designs but share
commonalities across the entire line; namely the excellent speed to
stability ratio. The SR bucket is designed to fit most paddlers
without being too wide and tapers in toward the hip area. The
foot plate is the Stellar standard 3 point, ultra secure, no
creaking, no rubbing, or no flexing foot plate. This
footplate may be the best in the industry. What is also nice
that maybe unique to the Stellar SR, is that the track can be moved
a few inches to accommodate really short paddlers or really tall
paddlers. So this boat has a wider range of "would be" paddlers.
Similar to all Stellar boats, the hump is very low which is an
advantage especially for shorter paddlers like myself. This
lends itself to better leg drive and better stability since your
knees are lower without your calves hitting the hump. I have
known a few handy paddlers that have actually modified/lowered
their hump in various skis to solve the hump problem. Another
built in feature in all Stellar skis is the leash
attachment. Stellar boats have a reinforced back deck and the
curved area connecting the foot well to the foredeck. This
design increases the structural integrity of the boat by not being
at a right angles like on so many other skis. The draining is
better in this model than in the other models. However, Stellar
will be adding bullets that increases the draining time by
approximately 30% especially when decelerating. They will also be
providing dealers with bullets so they can give to the previous
Stellar customers. You also have the option of using the drain
plug. I have found that between the plug and the bullets, the
excess water is mostly abated except when completely dead in the
water without the plug. At training pace, I have found no water in
the footwell with or without the bullets. When I noticed too much
water in the footwell is when paddling upwind and against the
current on a "Big" day. Now with the bullets, this problem is
eliminated.
Got
Speed?
My first impression of the SR was how quick it felt. We
don't normally attribute quickness to the stable class of skis,
however, this ski felt like it wanted to be paddled hard.
Last week on March 28th, I did my first "official"
time trial on my 6.4 mile course and I was surprised how fast I
actually was. I averaged 7.11 mph (8.26 pace) on the first
leg of 3.19 with the current but on a very flat day. On the return
leg against the current I averaged 6.49 mph. I have done this
particular course 228 times now in all my skis. Anytime I am
in the 8:30 min/mile on any ski, I am having a very good day.
One week later, I did 8 miles on the same course in very windy
quartering seas, much different from last week in terms of
conditions. I clocked an 8:45 pace (6.86mph) on the downwind
leg with an average heart rate of 149.
A few weeks ago, Chris paddled the SR with Tim and I. I
was in my SES and Tim in his V12. On the downwind section in
2ft seas, despite Chris having the flu that kept him in bed the
next day, he was able to catch most of the waves we did. This
was also the first time Chris had been in the ocean since October,
which speaks to the stability of the SR. It also speaks to
fact that the SR can accommodate a wide variety of paddlers with
ease. Chris is has a 36 inch inseam, and I have a 29.5
inch.
So does the SR Excel have as much speed as the other boats
in the "stable class of skis? I think so. The SR
certainly has excellent "glide" that contributes to its speed and
light feeling. Skis that don't have good glide dramatically
decrease in speed once you are not applying good effort. In the
next month I will have a chance to time trial it even more. The
caveat to this is that over the years I have gotten faster in any
boat I now paddle. So keep that in mind when reading
this.
The SR in action
Got
Stability?
As I mentioned, the stability is rock solid. No
initial twitching, and the secondary stability maybe best in class
of the skis I have paddled. You have to want to capsize in
this boat. You can edge this ski all the way over on the
gunwales and still hold the line and keep on paddling. The
stability is predictable and dramatically dampens the confused
seas. The bow rarely buries and if it does, it sheds water very
quickly. Steering is pinpoint. It turns on a dime and tracks very
well upwind and in downwind conditions. The new "balanced rudder"
is now standard on the skis. This means the rudder post is
similar to what is on all the other skis. This rudder increases the
responsiveness over the previous rudder. A 4-inch flat water
rudder is available as well like on all Stellar models.
Another example of the SR's stability is what I witnessed
last fall. A novice 40 year old, female athlete who primarily
paddles an 80lb sea kayak with her partner, demo the SR in the
advantage layup at my beach. Within 5 minutes she was
experiencing the overall feeling of what it means to be in a
surfski (freedom). She was liberated from her 80 lb double sea
kayak. The SR provided the stability that even novice kayakers can
appreciate without being overwhelmed. Both she and her male
counterpart each bought an SR.
Summary
The SR is an excellent choice for sea kayakers making the
transition to surfskis or persons new to paddling who don't want to
begin with a sea kayak. It also would be appropriate for current
surfski paddlers seeking out another option in this class of
"stable" skis. It offers rock solid stability with excellent
glide contributing to its overall speed. It will fit a wide
range of paddlers and is offered in three layups: Excel(25lbs),
Advantage(31lbs), and Sport(33lbs).
To find out more about the Stellar SR, and other craft in the
Stellar range, go to www.stellarkayaks.com.au