Thursday 3 June 2021

The Audax vs The Surf Ski


We're occasionally asked if the Audax is just a surfski with a sea kayak deck, usually followed by our explanation that you can't just do that, because sea kayaks have to carry the paddler and a lot of gear, and surf skis only have to carry the paddler.


In fact skis don't have hulls designed to carry weight anywhere except where the paddler is sitting, and when you do load them with weight elsewhere, they are a very different animal, and not a very nice one at that. We've done the experiment...!


When we designed the Audax we wanted a sea kayak that was as stable as the new breed of entry level skis, which are easily the most stable craft we sell, which went at least as fast as they go on the ocean, but of course COULD carry a substantial amount of gear, and carry it well.


The short video below illustrates the performance of the Audax in a moderate running sea, maybe 15kn, and it looks an awful lot like the surf ski footage you see around the web. Except of course, that this glide, acceleration and run are achieved with Rob the paddler, and just over 40kg of gear on board.


With the booming number of paddlers who now begin their ocean paddling journey on a ski, and not a sea kayak, it's proving to be an instantly familiar craft which behaves very much the same way as their surf skis, but with a huge amount of stability and predictability. There are well over 150 Audax out there in the market now, and only a couple of paddlers who have found it to be anything other than a super stable and reassuring craft. We reckon that's a pretty high approval rating for a design that most traditional sea kayakers look at and just expect to be unstable.


If you've cut your teeth on a ski and are wondering how to broaden your horizons with a genuine multi-day paddling adventure, the Audax is well worth a try. In a relatively short time it's won acclaim as a reliable and very fast big water boat, with paddlers from a wide range of experience levels managing to pull off some impressive trips around Australia and New Zealand in great style. 


Get in touch if you would like to see what's possible in a sea kayak.


The Audax, proudly designed and manufactured in Australia. Specs and pricing are available HERE

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