Kayak Centre – Zeplin

This is a big / tall persons ski and not the type of ski that one would take to play in the surf. It is ideally a 90kg + persons long distance ski. There was a lot of debate about where this ski should sit in the stable to elite continuum. Some loved its stability and big feel and recommended it sit under the all-rounder list and others voted for Intermediate due to where one would like to go with this ski. We eventually decided to err on the side of caution and place it on the Intermediate list.

It is a big persons ski. Anyone can paddle it in no wind to light conditions and it is a lot of fun and is surprisingly agile for its size. It catches runs very easily and due we think partly to it length glides well giving one a good stroke to distance ratio. The low sides of the bucket also make it very easy to climb back in if one should fall out. The wide flat bottom also gives it great primary stability.

The guys who designed this ski decided to give it a BIG nose. The plus side of this is it is very difficult to bury the nose on a steep downwind. The downside of this nose is that the ski is unmanageable for people weighing less than 90kg when the wind gets above 15knts particularly in crosswinds. Oddly enough those weighing over 95kg don’t seem to notice the problem.

At the time of writing the Zeplin bucket came out in two sizes narrow and wide make sure you know which one you want when you place your order.

** It was also one of the first skis that we saw with a designated leash anchor point.