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Name: Watson
Most Recent Reviews
Taking the yak out for the first time today I was quite surprised by the great amount of stability here even in medium wind conditions. I really like the seating positions that you can set up and the boat truly is feather light making for easy car topping. It is going to take me a while to get used to tiller bar steering but the Apex T is a lot of fun to paddle already and no one should worry about this boat being too tippy.
All this negative being said, my kayak arrived packed well, is built quite well, has marvelous primary and secondary stability in virtually all conditions and the seat is fantastic. Those that complain about needing a better seat back or padding just need to do more paddling with proper form. The seat is great for hip rotation and there is plenty of back support unless you are improperly leaning back while paddling. This seat reminds me of my surf ski seating.
Another really cool thing the boat does is plow through really big waves with little protest and the odd obtrusive railing that runs around the junction of the deck and the hull really does work in keeping water off the deck. The boat carves ok but nothing tight like a Walrus Griffin does.
NC Kayak states that the boat is good for people up to 6'2" which is about right. I am 5'11" and really have to bend my knees to get in and out. Even though it is not a speedster it is kind of fun to use as a cold water boat or want to paddle the shallows where a rudder/skeg would get fouled.
I find the V10S to be a nice combination of speed and stability. The boat has a very short learning curve and you will feel at home in it very quickly. No one should feel intimidated in this boat and I often wonder why Epic even bothers with the V8 and lesser models. I mainly paddle for fun and exercise and when cruising I easily hold a 5 or 5.5 mph speed. I am sure a paddler in better shape would have no trouble doing 7 mph in this boat. I have the performance build and find it to be extremely durable.
Because I feel that I have this boat mastered I am planning on Purchasing a V10 in the GT build because the idea of a 20lb ski really appeals to me. I realize that the Ultra and GT builds are very prone to dings and dents so I will baby that expensive boat. One last praise for the V10S is that I find it to be an extremely comfortable and fun boat to paddle. I love the weedless rudder and quick adjustability of the foot pedal. I should also mention that I use an Epic small mid-wing paddle and find it to be outstanding. I used to have their hybrid paddle and liked it too but the full carbon really looks and works great.
The only downside to the Epic V10 Sport is that living here in the midwest I am limited somewhat by the colder weather months.
Maybe a WSB EFT or Sleek is in order.