The New Innovative Stellar 18S Surfski, Review 2012

The New Innovative Stellar 18S Surfski is Here!! Read On!

2 Hatches w/2 bulkheads

Nice shaped cockpit, drink holder, leash attachment

Nice lines

Handles, 4 inch rudder

McCorrie Beach w/Good Boy Kayak Racks

Profile

Lighthouse just before 30mph front moved in.

Fogland

Fogland, nice lines for 21 inch ski

New Stellar 18S Excel 28lbs w/4 in rudder

Fogland Cove

Spring is here and that means surf skis.Like all other Stellar paddlers I have been eagerly awaiting my Stellar boats: wondering when the container is getting in, wondering when will it be transported to the Stellar Warehouse in Northfield, Massachusetts, and wondering when the boats will be delivered to Charles River Canoe and Kayak and other kayak shops around the country. So on Tuesday, I picked up personal SEL Ultra and the new, much talked about 18S Surf ski. By way of disclosure, I am a Stellar Representative since the beginning of Stellar USA for those reading this for the first time. My reviews have withstood the test of time so this one will be no different. Refer to my Surf ski Comparison Chart for more info.

As I got on the Sakonnet River minutes from my house, the wind was around 10 mph and within 15 minutes it was a steady 30 mph.I immediately headed across the river to the Lighthouse where I knew would enjoy the small but refractory confused chop. Today was a great test of how the 18S handled; flawlessly comes to mind. I am getting ahead of myself,first let me list some of the boat’s unique design features that are bolded.

1. 18ft(5.5 m) by 21(53.3 cm) inches.

2.Layup(excel) stated weight 28lbs but it felt more like 27lbs.

3.Two useable hatches with bulkheads; a small forward hatch and a full size rear hatch. Unique to surf skis.

4.Two handles forward and aft for easy and secure transport.

5. Best in class 3 point footplate for total power transfer with no flexing, rubbing, or scraping.

6. Built-in leash attachment for safety.

7. Bottle holder, so just fill up you favorite mix and go.

8. Plug for drain for flat water paddling or winter paddling.

9. Choice of 3 rudders sizes including 5 minute interchangeable over-the-stern rudder.

10. Foot rail that can be moved to accommodate any size paddler.

11. Appropriate sized cockpit for all most every paddler.

12. Low hump for maximum leg drive.

13. Low gunwales for easy remounts.

14. Peaked and ridged fore deck for shedding water for a dry ride.

15. Venturi Drain with bullet for quick draining of water.

16. Superb Stellar quality fit and finish you have come to expect from Stellar.

Features aside, it is not until you actually paddle a surf ski that it becomes real for each individual based on his/her paddling experiences. I have paddled/reviewed many different surf skis over the years so when I took my first 3 strokes in the 18S, it became real that this surf ski, designed for the novice paddler has excellent glide. It is like the first time you sit in a new car, and crank it up. It is your very 1st impression. Good glide is the key to speed. As we know 1st impressions can change, but mine only got better with the 18S. As the quartering wind picked up over to the Lighthouse, I immediately noticed how well the boat tracked. Quartering winds are a good test for tracking and this was with the 4 inch rudder. So just imagine how it would track with the 8 inch rudder! As I approached the lighthouse with refractory waves in 30 mph winds, I had one of those deja vu moments. No, it was not from 4 days ago paddling my SES on this same course, it was from a culmination of paddling experiences from my 6-10 years ago; this feels like paddling a SEA KAYAK, rejoicing in the conditions with no fear of capsize, just taking it all in and while being RELAXED! Hey I am having a blast!! I even manged to whip out my camera for a few one handed shots and once beyond the refractory stuff, even pulled out my water bottle from its dedicated slot for a drink. Like all Stellar designs, this boat is predictable in all conditions which is what you want in a boat and especially a boat designed for novice paddlers to enjoy. This predictability is not lost on even the advanced paddlers. While this boat was designed for the novice paddler, it has/will succeed in that design goal; however, this boat will have much more application for paddlers across the range of experience which I will touch on later.

As I turned around into the teeth of the wind and current going about 5 mph, I was curious to see how well the 18S drained. There was not much water at all in the foot well so this ski drains the best of all the Stellar skis including the SR that has a very quick drain time as well. What I also noticed was while this ski has low gunwales for super easy remounting,but despite this, it has a much drier ride than I expected, similar to the SEL and the SE2 in this respect. Most of the water going downwind that comes over the bow is displaced by the peaked deck and raised border of the forward deck so it sheds water well and what water gets in, it drains very quickly at almost any speed.

A few miles later, I turned into Fogland Cove to adjust my foot pedals, and foot straps while taking a few pictures. I then had another deja vu moment of my sea kaying days again, taking out at various islands, going thru the ACA and BCU certifications and giving lessons at the Sakonnet River Boat House many, many years ago. This is much different from my normal training routine now in which I rarely stop. After a few minutes I motored back to McCorrie and did a few short downwind sprints getting the boat in the 6.5 to 7.2 mph range which is the same range as the 18R sea kayak that I time trialed earlier this season. The 18S has the same hull as the 18R.

I will time trial the 18S over the next several days on my standard courses, however, based on yesterday, this ski has excellent speed both upwind and downwind. This is important because some skis are very good downwind but going upwind/up current they can be painfully slow to the point you want to avoid those conditions.I remind you that this was the Excel layup at 27-28lbs that is the perfect all around weight for most paddlers not overly concerned about racing.

You can’t discuss surf skis without talking about fit. Since I paddle the Stellar SES that has the most narrow beam of virtually any surf ski in the world(16.6 inches,41.6 cm), I thought this boat maybe way too big for me and require significant padding. This is not the case. After adjusting the footplate, I jumped in and felt obviously extremely stable with no initial twitch whatsoever. The caveat to fit is that advanced paddlers can require far less padding the more stable the ski is. This is true for me. So most paddlers will be able to enjoy the sizing of the cockpit of the 18S and it will accommodate most paddler’s leg length. I will have more info on sizing over the next few days as more people demo the ski this weekend. Chris(SurfskiRacing.com) who has a 35/36 inseam will be testing it in the next few days. The over shape of the bucket was very comfortable with a low hump which now is becoming the norm in surf ski design getting away from the high humps that impede fit/stability/leg drive. The relationship between seat height and foot well is slightly lower than in the other Stellar skis.

So what type of paddlers will enjoy the 18S?

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 the low gunwales and stable platform thus increasing confidence during there 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 18S and feel great about it. It offers everything a sea kayak offers but more speed and with the unique 2 hatch/bulkhead design that they can carry more gear if desired or go light. Now they have a choice!!

4. Intermediate Surfskiers who now paddle in flat ocean conditions can opt for the 18S for rough water and feel very confident.For instance I know many sea kayakers, intermediate and advanced, that could paddle the 18S 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 just do any ocean race and enjoy it without the anxiety of the conditions.

5. Endurance Paddlers who enjoy doing the longer races or paddles like the Everglades Races in Florida or even guys like myself who occasionally like doing more 6-8hr paddles in mix conditions. The addition of the storage hatches for gear and the added safety of bulkheads can greatly enhance the experience.

6. Advanced Surfskiers like myself with more than one ski, who may want the ultimate play boat in rough conditions or for winter paddling where safety maybe a concern. The 18S has enough top end speed to satisfy us while offering the supreme stability for FUN!!

In summary the 18S exceeded my expectations. This should come to no surprise to me now that I have been paddling Stellars for 3 years. Stellar boat designers Dave Thomas and Ed Hoffmeister have taken the feedback/input from customers of all skill levels from all over the world and coupled that with their expertise in boat design to give us now 6 models of surf skis in and 8 models of kayaks in just a short 4 years. The overall theme of the Stellar surf skis is the great combination of speed and stability and quality production.

S18S Orange in Stock

UPDATE 7PM, 1st Time Trial for my short course 3.2 miles. I have done this course 122 times in all my skis. Below is my Garmin data. As you can see I averaged 6.5 mph for the 3.28 Time trial course which is down and back so I was against the tide going down and with it coming back. Conditions were very flat today with little wind unlike yesterday. For the local paddlers that have raced the Sakonnet River Race, you can easily project your times compared with my race times since this time trial course is part of the Sakonnet River Race Course. So you can see that this is an extremely fast boat for being 21 inches in the beam. While I did not have my heart monitor on, my perceived effort was around 145-150.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/165069858#