Magnum Mania!

correction: use, not ude !

Not sure...great question though...curious to know myself.

It was a used Kayak back then and it was refurbished for the series (I also know who refurbished & styled it for the show but I promised to not give away the name so there's no need to ask).

The brand name is "Futura" and the original surfski is owned by a personal (non-Magnum-specific) collector today. I wish he would accept my offer for it

I found this on Craig's List:

Old Futura Surf Ski kayak - $260 (Scripps Ranch)

"Older futura surf ski kayak. Says, magnum right behind seat. Rudder is full functional. $300 obo.
Thanks."

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/boa/1796901320.html

erock308 wrote:I found this on Craig's List:

Old Futura Surf Ski kayak - $260 (Scripps Ranch)

"Older futura surf ski kayak. Says, magnum right behind seat. Rudder is full functional. $300 obo.
Thanks."

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/boa/1796901320.html

Dude, what, really? $300.00??????

not for sure whats a good price on those things...but if I had any use at all..Id buy one...but I don't so...too big of a prop just to have laying around...

That's all great but I think there's no way 4 me to buy this type of a kayak cause I'm from Europe... Is it possible to order 1 in the USA anyway? Or can you even buy it in Hawaii today?

only looking wrote:not for sure whats a good price on those things...but if I had any use at all..Id buy one...but I don't so...too big of a prop just to have laying around...

It's tempting, although it's too big to hang in the Tiki Bar and I'm not living in the Florida Keys (just yet . . .).

It would be tempting if I lived at the beach.

Man I want that !!! And I live on a lake where I could use it too.
One question though, What's the "T" shaped thing on the bow of TM's surf ski? And how tough would it be to add that to the Futura that's for sale?

The surfski is not a Futura. Futura doesn't actually manufacture skis but has deals with a few firms that do and just puts his decals on them. Huki out of West Sacramento manufactures most of Futura skis.

The ski used by TM is a Hayden modified to fit TS's 6'4" frame. The fins on the front are called bow fins and their purpose is to keep the nose from pearling or digging into the wave in front of you. The style of TMs ski is called a "spec ski" these days as the design is what is "spec'd" for use in lifeguard competitions.

I used to paddle and race skis but switched to outrigger, both 6 man and 1 man, as skis are very tippy until you learn to paddle them correctly. You start in flat water, two feet hanging out then you graduate to paddling slowly with feet in, then onto paddling harder and faster. When you feel confident in flatwater, it's onto rougher water. Unless you paddle year around the learning curve pretty much begins again the following year!
Nowadays, paddlers use wing paddles versus the standard kayak paddles and the wings add about 8% more propulsion.
Here is a link I'd term, "Surfskis, Then and Now" BTW, Tom Selleck was a pretty good paddler. I guess when you're a natural athlete, it comes easy!
Also, I've included a surfski link from So. Africa where champion ski paddlers are revered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbTgDRgdXig

http://surfski.info/

I have to add, most recreational skis don't use a bow fin. The bow fins aid mostly in getting out through surf. You probably won't be paddling out thru the surf anytime soon!

Modern skis weigh from under 18#s to about 35# depending upon the layup. Most paddlers advise getting a stable model and prepare to swim alot. You definitely want to use a leash as you don't want the ski to get away from you. See, "Home From the Sea", Season 4, Episode 1!

Here is Huki's website. Jude is a good guy to deal with and makes great skis. His "beginner" ski is an S1-R and a good layup for recreational might be vacuum bagged fiberglass. I have a carbon/kevlar OC1 from Huki and that layup, although very light, dings if you just look at it!
http://www.huki.com/

Epic makes good boats and paddles. The V10 Sport is a great boat.
http://www.epickayaks.com/products/surfskikayaks

Another link:
http://www.oceanpaddlesports.com/site/index.php

There are alot of used skis out there. Try before you buy! They're great exercise because, if you paddle correctly, you use your entire body and only use your arms to hold the paddle! Legs, back, core!

Wow, thanks for the great info on surfski's Jaybird! One of these days I'll get out on one.

Regarding Magnum's surfski, did he use more than one kind? The one in "Home From the Sea" looks slightly different from the one seen in the other episodes.

I'm not sure but I beleived there were a few skis. I know one was a Hayden, the original. It really is a great sport but very frustrating to get to where you can actually go out into the ocean, even when it is relatively calm. It takes a few months of persistence. If you ever make it to Oahu, stop by Bob Twogood's shop in Kailua and you can rent one and try it out. He also rents the standard plastic kayaks which you can paddle over to the Mokelua Islands off Lanikai. Just down the road towards Waikiki, the next town actually, is Waimanolo and at the end of the beach park there is the estate. You could put in and paddle around a small point and head directly into the tidal pool! Twogood will let you use a foam rack for your car to get to the beach park. It is a bit far to paddle there from Kailua!

So, if you ever get to talking with middle aged guys who paddle surfskis, you would be amazed at how many took up the sport from watching Magnum PI!

Here is the link for Twogood Kayaks:
http://www.twogoodkayaks.com/MainPage.html