New surfski from China

Wednesday, March 30, 2016, 25 comments

Another new kayak from the busy Chinese manufacturer, that I have designed a couple of kayaks for recently – this time, a short plastic (HDPE) surfski, 505x55 cm, aimed at the recreational market, workout and light touring, rather than the racing circus.

A surfski has some interesting advantages for this kind of use: it is fast and very manoeuvrable, easy to get in and out of, and to take a swim from (no tight cockpit to crawl into and no spraydeck to attach) and it is safe to use as it is easy to get up on from the water (no balancing with a high center of gravity while getting your legs in under a foredeck. If you get water in the cockpit from a breaking wave or a capsize, the footwell bailer will drain the cockpit when you speed up (more about this here).

The surfski will be shipped with either a racing rudder if you are serious about speed, or an aft mounted touring rudder (Smarttrack) if you prefer a rudder that can be lifted for getting close to the shore or in shallow waters. These are easily user interchangeable.

I have yet no information where and by whom this surfski will be marketed.

Comments

1 Craig Benson
9/30/2018 2:05 AM

Looks very interesting, what other models are coming out through Chinese distributors?

2 Björn Thomasson
9/30/2018 10:11 AM

From my hand, it is those mentioned in the link above. There may be a few more coming but nothing is decided yet.

3 Gitte Bergknut
9/8/2019 11:01 PM

Hur blev det finns det någon svensk distributör beskrivningen låter precis som nått sånt jag är ute efter.

4 Björn Thomasson
9/9/2019 7:29 AM

Det har hackat lite med introduktionen i Sverige, men Liker Kajak Sverige har tagit in Onwind (de har dock tagit en liten paus i återförsäljandet, men kan kanske ha kvar någon surfski i lagret?).

Även Skärgårdsidyllen har eller har haft Onwind i sortimentet.

5 alex
3/24/2020 10:10 PM

Can you tell us who the manifacturer is? Interested to get one.

6 Björn Thomasson
3/25/2020 8:27 AM

Liker kayaks

7 Petrus Johansson
3/25/2020 10:07 AM

kajaken kommer att finnas hos Kajaksidan i Stockholm senare i vår , man kan förhandsboka sig för en kajak redan nu.

mvh Petrus

8 douglas keith crum
5/4/2020 7:55 PM

I own a Liker On Wind. I have raced it several times here in Texas. I enjoy the boat very much. I put a over stern rudder on the boat due to the conditions I race in. I have paddled in the Gulf of Mexico in this boat too. On flat water I can keep up with most other boats. I would say it is a good ski.

9 Jozef Nycz
7/17/2020 6:43 PM

Hello Bjorn

I am happy to bring your designs to the Canadian market, my new business Kayak Source is aimed at wholesale and will feature the full Liker brand, this includes the On Wind surfski above, the V5.0, Easty 4.5 and others.

10 Björn Thomasson
7/17/2020 8:29 PM

Hey Jozef,

I am excited to hear, and I am sure you know that I am not involved with the production, marketing and sales of these kayaks. The designs are done as assignments for Liker kayaks.

But I'll be happy to supply any info you may need or want about the designs, hydrodynamics, visual considerations etc – and if Canada wasn't so far away I would gladly pop over to help introduce the line. I often do that with "my" kayaks on the local market (Scandinavia/Nortern Europe) – introductory talks, demos, classes etc...

Good luck!

11 eric
8/20/2020 11:33 AM

Hi,

i am looking for a surfski boat wich can be used to travel .

Where is it possible to test yours in france ? Do you know an owner ther ?

Many thanks.

12 Camilla Persson
8/21/2020 8:23 PM

Vad väger den?

13 Björn Thomasson
8/21/2020 9:13 PM

Har inte vägt den, men Kajaksidan anger 28 kg...

14 Jozef Nycz
11/13/2020 7:02 PM

Thanks Bjorn, COVID has not made it easy the market the Liker brand. I am getting good reviews on the V.50, OnWind and Spirt. Just need to pair these boats with the right paddle. With the narrow fit I'm thinking 200-210 cm max.

Any suggestions

15 Björn Thomasson
11/16/2020 8:15 AM

Hi Jozef. I am sorry but I have been a happy Greenland-style paddle addict for so many years now that I have lost track of what the producers of euros and wings have to offer nowadays.

And for Greenland paddles, I am – after having tried some commercial carbon versions (slippery, noisy, cold in the winter, hot in the summer) – back to using my own hand-carved wooden favorites.

16 Arnoud Deyll
11/18/2020 11:02 AM

Hello Björn

I am interested in buying a Liker surfski.

Can you tell me The difference between this boat and The Epic V7 ?

Thank you very much!

Kindley regards,

Arnoud

17 Björn Thomasson
11/18/2020 12:01 PM

Hi Arnoud,

I can't give you an experienced evaluation, since I haven't had a chance to try an Epic V7. But looking at figures and shapes, I might guess that speed is approx the same: Epic is slightly longer which gives it an edge, but that is probably offset by Liker Onwind's slightly higher Cp. Stability is also probably approx the same – Epic slightly longer, Liker slightly wider. This is hardly surprising since both, in essence, are high-performance elite ski hulls that have become wider and shorter to suit another usage and other users.

It seems, depending on version, that Epic is a couple of kg:s lighter than Liker, which may mean that higher quality HDPE is used, but may also mean that Liker Onwind is a more robust and tough ski.

18 Arnoud Deyll
11/18/2020 2:42 PM

Thank you very much for your replay!

The Liker is foresale in The netherlands, so I will have A look!

19 Björn Thomasson
11/18/2020 10:27 PM

There are some good reviews on the internet – among them one that covers the build quality etc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJg9iYZ2EwQ.

I have seen a likewise very in-depth review of its qualities afloat and surfing big waves etc, but I couldn't find it when I looked now...

But here is a paddler keeping the Onwind at 10-15 km/h during a 9 km race, which I find quite impressive with a short and heavy plastic ski (although he spent some time in the wake of a group of team boats ;-)

20 Harald
4/28/2022 10:54 AM

I noticed that a couple of paddlers have asked about how Onwind speed compares with Epic V7. I planned to buy an Axis S2 for my wife, but the deal did not work out, so I purchased an Onwind for her. This morning, prior to work, I took her Onwind for a test at a nearby lake.

Speed on a 9km round was about 9,7 km/h average for the entire round and 10,2 km/h average on the fastest kilometers. I would rate the intensity and effort, I put in, as a medium workout.

I have paddled the Epic V7 many times. My first reaction when I pulled up the GPS tracker results, from the morning round, was that I had to put in less effort to gain a rather good average speed in the Onwind than what has been the case with the V7. Based on the test I did today, I rate the Onwind at least equal to the V7 in terms of speed. If there is a difference, I would state that the Onwind is slightly faster. It feels like that up to 10 km/h, you can do it with slightly less effort in the Onwind. It would require further tests to make a clear statement.

Both are stable surfskis that anyone can paddle. However, I believe that the Onwind has a bit more tippy feeling on primary stability, but this is barely noticeable. If any.

I am by no means a great paddler and paddling physics are far from good, as it is early spring here in Norway. I followed land around the entire lake and the rudder was in active use during most of the trip. There was not any wind, current or wave resistance impact this morning. Ideal paddling conditions and by no means surf conditions. I am 178cm tall, weigh about 75kg and 49 years old. Numbers may change based on body weight, physics, and personal kayak preference.

21 Björn Thomasson
4/28/2022 9:23 PM

Thank you, Harald,

your experience confirms much of what I had been aiming for with this design: a decent speed potential for a relatively short plastic surfski. and an adequate stability curve.

You mention the slightly less initial stability in Onwind, which I think may be the reason you found Onwind a trifle faster than Epic, or at least require less effort. I usually design my kayaks with a little less initial stability, but more secondary, than most of the competition. The reason is that it is the secondary stability that keep the kayak right side up, while the initial does nothing more than keep a beginner happy in calm waters. Furthermore, with slightly less initial stability the kayak's movement becomes calmer and more predictable in waves, and as a consequence less tiring for the paddler.

But stability is a personal experience and there is no one-size-fits-all.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience of the surskis.

22 Alan Finningham
7/2/2022 4:26 PM

looking to get a demo of your liker surfski to scotland uk to test market .. do you know how to get that organised. shipping from europe maybe? finnie500@gmail.com

thanks Alan

23 Björn Thomasson
7/4/2022 8:46 AM

Hi Alan,

I have nothing to do with production, marketing, and sales – I have only designed the thing as an assignment (and am quite happy with the work, mine and Liker's ;-)

Contact Grace Wang at Liker. She can help arrange the practical details.

24 Russell
11/19/2022 9:57 PM

Hi Bjorn, here in Australia they are selling a Breeze Downwind which looks exactly the same as the Liker Onwind. They even supply a review of the Onwind with it. All the specs are exactly the same. Would you know if it is the same and why they change the name.

Thanks.

Russell

25 Björn Thomasson
11/20/2022 9:41 AM

Breeze is a PE surfski from Nordic Kayaks. It is manufactured by Liker, and they had the right at the start to sell it under their own name on certain markets, where NK had no dealers. But now when Nordic Kayaks are represented on all continents, the Breeze is sold only under the NK name.

Onwind is my original design for Liker Kayak. It is not the same as Breeze. There are small differences in dimensions, hull shape, and outfitting (as can be seen in this image). But there are of course also similarities, partly since they are designed for the same usage and cater to the same customers, and partly since maturing markets tend to conform around a consensus established around the most successful products – like modern cars where you have to look at the logo to know.

Then of course, since Liker makes both surfskis, there are production advantages by reusing outfitting parts etc.

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