Thank you all so much for all the advice- I have done quite a lot of uk paddling so the balance is pretty good but I know the skis are totally different. Apologies for the delay in my response- work unfortunately gets in the way!! I am hoping to get something bought over the next week or so. At least I can then start enjoying!!

Hi Branchy, like you I too am 6' 3" and can get under 100kg if I'm good. I've founod that not many skis are made for guys with our hip size, the Epic V12 being the most comfortable so far, but it's worth persisting to find the right boat. Like Helouski says to be able to stay upright and comfortable is number one and 2 while you're learning.
I learned in the ocean, often in the sea breeze on a surf lifesaving ski, not the best environment and it took ages, nowadays there are more choices so take your time, once you do get the right ski your improvement will be exponential.
I'd take Hel up on her offer, there great guys and you won't regret it.
Cheers Mav

Welcome to RBP. If you can spare an afternoon to Mandurah, the Mandurah Ocean Club has one of just about every ski in our shed, including a couple of plastics in the Spirit PRS and Finn Molokai right on the water. We are always happy to take anyone for a paddle and borrow our skis. Admittedly, two of us are dealers (Think and Fenn), but it could be worth it to have a 'one stop spot' to try several different brands of craft at once. I believe the ski chooses you and your body shape rather than you trying to adapt to any one in particular. It will be the one you feel comfortable on so that you can then work on technique and improving without worrying too much about stability to begin with. You are only improving when you are on top of the ski paddling! All the points from others regarding your enquiry are extremely relevant and from some very experienced paddlers. Fiasco's point about what you are striving for with your paddling is a good one. Many a new paddler has been sold the wrong craft first and 'talked in to' something that they shouldn't have (us included). Take your time, try several and shop around. 2nd hand is a good option if you feel that you are going to grow out of the first one quickly with improvement. Feel free to call us, Mark Hardie: 0427 845 251 or me Helen: 0428 845 251 if you want to try several options from one place with an easy access to the water.

Hey Branchy,
I'm close to your height and weight and I got my first ski back in September. I wanted to start paddling to race in the Avon this year, so I had a look around and figured that a plastic ski was the best place to start off. I read that the Endorfinn was good for beginners and larger paddlers so I picked up a second hand one from gumtree for $800. Fits my dimensions perfectly, legs and bum have plenty of room and it's comfortable to sit on for long periods of time. I usually take it out in the water outside of Hillarys boat harbour, but I try and get out on the river as often as I can, and it handles well enough in both ocean and river.

A good friend of mine that i've been training with got a second hand PRS around the same time and price (even though they usually cost a little more) that I did too, he's a bit lighter but about the same height. He's got no complaints with leg room, although I had a go on it this morning and thought it was a bit shorter than I would like (or shorter than i'm used to anyway). The PRS felt a little less stable (although the difference isn't all that much really), and the PRS is noticeably faster.

Six months in I'm happy that I chose a plastic ski to start with, although now that I'm looking at going into some more river and ocean racing I am thinking about going for a PRS at some point in the future for the extra speed. I hope this helps, I don't as much about skis as most people on this site, but hopefully my experience as a beginner in a similar situation helps you with your choice.

It will depend on what you want to do.

A plastic ski or multisport will certainly take the knocks while you get yourself together and will have a reasonable resale value. Fancy composite skis are attractive and fast for racing but also delicate and tippy.

Recreation? Race? Avon?

I suggest a try-out day (eg Canoeing Downunder) and maybe an intro paddling course.

this may help? or maybe not!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HVJNA9eEhw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Welcome Branchy ,
How is your water balance ? When I started I had very little water based experience apart from swimming . That combined with my height and bodyshape meant that I was very wobbly for a while . There are lots of options for you to find the right ski and some excellent retailers who will give you good guidance without just trying to get you to part with as much money as they can . Plastic skis are a good entry point as they can take a few knocks - most of which will be getting used to transporting them ( on and off your car , around your yard etc ). The Finn Endorfinn was my first ski , but the Spirit ski ( 5.2m not the PRS )is another good starter . I think there might be a Cobra Eliminator still floating around on Gumtree quite cheap . These craft are all 5.2m & 18- 22kg and tricky to begin with , but with a little patience can soon be mastered . The Finn Affinity is a shorter (4.25) more stable "ski" that could cope with your weight but you may grow out of quickly . If you wanting to go straight into composites then I will defer to other RBPers to give you advice there . If you wanted a chat for more info give me a call 0488509384
Dave