The growing popularity of surfskis 1986

[surf4food]

Interesting LA times article from 1986 about the growing popularity of surf skis.  I wonder how many people who took it up back then (and stuck with it) are now SUP paddlers?

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-09-07/news/we-12015_1_surf-ski

[starman]

That's an interesting find. Mike Newman sold the Hammerhead for awhile but the surfski thing never happened. I keep seeing them hidden in backyard weeds. I tried one at the time and hated it. Very difficult to balance as the seat was above the water line. So it was hard to picture having fun on the thing.

So I'm not one who took up the sport but did embrace SUP the minute I heard about it.

[GizzeeNZ]

is mainly one guy in gisborne who rides a wave ski (where you got a belt to hold yourself to board). The irreverent term these days in these parts is "goat boats".......presumably because you would have to be a silly goat to even consider strapping yourself to a boatd lol

[seadart]

Actually surfskis on the west coast have made a bit of a comeback in the last few years with lots of people getting into racing.  There is a bit of a problem with definitions, in the US a surfski is an open top kayak like boat that is very narrow and long and requires good balance and paddling technique to balance and people generally do down wind paddles off shore for speed.  Much faster than SUP, at least for me.  In NZ I saw a lot of multi-sport canoes for racing, very similar.

I think the term Goatboat has an even more  perverse meaning than you mentioned.  Waveskis are meant for surfing and are about 7 to 9ft and you keep your feet in straps and use a seat belt, and you need to learn to eskimo roll.  High performance waveskis are actually much easier to do radical cut backs, re-entires and airs than SUP.    I started out surfing on a wave ski and still do it when the waves are really big or really crappy. There are maybe ~50 devoted fanatics on the US west coast and we know each other through contests but it's definitely a niche sport. A lot of waveskiers at San O moved on to SUPs, most of those guys are pretty old.   I used to get a lot of crap from boardies on my ski until SUPs started hogging all the outside waves, now I'm accepted.  I took up SUP surfing  as a new challenge and getting worked by a big wave, strapped to the waveski really sucks for your back. Tyler Lausten makes the best high performance waveskis in the US and Infinity makes great custom skis for more intermediate surfers.  Tsunami waveskis are in Auckland and they still sell a lot of skis in NZ so somebody must be riding them. I borrowed a  ski in Taranaki when on vacation and went out with the local waveski crew and surfed around region for several days, it was the surf trip of a lifetime.

[surf4food]

I think a lot of people confuse wavekis with surskis.  Waveskis are basically sit on top surfboards and are designed specifically for surfing.  Growing up on the west coast I can attest to the fact they've never been popular here.  Surfskis on the other hand are long and sleek boats used for open ocean paddling.  They are fast and are amazing at downwind swell riding.  They are not really designed for shore break (tho some do that).

[robcasey]

in recent years skis have grown, certainly not as hot as sup mainly due to their cost. But they're super fast, easy enough to paddle, and unlike sea kayaks you don't need a roll or completed re-entry skills.  I want one, but don't have the cash. Influenced, have removed the top of my  sea kayak making it a sit on top 17' carbon sea kayak. (fun to surf but not fast).

[pdxmike]

Interesting LA times article from 1986 about the growing popularity of surf skis.  I wonder how many people who took it up back then (and stuck with it) are now SUP paddlers?

Interesting that this may have come full circle, where today I bet a good chunk of interest in surfskis may come from standup paddlers looking to branch out.  I was already interested, and now seeing headmount's posts has me more curious.  Also meeting a surfski guy recently where I paddle in Puget Sound who does downwinders by paddling into the wind, then back--something he said isn't that difficult for him, especially compared to trying to do it on a standup board.

[skibike]

Used to race surfskis when I was a surf lifeguard. Incredible craft for picking up the smallest of ripples. On a strong onshore, we would paddle a mile out to sea, turn around and have some of the most incredible rides back to shore.

Heres a fellow club member catching an amazing long ride on his surfski on a pretty big one.

[surf4food]

Used to race surfskis when I was a surf lifeguard. Incredible craft for picking up the smallest of ripples.

The seem to be incredible craft for picking up large swells also.  Much faster and longer rides than what could ever be done on a SUP, tho SUP will still be closer to surfing. 

As someone who's only downwind experience is having a strong breeze push me on flat-water, it seems the standing position allows you to be sort of a human sail so wouldn't that be to some degree an advantage?