Testimonials
SES:
I took the SES out Tuesday off Sachuest, 10 kt wind and 2-3 foot waves and just a bit of swell left over from Irene, a flat water paddle on Wednesday, and then Saturday which was AWESOME! SSW 15-20 kt winds - went out 5+ miles out from Sachuest pt and screamed all the way back in - I maxed at 13.3 MPH. Waves were often 5 feet with lots of 6-7 footers.
The secondary stability is very impressive - in the flat, I can lean itso far over that water comes over the gunwale and not tip over. This also makes remount very easy since as soon as I hop on it, in any position, I am completely stable.
While I don't have that many boats to compare it to and I don't really time myself on regular courses, I must admit it does seem faster than my Legend, especially in flat to 3 foot waves, as when I look down at the GPS, I always seem to be going a couple 10ths of a MPH faster than I would expect.
I see what you mean about the steering having some play due to the cord stretch. I think that the spectra cord that Think uses (600 pound Q-Power Spectra) does not stretch as much - I pushed on my peddles of both boats in my garage and it seems to me the Think cord stretches less. (Even with stretch, personally I like the synthetic cords better than stainless cable since the stainless cable can corrode from within and it can hard to tell there is a problem until it breaks.)
On the SES, very important to me, the bow does not easily bury in the trough, in fact it never buries in waves up to 3 feet or so, and only if I skate straight down a 5+ foot wave, and even then not all the time.
If you guys at Stellar have not thought of it yet - a 10" surf rudder would be great. The 8" is good in surf, but since it is swept back slightly it loses some bite.
The SES broaches more-so on large waves (5+ feet) more easily than the Legend, but I think this is entirely due to the rudder line stretch and rudder itself (these make it slow to steer out of a potential broach). Tighter steering rudder line plus a larger rudder (for waves over 5 feet) would solve this issue.
Thank you so much for letting me take the boat - I got a chance to try it out in all conditions I paddle in- it really made a difference to me as I want a boat that performs well in rough conditions.
Bill L.
SR:
I just had to email you. Last Thursday, I had one of the most enjoyable, and eye-opening paddling experiences, that I have not had in a long time. I paddled a Stellar SR Advantage surf ski.
Now, I am very familiar with the "Mako XT" surf ski, and the "EpicV-10 Sport", surf ski, so when I heard people talk about how stable, and how forgiving the Stellar SR was, I had to try it. I have a "Show me, I'm from Missouri" attitude, and don't believe all that I read. So I went and demo-ed the kayak.
The lines were aesthetically pleasing, the ski weighed 31 pounds, and easily carried to the water. I sat in it after a slight adjustment to the foot pedals, and off I went, as I stroked away from the dock. The seat was extremely comfortable and fit me very well at 5 "-10" and 205 pounds.
Within a minute or two, I was applying a "full on" power stroke, with my wing paddle. Can this be I asked myself. Me at 73years old, in a surf ski. My conclusion: I've got to have one.....still smiling. Best regards, Ed Earle
SES:
I am 5'-7" about 165 with short inseam as well. Felt like the fit of this boat for me is one of its major strengths. Also the stability, especially the secondary is exceptional. Had a nice session this morning doing my usual up and downwind route, feeling better aquainted with the nuances a new boat offers, and dialing in the personal fit in the cockpit with pads. I did a couple of flat water paddles initially in our estuaries and it seemed fast and very stable but in truth I really went with the boat for livelier water and was looking for a more stable platform in Hawaii's usual big water. I am 53 and very busy with work so was looking for a craft that worked well in the conditions I paddle in most of the time. She surfs well, I've had carbon boats previously so this advantage lay up feels heavier and takes a little more to bring up to surfing speed on runners but once up there's a nice momentum that feels solid for lack of a better description. I caught a long surfing wave coming back into the beach and she responded well, I think the shorter length is a big plus in fitting in steeper waves. Build quality and finish is excellent, feeling solid throughout. The one area I feel could use redesign is that going into the wind, the boat tends to slap on the way down after going over a wave or steep swell. I focused on it today and it seemed that the flatness of the hull about a 1/4 of the way from the bow caused this. Perhaps this feature helps with the great stability but its what I observed and the only area I would change. Overall I am very pleased with the boat and look forward to developing the unity with her that cultivates confidence and expression in varying conditions. We do have a super water community that can paddle year round here, I have a OC6 paddling program for Youth at Risk that has been very helpful in reconnecting the kids to their culture and steering them away from some painful and hardcore lessons. I've appreciated the kindredness of the paddling family that comes through in your writing and sharing. Be well and enjoy each moment on the water.
Mahalo - Kelvin Ho
SR:
I have recently been able to spend some time on the Stellar SR (advantage layup) and on a Huki S1-R. To be fair I must admit that I am a kayaker by trade and have only started to paddle surfskis, so please take my views with a grain of salt!!
Copyright © 2010 Stellar Kayaks
1. Stability – After paddling both skis in mild flatwater conditions the stability goes to the SR – hands down!! This is both from the perpsective of PRIMARY and SECONDARY stability. Even though I never went over on the Huki ski – I never felt secure enough to put the power down and even after an hour still wobbled occasionally. On the Stellar – I was rock solid from beginning to end and found it almost humorous that I could stop completely and put the ski on such an extreme edge that the water almost came over into the bucket WITHOUT A PADDLE BLADE IN THE WATER! Nuff said – SR is the stability king for us newbies.
2. Speed – I didn’t have enough chance to feel any difference in speed though it seemed that the Stellar seemed to “glide” better in between strokes, i.e. – held its speed longer.
3. Seating – Wow…what a difference! First off, the Stellar bucket is wider than the Huki S1-R – and the Huki seat (I was told) was actually their WIDE seat version. My hips are 38.5″ wide and there was no extra space for me in it. Not so with the Stellar as there was plenty of extra room. Secondly (and here comes the “grain of salt”) the seat in the Huki made me feel like I was leaning backwards, much like I was paddling “uphill”…whereas the Stellar positioned me to feel like I was leaning slightly forward without having to work to do so. Make sense?
3. Tracking/Turning – both skis turned well and easily and were very responsive. (especially for a guy used to kayaks with skegs!) As to tracking, for some reason it seemed as though the Stellar had better tracking as I was constantly making little steering inputs on the Huki to go straight. (remember, I am a newbie though)
Hope this helps some of you out on your ski choice. Now if I can just make up my mind regarding color I can get that excel layup SR ordered! - Scott Lovrien
SES:
Tested SES excel twice off pt Cartwright – Qld in 15 20 knts ocean conditions. My previous boat v10 performance- verdict
Speed ses -much faster down win and flatwater.
Stability ses – primary was same similiar as v10
Stability ses – secondary much more than v10 when needed. ( my weakness on v10)
Build quality – excellent
Price/value – excellent
Features liked 3 pt footplate, carbon scupper , and bullet venturi. 11.5 kg , hull designed for my weight, stiffness of boat, footplate robustness, low nose volume doesn’t catch wind or rogue whitewater as bad
Dislikes – high volume of cavity in front of footplate.
Verdict- paid the money. One month on- dramatic improvement in flatwater race time. Downwind not raced yet. Still happy loving the boat zero buyer regret. - David
SES:
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
SES:
Greetings from Australia,
My ocean ski experience to date includes all epic models, think legend, stealth ocean ski & paddling fenn elites... 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. - Tony Hackland