

It was different than anything I had experienced, but this was also before I paddled the V9. I had a chance to try the Vega Flex Pro (18 lbs) on a 10 mile downwind in the spring of 2021 and was impressed by the surfing, maneuverability, and featherweight feeling. The Vega quickly established itself as the new benchmark for what a well designed downwind ski should be. The light weight, surfing capabilities, and strength of the build all spoke for themselves. Within a short period of time they exploded in popularity with intermediate to advanced paddlers, and it wasn’t a matter of chasing the shiny new object. I don’t stock any Epic surfski above a V9, so I have no direct motivation to market elite boats.įor most serious downwind paddlers, it is no secret that Kai Bartlett tapped some magic when he launched the Vega and Vega Flex surfskis. We are all human and therefore have our biases both conscious and unconscious, so I won’t pretend to be unbiased, but will write as honestly as possible.

I don’t have any commitment to be exclusive with Epic, but have found that it keeps my business simpler, I trust the quality of their boats, and I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with everyone in the Epic Family. A Little Backgroundįirst the obvious, I’ve been an Epic dealer for 10 years and have paddled almost exclusively Epic boats for the past 15 years. Its hard to find many written reviews on the newest Epic Gen 3 V12 and I know there is quite a bit of interest, so after a long hiatus from publishing blog posts, here goes my attempt to articulate my findings thus far.
