This new model adds another exciting surfski product to their already broad range of surfskis and broadens their product range available to paddlers of all levels even further.

“This is a completely new craft in the Stellar Kayaks surfski range, specifically designed for the intermediate paddler market, and will sit comfortably between the SR and the SEL for the larger paddlers, and for the lighter paddlers between the SR and SES models in the Stellar range“, said Gordon Clubb of Stellar Kayaks.

Key benefits the SEI offers include:

• Stability
• Speed
• Manoeuvrability

For any paddler these are three of the key things sought after at any level, particularly at the intermediate range, and clearly it was with that in mind that the Stellar Kayaks SEI design was tailor made to pitch it against the other leading brands in the recreational and racing surfski paddlers market.

Gordon Club of Stellar Kayaks said “The Stellar Kayaks SEI is aimed at the market segment currently being filled by the likes of the Fenn Swordfish and the Epic V10 Sport“. He went on to say “Our expectations are that this ski will fit a wider range of paddlers offering greater speed and stability than the Swordfish“.

In comparison to the Epic V10 Sport, independent testing done in the USA is reported to have found that the Stellar Kayaks SEI can offer intermediate paddlers with a craft capable of being faster than it’s peers like the Fenn Swordfish and Epic V10 Sport, with similar stability.

Gordon told us “The potential for the average paddler to gain better boat speed from this new design should see it gain a lot of interest from paddlers moving up from Kayaks or the Cross-over surfski segment the likes of the Stellar Kayaks S18, Fenn Mako XT or Epic V8“.

A number of base refinements have been made to the trademark Stellar Kayaks design with this craft.

Some of these include design enhancements such as lower volume in the cockpit around and behind the foot-brace, the transition on the bow deck has been moved further back to the stern to keep more water out.

We asked Gordon Clubb about the design of the hull and he reported that “the SEI’s hull ( deck ) has been narrowed in the catch area for tighter entry, although not as extreme as some skis on the market. Our designers wanted to maintain the hulls construction integrity“.

Gordon went on to say “Another key design point is that there is a slight rounding on the top of the seat back to increase paddler comfort when leaning back on waves or when paddling in down wind conditions, something many paddlers find to be an issue on older designs from other manufacturers“.

According to the Stellar Kayaks designers, the new router seat shape also allows greater hip rotation making it easier for paddlers to improve on their technique, something we all aspire to.

The official product brochure for the Stellar Kayaks SEI lists the following ten key points as key differentiators for this craft.

1. Curved cockpit transition designed for strength
2. Narrow catch for tighter strokes
3. 3 point locking foot-brace for powerful strokes
4. Anchor point for paddle and leg leash
5. Wider bucket with curved back for comfortable fit
6. Contoured stern deck designed for strength
7. Under stern rudder (3 sizes available)
8. Flared gunwale for good secondary stability
9. Venturi/Bullet system to quickly drain cockpit
10. Peaked bow deck to effectively shed water

Another first for Stellar Kayaks with their new SEI, is that this new model will enjoy a global launch throughout the world wide network of Stellar distributors and resellers.

We asked Gordon Clubb what this would mean for supply volumes in the first couple of weeks or months, and he said “understandably initially stock supply will be tight. We recommend you register your interest early to make sure you don’t miss out if you want to get any of the early batches shipped“.

We’ve learned that as with all Stellar Kayaks surfskis the SEI will come in multiple grades of construction.

Gordon Clubb told us “In Australia the Stellar Kayaks SEI will is going to be offered in the four (4) standard grades of construction offered across all existing surfski models from Stellar Kayaks which are ( from lightest to heaviest ) Ultra, Excel, Advantage and Sport“.

Here’s an outline of what each of the four grades of construction the Stellar Kayaks SEI will be available in are made up of:

Ultra ( 10.9 kg )

Clear finished Carbon fiber sandwich construction with Nomex honeycomb core. Epoxy resin laminate heat cured in the mold.

Excel ( 11.5 kg )

Gelcoat finished Kevlar and Carbon fiber sandwich construction with Nomex honeycomb core. Epoxy resin laminate heat cured in the mold.

Advantage ( 14.6 kg )

Gelcoat finished Fiberglass infused sandwich construction with Soric core- mat. Epoxy resin laminate heat cured in the mold.

Sport ( 15 kg )

Gelcoat finished Fiberglass single skin construction with reinforced stress points. Polyester resin laminate heat cured in the mold.

The key “size” stats for the Stellar Kayaks SEI are:

• Length: 6.1 m
• Beam: 46 cm
• Depth: 35 cm

We asked if all models would be available in stock, and Gordon Clubb stated “For those looking to get onto the top end Carbon models, Ultra Grade, you will need to be pre-order as is the case with most leading manufacturers, the top end Ultra construction in the SEI range are built to order and shipped on demand“.

When talking to Gordon Clubb from Stellar Kayaks we asked when the Stellar SEI would be available, and he said “at this stage, we’re planning for this new ski will be available world wide in about 5 to 6 weeks“.

We shall look forward to seeing this new model and to the opportunity to paddling it and offering our initial thoughts and a combination of a follow up articles including:

• Paddlers Impressions
• Technical Review
• Race Review

After having paddled it for a while to get a feel for it, shoot some photos to post in a gallery for you, we’ll be sending one or more of the team to their nearest Blast Paddlers time trial, to put the new Stellar Kayaks SEI through it’s paces in race conditions under the clock, and posting an official computer timed result over 10km for all to see.

For more information or to book a demo paddle, or pre-order, you can contact the team at Stellar Kayaks or your nearest distributor or reseller / agent – contact details below:

Stellar Kayaks Australia:

• email: info@stellarkayaks.com.au
• phone: 0414 210 210 or 0419 732 011
• web: stellarkayaks.com.au
• facebook: facebook.com/StellarKayaks

The big question is why? When people know me for paddling Ocean skis, K1 kayaks and SUPs, they see this big green thing and always ask why. The reason is simple – it takes two.

I can change the rudder pedals from front to rear cockpit, it’s reasonably fast, virtually bullet proof, stable and I could not have asked for a better boat to introduce others to the joys of being on the water.

I can place a novice paddler in the front and they feel like they’re King of the world, and I’m still in control in the rear.

Double skis tend to be too unstable for a complete notice to paddle and in this kayak they stay very dry even punching through medium size waves.

Being fibreglass it is more durable than carbon and Kevlar, and it cuts through the water better than any plastic boat.

With a length of only 5.1m, a beam of 68cm and a total weight of 24kg, it’s no race winner, but it is less than a third of the price of the price of a competitive race double ski/kayak. It has also proved itself for touring and open bay crossings.

And now also has a sail rig if one feels particularly lazy. This particular craft is 13years old and had a hard life, but like all the Rosco built craft they just seem to last forever. Once in a blue moon it might get a cut and polish and it instantly looks like new again.

In the time I’ve owned it I’ve had dozens of novice paddles, people who have never been in a boat before and even disabled individuals, in it and all had an absolute blast and many have now taken up the sport and since bought their own craft all thanks to starting out in the Green Machine.

I considered them slow, unstable, and a whole lot of effort for very little result. How wrong I was. You see up until that point I had never paddled a race SUP. I first got involved when asked to help run a friend’s SUP school for a couple of months so very quickly went about learning how to do it.

At first I was on a NSP 10’2” which was 32” wide. These were the standard board for the school and hire business due to their robust construction, stability, and cost and in particular their ability to sit in the sun all day without either exploding or imploding.

While I did indeed find these boards stable along with all the other attributes I still had the “Need for Speed”, and very soon found myself on a permanently borrowed NSP 12’6”.

Finally I found the missing link between kayaks and your standard surf SUP. This board was light, narrow (28.5”) and fast. I loved it. Its kayak styled bow cut through the water with ease, the flat bottom provided stability and the ability to surf if you found a wave and was very light and stiff.

The only problem I had with this board was in fact me. With the board rated at up to 75kgs and me a solid 86kgs the mathematics just did not add up especially during a recent 10km race against an entire field of 14’ boards.

Having tried a number of different boards available I settled on a NSP 14’ coco mat board. Not only was this my favourite board to paddle, it was also the cheapest. Almost identical to its little sister board, but just that little bit bigger or should I say a whopping 18 inches bigger.

You just cannot get away from increased waterline length being directly proportional in increased speed. Now holding my weight with ease and therefore also providing great stability, this board is a rocket. The coco mat fibre in the board makes this lighter and stiffer than its full glass brother, and better looking too.

I am now overtaking kayaks on this SUP. With its long V-shaped bow it does track beautifully, and so I can now change sides to work the muscle groups better and stay with a better rhythm, rather continually swapping sides to keep correcting my course.

With a deck pad going all the way to the tail there is also no problem with the step back and turn, to get around the turning buoys in a race. With its clean hard edge rail it also releases water with ease once you get you a little speed (but not until then ) and so surfs almost any ripple you can find.

The only concerns with this board at all are that the sides will scuff almost to easily so some rail tape before you even get it wet for the first time would be recommended and the black deck pad can get extremely hot in the sun and even bubble if left unattended, so keep wet or roll over.

Other than that this is a beautiful, light weight, stable and very fast board that gets attention every time it gets even near the water. This is a board that even makes me look good.

Every year the Tingira Boat Club on the island hosts a 15km race around the island.

Being mostly surrounded by either mainland or other islands it has become the perfect location for those wanting to make a start at the sport of ocean racing.

As the race is run from the island it becomes necessary to either paddle over before and back after the race or to catch the barge on the day or the day before and stay the night in one of many beautiful resorts or B&Bs.

My first Macleay Island race was in 2011 and before I was into the ocean race skis. I turned up with my Finn Multi-sport, a 5m bright yellow 18kg plastic sea kayak.

I very quickly realised I was completely out classed be the flotilla of Epic V10, V12, Fenn elite, Think UNO and Stellar SE, race skis.

None the less I lined up on the start line with a couple of other sea kayaks that thank fully showed up to ease my inferiority complex.

On a special note also this is where I was first issued my Blast race number of “105” as this was also the first race of the Pacific Ocean Series, a series of which I have since become a big fan and have hardly missed a single race and also made some great friends within the series.

There is something very special that is hard to put into words about paddling around an island. Anyway the mission was accomplished; I stayed upright and didn’t come last. I vowed to back to come back better and faster the following year and to beat my time of 1:27, and to bring a friend.

2012 rolled around and now I had my WaveMaster ocean ski, and brought a friend along, Chris in his Epic V10 sport, for his first ever race. We stayed overnight and joined in the pre-race dinner with some of the other paddlers the night before.

The race was the same format as the year before and went anti-clockwise around the island. Unlike most ocean ski races this being a mostly flat water race it is more about tactics rather than survival at sea, so skills like wash riding slightly faster boats plays a big part in this race.

Doing marginally better than the previous year I soon came to realise I could not blame the boat for my results and set about training hard for the following year.

Finally in 2013 I now have the boat of my choice, a Stellar SE, and brought along two friends this year, Kieran in his Fenn Elite, Gary in my old WaveMaster.

I even managed to organise another Stellar SES, thanks to Paddles, Kawana, for another friend, Helen, the pocket rocket, coming up from Sydney.

With the race this year running clockwise for I change, and a detour under a jetty, I wondered how it would change things.

With the race now under way and me this year now in the middle of for a change I was thankful for the training I put in as well as being in a great boat.

With all the confusion of the start I had no idea where Helen was, but I was hot on Kieran’s tail and stayed there like glue.

Kieran and I had done a little training together so we kind of had a race within a race. I was also hoping that Gary was doing ok in the WaveMaster also being his first race. But I sure as hell was not going to stop and look over my shoulder.

About a third of the way around we get to the jetty and it’s almost a bottle neck of boats, with some craft having to speed up or slow down to get through in single file.

As I approach I realise how little headroom there actually is and as I’m over 6 foot I had to almost bend over so far I could see what I had for breakfast.

As [bad] luck would have it a swell rose at that point nearly wiping out the GoPro camera on the deck causing me to lean sideways and brace the problem being there was also another boat there leaving me no room to brace, so into the drink I go – BUGGER. At that point Helen passes with a chuckle.

In a couple of seconds I’m back in and trying to get my Mojo back. I have to admit it was refreshing. Now hot on Helen’s tail I was determined not to lose any more placing’s and to even try and recover what I just lost.

Around the top of the island we go 4 Stellar skis in a pack all jostling for position. The black carbon Stellar pulls ahead and I try but fail to hang on but Helen must have had a hidden towline on him, because I was just left with a blue stellar to beat. Around another bend and I can see the finish line official’s boat and give everything I had.

To my surprise find myself gaining on Helen and leaving the blue Stellar far behind. About 500m from the finish I pass her and start to gain on the black carbon, but too little too late.

In the end Kieran beat my time of 1:20 by a minute, and I beat Helen by 15 seconds, and much to surprise and delight, Gary followed only 10 minutes later, which in my opinion was the best effort of the day.

This is definitely one of my favourite races for the year, in that it’s as easy or as hard as you want to make it.

The feeling of circumnavigating an island is hard to describe but is certainly special, it also seems to signify the start of the main race season.

It’s the sort of race you can bring a friend, and it’s where I first got my Pacific Ocean Series Blast race number, “105”. My birth date is 1st of May as well so 1/05/– kind of works well.

I’ll definitely be back next year with some more friends and a target of beating 1:15.

Thanks to Mark Mitchell and the team at SUP Gear Australia, we have the opportunity to offer you this exciting raffle, which could see you winning an awesome Surftech Joe Bark Phantom Carbon 14’0″ Stand Up Paddle board. Frankly it’s the stuff of dreams for any paddler!

Tickets are only AUD$50.00 each, there are only 110 tickets being sold, you can buy as many tickets as you like, the more tickets you buy, the more chances you have of winning of course. Tickets are sold on a “first in first served” basis, you are only in the draw to enter once your ticket purchase (payment) has been received, no IOU’s will be taken.

Update: only 59 of the 110 tickets available are left !!

Here’s a great interview with Joe Bark talking about the board:

Check out what SUP Gear Australia’s website has to say about this amazing prize:

The Phantom’s combination of stiffness, liveliness and light weight, with a hydrodynamic hull designed by Joe Bark–the most copied designer in race board history, gives these boards an advantage not seen before.

Only Joe Bark could design the Phantom Series. Only Surftech could offer Quantum Carbon technology and construction: Length: 14’0 x 28.2” x 7.5”, Volume: 277.85L, Fin: Single

The final prize draw will take place on May 31st, 2013, or as soon as all 110 tickets have been sold. We want to give it away as soon as we can, but we have to sell all of the 110 tickets before we can do that, so we hope to have all tickets sold by the end of May.

Please note that this raffle is being run in Sydney, NSW, Australia. The winner must pick the prize up from Sydney, or arrange to have the prize shipped to them at their own cost if the can’t pick it up from Sydney.

To purchase one or more tickets in this raffle, simply complete the following form with your details, and in the message field note how many tickets you would like to purchase, and we will send you a PayPal payment request to pay for your ticket(s). Upon payment you will receive a confirmation email and details of your ticket number(s).

Thanks for your support, and good luck. Please help support this great raffle by letting all your friends know about it by using the social network buttons at the bottom of this page to post this raffle on your Facebook wall, on Twitter, Linked-in, Email your friends, we’d really appreciate your support, and the good karma may bring you luck!

TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. Only 110 tickets are available. Tickets are available at a cost of $50 each. You can purchase as many tickets as you wish.
2. The raffle will be drawn either on May 31st 2013, or when all 110 tickets have been sold. The prize draw location will be announced prior to the day of the draw.
3. The prize will be available to be picked up by the winner on the day of the draw. If the prize winner is under the age of 18 years the prize will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians.
4. The prize is one Surftech Joe Bark Phantom Carbon 14’0″ Stand Up Paddle board, valued at approximately AUD$5,500 ( RRP ).
5. Tickets are not redeemable for cash, non-transferable, non-reroutable. The tickets are valid for 3 months after issue date. The winner must redeem & pick up, or arrange shipping of the prize, within 7 days of winning.
6. If not present at the prize draw, SUP Gear Australia will attempt to contact the winner by telephone on the number supplied upon purchase of ticket.. If the winner is not present on the night, alternative arrangements will be made for the winner to receive their prize.
7. The winner will be identified and details of the winning ticket will be posted on the day of the prize draw.
8. All reasonable efforts to locate the winner. We reserve the right to request the winner to submit their ticket stub as proof of identity and purchase. Proof of identification and entry considered suitable for verification is at our discretion.
9. SUP Gear Australia will not be held liable for any loss, damage or injury which results directly or indirectly from the raffle, except that which cannot be excluded by law.
10. All proceeds of this raffle are being donated to Blast Paddlers, to assist in their efforts to support and grow paddle sport of all genre around the world.

There are two amazing courses available. The first ( the long course ) is a 27km course which runs from Paynesville to Lakes Entrance, the second ( the short course ) is a 13km course which runs from Metung to Lakes Entrance.

This event allows paddlers of all leves of skill, experience, age etc to experience and paddle the stunning world class waterway and open water conditions on offer throughout the Gippsland lakes, in eastern Victoria.

Weither you’re there to race, or just participate to help raise funds and have a great day out, you’ll get to enjoy an amazing paddle on Gippsland lakes and view the spectacular man made entrance that allows the lakes to run into Bass Strait,from Australia largest inland water ways.

Join us in supporting this exciting event for East Gippsland, whether you are a recreational paddler or into serious, distance paddling this will be a challenging and exciting event to be a part of, there’s something for everyone at all levels of skill and experience, all ages, guys and girls.

Two events in one:

• Competitive paddle from Paynesville to Lakes Entrance – 27 km
• Competitive/Recreation paddle from Metung to Lakes Entrance- 13 km

Finish line will be the Lakes Entrance Footbridge.

Event flier:

Download and print a bunch of the event flier please and help distribute them around the place, hand a few to friends, put them up around your local paddle shops, every bit of support helps. Click on the following link for the PDF version of the flier:

• Gippsland Lakes Marathon Paddle “Poster”

For more information, please visit the official event web site and Facebook pages at the following URL’s:

• Website: http://www.gippslandlakesmarathonpaddle.com.au/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GippslandLakesMarathonPaddle

All enquiries please contact:

• Event director: Paul King (0417) 154 055 or
• Surf Life Saving Lakes Entrance: Kristine Cordery (0427) 565 607

Accommodation Enquiries contact:

• Lakes Entrance Visitors Information Centre
• Phone: 1800 637 060 or (03) 5155 1966

We’ll look forward to seeing you there, register online now, don’t leave it till last minute or race day ( just creates more rush and work for the event team ), and word is that last one to the finish line shouts the first round at the bar!