I used the ski for the first time this past weekend at Addington Beach. This beach is known for its small waves and generally flat swells. On Saturday the swells were a little above average but very reasonable. As I launched the first foamy hit me and filled the seat and footwell section with water making it quite difficult to catch momentum, however, once i was moving the ski started to glide nicely and footwells began to drain. In less than 2minutes the recesses were clear of water except for about a cm in the footwells. The steering was very responsive and could turn 180' in a few strokes.
Beaching the first time was a breeze, surfed a wave all the way to the shore without having to lean far back or rely on the paddle to keep me going straight or forward. The second time however was a different story, caught a small wave for a bit before it passed me, lost momentum, and the second wave pushed me sideways and dunked me.
Overall the ski performed very well, its light, manueverable, stable. The fish hatch did not take in water at any stage, even after rolling in the surf.
Besides the testing of the craft I also managed to get two small shad
