Disclaimer: this is going to read like a sales pitch. It is not. I’m in no way affiliated with Stellar surfskis, not sponsored, no kick-backs, nothing. I love my Epic V10 as much as any man can love a boat. It’s the perfect boat for me. But then, sometimes, when you least expect it, another boat just… enters your life…
Read on at your own risk:

Last race season, Heather and I got to race the Stellar S2E tandem surfski, twice. The first time we pulled a 24:45 or so on the Wednesday Night course, not having been in a tandem ski even once in over a year. Race-time aside, we LOVED the experience of that boat.
Then, at the Sound Rowers 6-mile Lake Samish Salmon Roe  we borrowed and paddled the same boat again, and fell even deeper in love with it. We had a comparably fast time for that course.
Like everyone else, our main concerns with what we paddle are comfort, speed, and stability. Quality of construction is key, too, then price.
In the first few seconds of sitting in the S2E on water, the comfort and stability are immediately apparent. Both are AWESOME. So awesome, in fact, that I found myself doubting that such a stable ski could be fast (at all).
Then we raced it. My doubts were totally unjustified. It’s freaking fast. And that wasn’t even the light layup.
We’ve been dreaming of a tandem ski for the past couple years, and with the S2E we’ve found it. We just ordered one from Drew Harrison, white with a red deck, and will take delivery in the early spring.
Not to overuse the word “Awesome!” but the price was totally AWESOME too. We opted for the Advantage lay-up, fiberglass with soric core (one of Sterling’s favorite core materials), 48 pounds, for $2840.
Now get this: If you’re willing to go 3 pounds heavier, you can get an all fiberglass tandem S2E with your choice of 6 different deck colors, for $2310.
My understanding from Drew is that, for early spring delivery, orders will have to be in very early this month.
If 2012 is indeed destined to be the “Year of the Tandem”, the S2E seriously ups the on-water game, and drastically softens the blow to the bank account.
See the tandem’s data, pictures and colors at http://www.stellarkayaks.com/china/s2e_surfski.html
And you can reach Drew Harrison directly at drew_harrison@shaw.ca

See you on the water!

Brandon