The weight of that boat may’ve also played a part in the 20 pounds I dropped from my own frame while in Baja, despite sampling EVERY fish taco stand we crossed paths with. Down to a prize-fighter-ish 231 pounds, I’ve been having the fastest spring race season of my life, and I decided it was time to splurge on a new craft. I’ll cut right to the chase: One week ago I took delivery from Bob Putnam of Deep Cove Outdoors, BC, an Epic V10 Super Elite. Same lines as the fiberglass tank we’ve been training with, same fit and foot pedal system. But like me after Baja, it weighs 20 pounds less, and tips the scales at a ridiculous 19 pounds!

The Super Elite made its debut in 2007 just in time for the Molokai Surfski World Championships, which we were at so Heather (see our Molokai Blog Posts here) could race to a nice 3rd place finish. 11-time World Champion Oscar Chalupsky, fellow S. African phenom Hank MacGregor, and Hawaiian Mark Sandvold each had a brand new Super Elite to race in that event, and to show off to us drooling admirers. I’d never seen such a boat, both in stiffness and mind-blowing lightness. Despite flat conditions and an increased distance – variables that would favor younger, ultra-marathon-skilled distance paddlers – Oscar paddled his Super Elite to an amazing 4th place finish, giving the boat a level of instant renown.

Still, even Epic predicted that sales of the Super Elite would be minimal if at all, considering the ‘ski sports a $6500 US price tag! The reason is its construction. The Super Elite is made of “pre-preg carbon fiber.” Here’s the basic principal: When you build a boat with standard vacuum bag resin infusion technique, the ratio of resin to cloth is impossible to tightly control while still getting adequate distribution to all parts of the mold. You end up resin-rich in some areas, and extra resin adds only one thing, and it’s not strength… it’s ‘weight.’

Pre-preg, however, means the cloth is “pre-impregnated” with just the right amount of resin, before the cloth is even put into the mold. The pre-impregnated cloth is kept in a freezer until used, then it’s placed in the mold, vacuum bagged, and the whole assembly is slipped into an autoclave – a big oven – to bake off. The result is a boat with perfectly proportioned, evenly distributed resin content that, in theory, has no redundant weight from extra resin. 19 pounds, baby!

Back in February when I started shopping for a new boat, I VERY briefly considered a Super Elite, but clicked over quickly to the more “affordable” non-pre-preg “V10 Elite” pages of Epics website. The “standard” Elite is all carbon, just not pre-preg, and at 21 pounds it tips the pocketbook at a mere $4395.00 US.

Then, back in late March, I got an e-mail from Don Kiesling – a V10 Super Elite paddler himself who’s been a dominant Pacific Northwest racer these past two seasons, letting me know of a slightly used Super Elite for sale at Deep Cove.

“Paddled only 5 times” the ad read, “and with a professionally-applied hull paint identical to what is used on America’s Cup racing sailboats.” Bob Putnam, who’d taken the boat in on trade, posted pictures of the ‘ski on the web, and as soon as I saw the carbon black and fire engine red coloring, I was in love. A few weeks to put some real estate deals together, followed by a quick call to tell Bob to “Load it up!” and the next thing I knew the red-and-black water-weapon and I were one!

Next blog… Paddling the V10 Super Elite!