surfskipaddling.com
August 4 at 7:46pm · Oslo, Norway ·
McGregor Classic Surfski Preview
Just had the pleasure of previewing the rocket nose McGregor Classic
Surfski from Knysna Racing. The ski is a very rare beast, not least in
Norway. My friend Anders W Andersen got one this summer and let me test
it. Thanks!
Test was 11k in flat to very nice smaller 10kt runs, boat wake and cross chop.
I noticed that it looked a lot like the old pre-Oscar Nelo 560, that I
test swam at the club three years ago, as the super cool sprint padlers
were relaxing in the pier looking at the surfski fool remounting every
third stroke.
I’m pleased to say that testing the McGregor was
just fantastic with only a few things I’d improve in the next
generation. It’s very very light, you can pick it up with one hand. It
looks super fast, doesn’t look too fancy nor boring, just fast. It sits
very well in the water and initial stability is sort of just enough and
feels comfy for me (intermediate, +40, paddling 4-6 times a week, mostly
small bumps in Oslo).
The seat is round, comfy and forgiving and
will feel like this for most folks I believe. It let me rotate really
well. A very important feature, and I’m not the smallest paddler around
at 186cm, 86kg.
Immediately I noticed that every single ripple on
the water goes through the hull and into your hips, you get a very cool
feeling for the water in this boat. A bit like the V14, but more
pronounced. A lovely feature.
On the flat it accelerated so well,
got it up to 18km/h, just a bit under the Uno Max that I mostly paddle,
maybe because of that, as I think the McGregor will go faster. Looking
at the nose makes you feel and want to go FAST!
Took her out into
the chop outside the pier and found it a bit challenging at first as I
had the non-secured GoPro in my lap and had to not get in the water.
Then I hit the waves and it pierced the upwind waves extremely well,
turned around thinking a bit about the camera, but once I aligned with
the waves it was just stable, fun and fast. You’ll catch and surf every
little wave, you can manoeuvre the ski just as you like, as it turns so
quickly.
After 11km I wanted to paddle more, but had to go.
Finish is good, very good. Above new Nelo, below Think, probably EPIC.
Two issues. Knee bump/hump, it's tall and in my way, most other boats
are lowering the hump. Wish this would be the case in a future Mc Gregor
Classic.
Pedal system, why must every brand engineer their own
solution? I know why of course, but it’s probably a complicated piece of
engineering getting all these small parts right and you just wont
succeed in first go I think. Mechanically the system worked fine and
feels solid, but the bolts and nuts were very annoying to my feet. Had
it not been for this feature, this would have been my next purchase for
sure. Personal issue though, test for yourself and don't take my word,
my feet are long.
All in all it’s a very good ski for folks like
me and smaller folks for sure. Light, low volume, rocket nose,
manageable, accelerates very well, surfs every wave, would fit many
people in smaller waves. Don't think I'd enjoy it a lot in larger seas
though - but then again - you might!!
Very nice! Looking forward to a potential 2018 upgrade of the smaller issues, and I'll put my name on their customer list!
Sune Wendelboe
P.S. The new updated Classic called the Mc Gregor Rhythm is out of the factory!
