Long story short: I have spent the past 2 and a half months training in a V10 Gen 2 (closing in on 60 hours of bucket time). This is my first true season of paddling & racing. I weigh 170 lbs and stand just shy of 5'11" with an inseam of approximately 32". Long time endurance athlete, but new to surfski. Current boat (owned): Epic V7.
After training and racing in the V7 since this past May, I have barely touched that boat since mid August when I started paddling a borrowed V10 and V10S (both ultras). I spent quite a bit of time in a V10 Sport, raced it successfully and found it to be that sweet spot of super stable on the flat and stable, yet still challenging enough, in ocean conditions. Speed improvements in both the V10S and V10 were huge: .5 - .7 mph increase in speed over the V7. I'm very comfortable in the V10S and am buying a lightly used model this weekend along with a Big Boy rack and Epic full carbon paddle. I plan on using the V10 Sport for ocean training and racing next season.
As happy as I am with the V10 Sport, all of the time that I have spent in the V10 has most certainly helped me to progress as a paddler. Based on numerous 1 hour tempo sessions, I found the V10 to to be .1 - .2 mph faster than the V10 Sport... in flat water (my best 1 hour tempo session to date was 7.3+ mph in the V10 vs 7.2 mph in the V10S during an 8.2 mile flat water race). I have also found that training in the V10 makes the V10S feel much, much more stable by comparison, which goes a long way in regards to stability development. I see the V10 as a training tool that is helping me to progress, but am in no way operating under the assumption that I am ready to start racing it... yet.
My biggest issue with the V10: I feel like a cork in this boat. The wind pushes me around like crazy, I feel like the boat sits way up on top of the water instead of in it, and as soon as the wind or side chop picks up, my stroke becomes tentative and I struggle to produce power thanks to the fact that I'm putting all of my energy into staying upright. The V10S, on the other hand, allows me to power through and focus primarily upon my stroke.
As a lean, small - middle weight athlete, I'd have to think that the volume of the V10 is working against me. Seems like the bigger guys (200+ lbs.) have a much easier time than I do in this boat.
My question, for those of you with experience with the latest generation of the V10L is this: Does the lower volume help on the stability front for people weighing in the 165 - 170 lb. range? I plan on investing in a second boat this coming spring that I will use for flat water training and racing only (at least for 2019). I was hoping that I might find the V10L to be a little more stable in strong cross winds and chop given the lower volume, but I've never paddled one and am not sure when I'll have the chance to do so.
Thanks in advance for any feedback people can progress.
After training and racing in the V7 since this past May, I have barely touched that boat since mid August when I started paddling a borrowed V10 and V10S (both ultras). I spent quite a bit of time in a V10 Sport, raced it successfully and found it to be that sweet spot of super stable on the flat and stable, yet still challenging enough, in ocean conditions. Speed improvements in both the V10S and V10 were huge: .5 - .7 mph increase in speed over the V7. I'm very comfortable in the V10S and am buying a lightly used model this weekend along with a Big Boy rack and Epic full carbon paddle. I plan on using the V10 Sport for ocean training and racing next season.
As happy as I am with the V10 Sport, all of the time that I have spent in the V10 has most certainly helped me to progress as a paddler. Based on numerous 1 hour tempo sessions, I found the V10 to to be .1 - .2 mph faster than the V10 Sport... in flat water (my best 1 hour tempo session to date was 7.3+ mph in the V10 vs 7.2 mph in the V10S during an 8.2 mile flat water race). I have also found that training in the V10 makes the V10S feel much, much more stable by comparison, which goes a long way in regards to stability development. I see the V10 as a training tool that is helping me to progress, but am in no way operating under the assumption that I am ready to start racing it... yet.
My biggest issue with the V10: I feel like a cork in this boat. The wind pushes me around like crazy, I feel like the boat sits way up on top of the water instead of in it, and as soon as the wind or side chop picks up, my stroke becomes tentative and I struggle to produce power thanks to the fact that I'm putting all of my energy into staying upright. The V10S, on the other hand, allows me to power through and focus primarily upon my stroke.
As a lean, small - middle weight athlete, I'd have to think that the volume of the V10 is working against me. Seems like the bigger guys (200+ lbs.) have a much easier time than I do in this boat.
My question, for those of you with experience with the latest generation of the V10L is this: Does the lower volume help on the stability front for people weighing in the 165 - 170 lb. range? I plan on investing in a second boat this coming spring that I will use for flat water training and racing only (at least for 2019). I was hoping that I might find the V10L to be a little more stable in strong cross winds and chop given the lower volume, but I've never paddled one and am not sure when I'll have the chance to do so.
Thanks in advance for any feedback people can progress.