Keystone Kayak Racing
2010 Keystone Kayaks - people dedicated to paddling kayaks for fitness and racing
Post review update:
Since our initial review, Nelo has begun shipping the Ocean ski in XXL. We were able to get our hands on one, and
offer the following notes.
The XXL is recommended for paddlers greater than 85kg (187lbs). The hull is a fraction wider than the L, measuring in at 44cm (17.3 inches) (the L is 42cm/16.5”). It is a pleasure to paddle and differences in the hull compared to the L are too subtle to note for me. The seat in the XXL fits me very well, and I was happy in it. Unfortunately, I am 6 feet tall, 185lbs, with a 32 inch waist, and technically below the weight of this boat. Most of us liked the seat very well, but most of us are not XXL. It is similar in size to the Epics and Fenns, and will likely challenge the wide hip paddlers. We were also surprised to see that there was no extra width in the footwell for the calves, something most of us noticed to be “tight” in the L. So, as with the L, we liked the boat, but are guessing it will not fit many in its target weight class. For those that won’t fit, don’t loose heart. You may fit the Vintage ski. I hope paddlers don’t snub their nose at this model simply because it is not the fastest Nelo. The Vintage has the widest seat of all the Nelos, and has an open roomy footwell, and IT IS a full on racer. We did note some small improvements in the production run, such as a smoother seam around the venturi. Nice to see this kind of detail, and something we expected would happen.
The XXL is recommended for paddlers greater than 85kg (187lbs). The hull is a fraction wider than the L, measuring in at 44cm (17.3 inches) (the L is 42cm/16.5”). It is a pleasure to paddle and differences in the hull compared to the L are too subtle to note for me. The seat in the XXL fits me very well, and I was happy in it. Unfortunately, I am 6 feet tall, 185lbs, with a 32 inch waist, and technically below the weight of this boat. Most of us liked the seat very well, but most of us are not XXL. It is similar in size to the Epics and Fenns, and will likely challenge the wide hip paddlers. We were also surprised to see that there was no extra width in the footwell for the calves, something most of us noticed to be “tight” in the L. So, as with the L, we liked the boat, but are guessing it will not fit many in its target weight class. For those that won’t fit, don’t loose heart. You may fit the Vintage ski. I hope paddlers don’t snub their nose at this model simply because it is not the fastest Nelo. The Vintage has the widest seat of all the Nelos, and has an open roomy footwell, and IT IS a full on racer. We did note some small improvements in the production run, such as a smoother seam around the venturi. Nice to see this kind of detail, and something we expected would happen.
Cliff Roach
