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263craft

Opium · Surfski · Out of production

Opium Rider

5.53m x 52cm stable ski, short and wide enough to be a genuine first boat while still carrying a proper ocean cockpit and bailer.

Length
5.53 m
Beam
52 cm
Deck
33.5 cm
Side view unavailable
Top view unavailable
Opium Rider, Outline drawn to scale from published length and deck height
Outline drawn to scale from published length and deck height · Surfski Index

Specifications

Length
5.53 m
Beam
52 cm
Deck height
33.5 cm (est.)
Category
Surfski
Usually paddled by
New paddlers
New price
Not listed new

On-water profile

Stability
8–10
Dimension estimateLow confidence
Speed
5

Modelled from published beam, length and deck height. Low confidence. Speed is our rating. Both are given at the hull's own design weight.

These ratings are Surfski Index estimates, worked out from published dimensions, traced hull shapes where we have them, and reviews. They are not supplied by the maker or timed on the water. How a ski feels depends on your weight, skill, set-up and the conditions, so use them to shortlist skis and paddle one before you buy. How we rate.

Stability here means how steady the ski feels sitting still on flat water. Where two craft have overlapping ranges, we can't say which is more stable. Downwind handling is a separate thing, covered in the evidence note below.

Evidence note

This band is estimated from published dimensions. Qualitative context includes 1 paddler report and 5 linked sources.

Suits: Learning, flat water and light chop.

Paddler weight

The estimated sweet spot is 81–94 kg, with a broader estimated guide of 66–98 kg. This estimate is a guide, not a limit. Seat fit, conditions and paddling style matter. Lighter paddlers can still enjoy a larger hull, especially downwind. A test paddle is the best check.

Estimated from hull dimensions using a formula fitted to makers’ own paddler limits. It does not establish the designer’s intended paddler weight. How this is worked out.

Generations

current

Opium Caiaques is a Brazilian builder with the widest ski range in South America: seven surfskis from an elite 6.45m racer down to a 5.25m beginner hull, alongside OC1, OC2 and OC6 outriggers. Opium publishes an overall hull height for each boat; that figure is not the deck height this index uses for weight bands, so it is not carried across.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Wide and short enough to learn on
  • Easy to car-top and carry
  • Part of a range you can move up through

Cons

  • No published weight or layup table
  • Gives away a lot of speed to the 6m hulls
  • Effectively unavailable outside South America

What paddlers say

No independent owner review located as of August 2026.Reported experience

Where to buy

The Rider is out of production. You can only buy it second-hand.

We don't have a dealer listed for Opium yet. All makers and dealers.

Opium sells in Brazil in reais and publishes no list price. Specs here come from the maker's catalogue and Brazilian dealer listings.

Sources

BetaRatings are estimatesRatings are estimates. How we get the numbers. Prices checked October 2026, may be out of date.