Greetings from Australia Wesley,
My ocean ski experience to date includes all epic models, think
legend, stealth ocean ski & paddling fenn elites I was excited to read
your reviews of the stellar SES models as I have always believed the
good intermediate paddler has been under-catered for when it comes to
fast stable ski options.
Your ski table has been an excellent source of information when considering
ski options. To date I was concerned that your financial interests as a Stellar
agent may create some bias to detract from your excellent resource.
Having now paddled the ultra (9.5kg prepreg unidirectional carbon) model
& the advantage (14kg glass layup) in various conditions, I can support your reviews
wholeheartedly. The SES is an excellent ski & a pleasure to paddle - it
is an unusual mx of stability, comfort & speed.
Being (180lbs)82kg & (5ft.8in)1.79m, I felt the SES model fitted like a glove i particularly liked the
slightly shorter length for maneuverability through surf & riding shorter
steeper swells. There are many market leading aspects to this brand,
including the affordability. I feel this boat is going to blow open the
market for the intermediate paddler that is less than 90kg. Keep up the
great work Wesley.
Regards, Tony Hackland
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Hey Wesley
SES was great, I was most impressed with how it handled and the speed. Unfortunately it didn't fit my butt and after about 30 min the tight squeeze started to get more painful. I was very disappointed it did not fit,however in all other respects the boat was fantastic.
Tony(another Tony from Australia)
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Hi Wesley
Have a few hours in the SES so far (flatwater) and I am really impressed with the predictable stability. I can already sprint at half a mile per hour faster than my current ski. I love the comfort and fit. It just feels like the boat was made for someone my size. Your review is so right on! Have to thank you again for your effort to inform new paddlers about the sport.
Rich
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Wesley
I am loving the boat so far...it's great to finally have a boat that fits so well (my weight approx. 170 lbs.). It seems to catch our short wind swell better than any ski I have paddled yet! In the short "slop and chop". I feel the 20' length is perfect. At times when my 21' boat would bury, the SES fits perfectly between the waves. I am pulling 9.5-10.5mph avg. on a few 15-20 knot downwind runs I've done recently. In the flats I feel I am .1-.2 mph faster as well. I am going to stick with the heavier boat for now since I tend to get lots of use. The boat actually stays on my truck 5-6 days/week. My last carbon boat dinged up pretty good. I will let you know about the mayor's cup. It is a very comfortable seat (not quite as much as my 6), but I have no backside and need to pad up any boat I have ever had. I also adjusted the cables with a couple small clamps just behind the peddles. I felt they were angled too far back. I also added some bungees to the pedals so that the steering will auto adjust.
Rob
