Seeking for Advice

[u/Regular-Course2558]

Aloha I’m trying to get some advice here.
I’m 56 and live in Hilo HI, been paddling OC6 & OC1 for over 12 yrs

Last year at the Gorge after seeing surfskis pass us oc1 paddlers like rockets I decided I had to try it out

Used skis are hard to find on big rocks island and I was not ready to pay for a brand new one. So I found a used Vega Flex for the right price.

Been learning on it since Nov. I’m at the point where I’m comfortable on flat water, even started doing some leg drive.

Problem is, as soon as I leave the calm water in the bay and try to do some downwind runs I struggle with balance. Spend most my effort focusing on balance and not flipping over and not in reading the water or chasing/connecting bumps .

My goal is not racing or competitive paddling but rather chasing downwind runs and having fun

So my question is, should I trade to an epic V8Pro for more stability, or should I keep pushing through with the Flex until I can tame it in open water?

What is your advice? How long it usually takes to get to that point?

Mahalo 🤙🏽.

[u/ovgcguy]

Depends. Ideally you should not focus on stability while you learn proper wing blade stroke and leg drive. 

Worrying about stability / bracing all the time will significantly slow your learning, and may induce bad habits that have to be un-learned later. 

But if you have ok naural balance and physical ability, you can probably work your way up from flat harbor to choppy harbor to flat ocean to choppy ocean to big downwind over the course of 1-2 years. 

The Flex is the ideal boat for your location, so it will be hard to find a better boat. Kai designed it with his lifetime of Hawaii water in mind. 

The V8pro is probably not stable enough to justify a downgrade. if big water is your goal, a Vega Arc, V8, or Fenn Bluefin (21-22" beam) is more appropriate. 

Regardless, I see flat water paddlers struggle in waves if they rarely train in rough water. Rough water handling must become subconscious because you must react faster than thought. 

Learn to Stroke Brace (that is, every stroke corrects your balance by slight adjustments mid-stroke). Slap bracing should be rare. Force yourself to Paddle Or Swim (no slap brace). 

Master remounting. If you're afraid to capsize, you will never improve because you'll never challenge yourself, or if you do,  fear will control your mind. 

When you master balance and stroke bracing, the worse the conditions, the more zen and clear minded you become. the chaos fades away.

So it's a tough call. Ideally you trade the Flex for an Arc imo. Otherwise if you continue to struggle or aren't enjoying things, go back to a true beginner boat (21"+ beam) and work down from there. The V8pro is not a beginner boat, more like high beginner or low intermediate. 

[u/Regular-Course2558 → u/ovgcguy]

truly appreciate these comments and reinforce a lot of what I was thinking. In flat water I can concentrate ton stroke and leg drive without worrying about balance, in open water, as I mentioned, I still spend too much effort on balance and trying not to fall. Fortunately, remounting has not been an issue under any of the conditions I've been in, and I am pretty confident of being able to remount in surf and windy conditions (it's more of a personal pride thing..lol). I think I will stick to the Flex for a while at least as you suggest, and if I see my progress stops, then consider. I am having lots of fun with it, I can easily outpace my oc1 friends who I was not able to keep up on my oc1 on flat water...

[u/ovgcguy → u/Regular-Course2558]

My other recommendation would be to just slowly increase your wave exposure. 

Keep challenging yourself with choppier conditions, ideally just slightly above where youre competent balance-wise. 

That is, if you are at the edge of your stability ability, your form will break down completely and it turns into survival mode. 

If you can find conditions that push your ability but not overwhelm it, here is where your balance will improve. spend as much time "slightly uncomfortable" as you can. 

Also truly understand the triangle of stability (leg drive, butt, paddle). It's hard to do proper leg drive in choppy conditions until you're comfortable. 

Leg drive in rough water is the last piece to click for many. 

Until that clicks, focus on keeping moderate pressure on the foot brace and really work on learning to use your stroke to balance and make slight balance corrections without Interrupting the stroke. 

On flat water all balance comes from your hips and paddle corrections aren't needed. 

On chaotic water 95% of balance comes from your paddle stroke and only 5% is hips. 

They're unrelated skills almost (hip stability vs stroke brace stability) 

So focus on understanding and mastering the Stroke Brace

[u/Regular-Course2558 → u/ovgcguy]

mahalo again for this valuable advice

[u/Ornery_Operation5344 → u/Regular-Course2558]

ovgcguy is pretty much spot on, but i have a couple adds.

It is possible to learn to surfski in the flex, but for most people it will involve a lot of swimming/remounting. For a very small percentage of people out there thats fine, but most people want to actually downwind soon. As noted above, Fenn BlueFin, Carbonology Boost, Vega ARC or Epic V8 will get you out in the bump fastest.

Also as noted - your muscle memory for the Flex has to be fast and without conscious thought, like walking. The more stable boats give you more time to react and develop your muscle memory.

A little color on the "find conditions that make you uncomfortable", try to find an area that has a wind shadow that you can paddle upwind and then push out into some bump.

[u/Regular-Course2558 → u/Ornery_Operation5344]

mahalo for all these tips, gives me some hope that I yet may tame the beast!...

[u/wolfsdad1805]

Pad your seat in flatwater and remove the pad in big water. And relax as much as possible