Think Zen Surfski Review

Update June 2019.

Since my January post about the Zen I have much more bucket time. I even raced the Zen in the June 2019, Ride the Bull Race on a 20 mph day in mixed conditions that included some downwind, quarter beam seas at 25mph, mega big boat chop, and confused seas.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3750742399

I was very happy with my performance compared to my racing buddies, only 3 seconds off one of my closest competitors and coming in front of several others. This was the first time in my long history of racing that I raced in what we call the SS20+ class of skis, meaning the beam is 20 inches or more. I call it the “little boat that could”. It is so much fun to paddle, race, or just enjoy. It has a great combination stability, speed, superb ergonomics(particular small and medium paddlers) and is confidence building. I maximized the speed using a 6 inch DK rudder for this race though have used the 5 inch DK rudder also in mixed conditions. This rudder got overwhelmed on a few 5 foot boat wakes in Newport but other than that I was satisfied with the 5 inch though I prefer the 6 inch for my general use. Most however will still find the standard 7 inch preferable. While I like many surfskis, the Zen stands out as one of all time favorites. It feels unlike the other skis in this class. It has plenty of get up and go and never feels sluggish in any conditions, in fact it feels eager like an Australian Cattle Dog, Ready, Willing and Able! My only improvement would be to add rubber washers in the the rudder line brackets to avoid chafing. The rudders lines are smaller and of a different material than the bomb proof line used on all other models. I did add a splash guard that is a must, particularly in upwind chop. I have sold a number Zen’s over the past few months with positive comments.

Update Jan 7th 2019: I received my Think boats including my new Zen Elite layup in my customized color and was excited to paddle it yesterday for almost 10 miles on the Sakonnet. It is such a fun ski because it is stable, has a nice fitting bucket for medium to small paddlers, and has very good turn of speed for a ski in this class. Changes for the Zen included a redesigned footplate adjustment system. Now it is super easy to quickly adjust the foot plate for different size paddlers. The metal rails slide with virtually no resistance and the pins with the big loops click nicely in place. While it was flat today, I am looking forward to taking it out in some conditions this weekend.

The Think Zen was introduced approximately a year ago to the Think line up. I got my first paddle on the Zen at the flat water ROTC race in Boston, MA,  April 2018, borrowing  Bruce(the Torch) Zen for about 15 minutes to see what the excitement was around this ski . A few weeks ago, I got to take mine out in some two foot seas and 20 mph winds on the Sakonnet where I live before I sold it a few days later to a friend of mine. Since the launch of the Zen, there are many paddlers that have much more experience than I do in the Zen so I included a great video with permission from Mark Sundin, Expedition Kayaks, Australia, Expeditionkayaks to demonstrate the theme of this article: Versitility and Fun.  The Zen dimensions are: Length: 18′ 4″ (560 cm), Width: 20.5″ (52 cm). Capacity: 110 – 220 pounds (50 – 100 kg).

Versatility Rules

Over the the last few years, manufacturers realize that just because these skis are relatively beamy, small/medium size paddlers like a good fitting ski. So in this range of transition skis: Think Zen, Nelo 520, Stellar S18S, Epic V8 Pro, the buckets tend to more narrower than you might expect with appropriate narrower catches and lower bow volumes.  So this class typically is for paddlers who might outgrow the novice skis quickly and want more performance in the ocean.  Generally speaking, this class of skis is one step up from the novice skis like the Think Ace, Eze, Epic V8, Stellar S16S, Fenn Bluefin.  However, that being said, this class of skis is incredibly versatile for a wide variety of skill levels.

The Zen could be for skilled paddlers who want a rough water surfski because are not able to put the time in to be comfortable in the intermediate class of skis. Also, there are many very experienced paddlers, like me, who really enjoy this class of boats in rough water because they are so much FUN. We can relax and just enjoy paddling without worrying at all about stability, remounting. They are fast enough in ocean conditions for us to enjoy them without feeling we are missing too much speed from the intermediate skis. So for me this ski would be an absolute blast on my Jamestown/Newport Ocean Drive, training/race courses or winter paddling in conditions.  So for many paddlers, this is the starting point or could be the ending point for some paddler’s surfski progression depending on the paddler’s goals, skill level, conditions routinely paddle in, etc. As you can see, paddlers have many choices these days.

So what type of paddlers will enjoy the Zen? As you can see below, it includes just about everyone!

1. People totally new to paddling will enjoy the stability while experiencing the freedom that surf skis offer.  They will have the confidence to maintain paddling while learning good technique on a hugely stable platform. Furthermore they will know that if they capsize, they will be able to remount due to stable platform thus increasing confidence during their early stages of surf skiing.

2. Seasonal Novice flat water paddlers who are now paddling the more stable K1 trainer type boats will enjoy a light weight, hassle free way to get on the water.

3. Sea Kayakers of all different skill levels who want more of a challenge, want more speed, don’t want the hassle lifting 38-60 lb sea kayaks but may get turned off by the stability of the intermediate class of skis.  An intermediate sea kayaker will be able to immediately paddle the Zen and feel great about it.

4. Intermediate Surfskiers who now paddle in flat ocean conditions can opt for the Zen for rough water and feel very confident.For instance I know many sea kayakers, intermediate and advanced, that could paddle the Zen with little to no learning curve and do the Blackburn Challenge and if they had the proper endurance training, and could possibly break the coveted 3 hour barrier in this ski due to its speed characteristics, and stable platform for maximum power. Or they could do any ocean race and enjoy it without the anxiety of the conditions.

5. Endurance Paddlers who enjoy doing the longer races or even guys like myself who occasionally like doing more 6-8hr paddles in mix conditions.

6. Fitness paddlers who want more efficiency in a hull while having a stable platform.

7. Advanced Surfskiers like myself, who may want the ultimate play boat in rough conditions or for winter paddling where safety maybe a concern, or those rough water paddlers who don’t get on the water often enough to justify an intermediate ski. The Zen has enough top end speed to satisfy us while offering the supreme stability for FUN!!

FIT

So my first impression of the Zen was the fit, it was tailored made for me. Could a Think ski get any more tailor for me? Well the Zen is.  I have made no secret that the Think buckets fit me, which partially explains why I have most of the Think line up in my garage even before I recently became a Think dealer.  The others reasons are of course is performance and the great Think Vibe that starts at the top with Daryl Remmler, permeates through to the Think Team: Sean, Kenny, and Tenealle. It also helps that I am friends with USA Think Distributor Chris Laughlin even during my Stellar days and his Epic days. For the new readers, I have owned a Think ski since 2007 when Thinks became available. I have had a Think Evo in my garage since then, with few exceptions even during my Stellar days.

The Zen bucket is ergonomically designed with very good height to seat ratio so you can get over the paddle for more power. The Think buckets have always been round for comfort and over the past years, the humps have gotten lower but with great thigh support for added comfort which is different than the other brands. The bucket depth is moderate, so not as deep as some buckets, and not as shallow is some. It is not as deep as the Evo buckets. The Zen should fit medium to smaller paddlers very well.  Case in point, I suggested to three of my paddling friends that the Zen is one they should try. All three paddlers, 2 slightly built women, and one smaller hipped man found the Zen to fit them as well any ski in this class. For me the Zen bucket is slightly more narrow than my Evo’s, Ion’s or Uno Max. What is nice about the Think skis is the extra point of contact at the calf area that is often missing from other brands. This contributes to the ergonomics, and stability of the Zen as does the micro adjustment of the footplate to get the leg length perfect to optimize leg drive.  The catch is narrow for a ski this width. Of course the the Big caveat is: Seating is very personal.  So in the hierarchy of surfski buying: Make sure the boat fits you. There are enough choices these days to find a ski that fits you well with few exceptions.

Speed in One Training Session

Over the years I have not spent much time in the novice skis or this class of skis, spending the bulk of my time in intermediate skis or advanced skis and reviewing those. So the Zen feels very stable upwind, downwind and I was very pleasantly surprised how stable and predictable in the beam, mixed condition waters. My time is very limited in the Zen, however, for a first/second paddle it proved better than I expected, meaning faster. I knew it was going to be really stable for me, but I was curious about the speed. As you can see from my track, I had a good 2.66 mile interval on a windy day and my last half mile due to the increasing fetch was excellent averaging 7.2 mph with a moderate heart rate for me.  Beside your leash and pfd you will need a wave deflector for ocean paddling in choppy conditions. Within one minute of going upwind in the chop, I got a “Hello” wave in my chest. So get a wave deflector and your ride will be fairly dry in the Zen compared to some other boats in this class. My Zen performance layup seem lighter than I had expected. I did not weigh it but just based this on feel and all my experience.  The handles both bow and stern and on the sides make carrying this ski easy and at 18ft 4 inches it will fit easily on your car or in your garage.

So more to come on the Zen once the container arrives in a few months with my personalized Zen and a few more for inventory. But as you can see from my 1st Take and others, the Zen is a playful ski with speed to match with great paddling ergonomics. So that equates to FUN and Versatility for many paddlers to come!

In a few weeks, I will add to my previous thoughts on another boat in this class, the S18S along with reviews on the Nelo Viper 46, and Nelo 560ML. So stayed tuned.