2014 Think Ion Surf Ski Review

Like many of you I searched the internet for information on the Think Ion when I heard it was coming out. The main points I garnered were that it had plenty of rocker with a bucket like the Evo 2 and is a big water ski. So I asked myself how much rocker can a ski have? Bucket is an Evo II, great(my favorite bucket). Big water ski? um…. We can have big water here in New England, not San Fran big or fast, but challenging for sure. So I waited until the 2014 model was out then talked to Elite Ocean Sports and then Daryl of Think. I was curious. The Evo/Evo 2 have been one of my favorite skis because of the fit and the all around performance for years. My Oranged Stripped Evo 2 Ultimate should be in my garage by December 2014. So if the Ion offered more speed then my Evo 2 with the same bucket fit, then I knew I wanted to try one. So I have been trying it for a few months now.

Great looking ski!

Think Ion Specs

Length: 21’1” / 642 cm
Width: 17.5” / 44.5 cm
Athlete: 166-275 lbs / 75-125 kg
Performance: 34 lbs / 15.5 kg – Fiberglass/Coremat/Epoxy/Vacuum
Elite: 28 lbs / 12.5 kg – Interwoven Carbon & Kevlar/Honeycomb/Epoxy/Vacuum

Ultimate: 25lbs

Initial Visual Impression

What do you immediately notice about the Ion? If you look at the pictures of the Ion, you will see it has plenty of fore deck volume/height and is a “full bodied” ski. I have taken hundreds of pictures of skis and sometimes pictures can be can be misleading. I am happy to say in person, the fore deck is not as big as the pictures portray it and certainly while paddling it, I was not bothered at all it. It is “full bodied ski”. Waxing it seems to take a bit longer than some of my other boats. Beside having ample rocker, I could not discern online if the ski was hard or soft chined like the Legend or Uno Max or more similar to the Evo 2 in hull design. So it has a V-bow, flatter hull then you might expect with ample rocker and ample volume that runs throughout the ski. It reminds me of heavy muscled guys you see at the gym that are well muscled above the waist but have skinny legs supporting all that heft. When you look at the Ion hull you quickly realize that most of the volume is above the water line. The narrow hull may surprise you. This obviously contributes to how the boat feels while paddling it.

Ion w/Evo II bucket w/pads

Build Quality

My Ion was shipped via container truck with no shipping damage. For as long as I have been surf ski paddling, I have had a Think ski in my garage so I have seen the progression of build quality through the years not unlike the other manufacturers. Every manufacture’s build quality has gotten better over the years including Thinks. Some needed to drastically improve while others have maintained their quality from day one like the Stellars. Just this year alone I had 6 Think skis in my garage including all layups. These boats are built extremely well even in the Ultimate(carbon layups). I have owned more skis than most and occasionally I might get the one off years ago that was not up to the manufacturers standards. This does happen, but less and less these days. I wanted to address the issue of build quality because I occasionally get asked about this and wanted to let you know what my experience has been with the Think boats.

Handling Characteristics and Speed

What I was hoping for in the Ion was a ski that was faster than my Evo 2. The Ion is no doubt faster than my Evo 2 in any conditions so that box was checked. How about stability and handling? Another one of my favorite all time skis was my Carbon Legend. As you know it tracked better than any ski made at the time using its hard chines and the bucket was more narrow than the Evo with the same great fit. With the Ion, Think went the opposite direction of the Legend, loads of rocker and a tiny bit of a soft chine in the hull. When I first got the Ion I immediately put the standard 7 inch rudder on it and took it out on the Sakonnet. What I noticed was excellent fit but I would need some padding for summer paddling and that it had a distinctive roll unlike most boats I have paddled. The closest boat in terms of a roll is the Nelo Vintage. What is different about the Ion from the Nelo in this regard is that the Ion is light years more stable and once you have ample bucket time, you realize secondary stability is very significant. It may roll but it is determined not to capsize and the roll is very smooth and predictable in any conditions. Make no mistake, in the bigger conditions you need to be an advanced paddler and then you are able to realize the full potential of all that rocker the Ion has to offer.

The Ion thrives in rough conditions and excels in downwind conditions. I paddled it in many varying conditions on the Ride the Bull and Double Beaver Courses our roughest race courses and raced it on a bigger New England day at the Nahant Race this summer complete with ocean swell, cross chop and unfortunately for me weeds. During this race I got off to a fast start positioned a few yards ahead of my training partners for the first mile but then I captured some weeds for a good five minutes or so and watched nearly everyone in my pack pass me. The reason I include this part of the race is that the Ion needs a long rudder in ocean conditions due to the rocker.

Wesley at finish of Nahant Race

In New England long rudders ensures you will get weeds at some point. Knowing this fact, I bought several rudders from Don Keisling built to my dimensions since I knew the 9 inch Think surf rudder would be a weed magnet. Before the race I tried many different rudders on flat water and ocean trying to determine the best options. I finally settled on the 8.5 inch slim Don Keisling rudder I used at this race. In flat water you can get by with the Think 7 inch.

Don Kiesling Rudder, Think Rudders, Nelo Yoke

Since the Ion has ample rocker, it is by far the best turning ski on the market. If you are racing around buoys this is the ski for you. You will gain a few boat lengths on every turn in this ski. In the ocean, this allows you to pick and choose your position on a wave with ease though you must get a feel for how much rudder input you need and apply judiciously. In the Nahant race once we rounded the can heading downwind, I was able to gain back a fair amount of time. It is here in down wind conditions the Ion is at its best. The bow never buries and you feel like you are on top of the waves coasting along. One of my Northeastern friends who trains primarily in downwind summer conditions really enjoys his Ion for all the above mention qualities. He does have two more skis to go along with his Ion, a V14 for flat water, and a Stellar SEL Ultra for general purpose.While the Ion is built for downwind, it is no slouch on flat water. My flat water times fall within range of the High Performance (HPS). Once up to speed it wants to plane. So on flat or ocean conditions it has high performance speed though at the low end for flat water and in the middle of the pack for ocean paddling in the HPS class of skis. In ocean conditions(downwind and rough) I would rate it along with the Huki S1XL though not as quick as my Huki S1X special though faster than the V10 in downwind, rough conditions. The Ion Ultimate at 25lbs would probably approach my Huki S1X Special (24lbs). Like the rest of the Think skis, the Ion has a very very dry ride, perhaps the driest of any ski.

Nahant Race GPS Data

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/572409950

Sakonnet Time Trials, HPS speed even on flat water.

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/539072843

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/565162731

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/552240506

I have said many times, we are all products for the water we train in. My training waters and races with the exception of perhaps the Ride the Bull, all have a flat water component and rarely do we get good downwind. So for me the Ion was more of a specialized ski. I also wanted it to come in at 26/27 lbs. 28 pound skis regardless are what brand, are too heavy for me to race in. I know, I know, I can hear it now, can 1 pound actually makes a difference? For me yes. I like to race light skis in the 22-26lbs range ideally. My threshold is 27lbs. I have written a few post a few years ago on this subject. So at some point I am sure I will get to try a Ion Ultimate(25lbs) that I will like even better.

UPDATE December 4, 2014

Since I initially wrote this review, I have since raced the Ion Ultimate at the North Shore Cup Race, a 11.5 mile flat water race in South Carolina on November 15. As I mentioned above racing a 23/24 lb ski is ideal for me. The Ion Ultimate proved that it has excellent flat water speed even for a highly rockered surf ski. For me to hold a 6.6 mph pace on a true flat water course complete with two miles of shallow water, little taper, and a 4 mile paddle the day before the race, I was very pleased with not only my performance but the Ion Ultimate. I placed 7th in a small but competitive field.

Laurens, Holm, Wesley at finsh.

Holm and myself mixing it up early at the North Shore Cup.(Photo Vadim Lishchuk)

North Shore Cup Garmin Data:

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/634843725

Pros:

Professional company, reps and dealers.
Elite Ocean Sports, Think North American Distributiors
Build quality
Handles on aft and stern
Micro adjustable foot plate mounted securely.
Right sized foot plate and toe pedals.
Rudder line adjusters.
Micro track,rudder adjusters, inspection port
Eye catching paint design.
3 standard rudder choices
Superb ergonomic cockpit.
Leash attachment
Rudders for Think Uno Max will fit Ion.
Dry Ride
Excellent draining
Superb rough water and downwind ski for intermediate advanced to advanced paddler.
Excellent handling ski
Outstanding secondary stability